Massachusetts withdraws School Flu Shot Mandate
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Big news yesterday from ICAN: At the Informed Consent Action Network, you are the authority over your health choices and those of your children. In a medical world manipulated by advertising and financial interests, true information is hard to find and often harder to understand. Our goal is to put the power of scientifically researched health information in your hands and to be bold and transparent in doing so, thereby enabling your medical decisions to come from tangible understanding, not medical coercion.
As of today, January 15, 2021, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health has withdrawn the mandate for all students to receive an influenza vaccine. An ICAN-funded lawsuit brought about this amazing development for all in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Last week, we reported to you about a lawsuit funded by ICAN, brought against the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), to challenge the legality of a flu shot vaccine mandate for all children in childcare and all students in school, ages 6 months through 29 years old. Episode 197’s Legal Update segment explained the legal bases for the lawsuit.
Today we bring you even better news: on the same day that the DPH was to file its response to the lawsuit with the Court -- including responding to a request for a preliminary injunction striking the flu shot mandate -- the DPH capitulated and withdrew the mandate in its entirety! This means that NO STUDENT will be MANDATED to receive the flu vaccine in order to attend school!
The DPH’s updated list of required vaccines does not contain influenza vaccine. This is an enormous and significant victory and a huge relief for thousands of individuals and families across Massachusetts who had been backed into a corner by the DPH’s fiat.
The DPH first showed signs of weakness when, within days of being sued and the Court ordering an expedited hearing, it pushed back the original December 31, 2020 deadline for receipt of the vaccine to February 28, 2021.
Then, yesterday, the day before the DPH was due to submit its opposition to the Plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction, its attorneys contacted ICAN’s legal team, led by Aaron Siri, to inform them that the mandate would be withdrawn. Today, the DPH has done just that.
ICAN is beyond proud that its funding and its legal work continues to make real life changes for real people every day. Victories like this will continue to motivate us to never rest and to always stand up for informed consent and people’s right to choose!
Congratulations, Massachusetts!
Was Dept's capitulation a more strategic decision to avoid setting a legal precedent against mandating vaccines generally than a recognition of the merits of this one particular case?
Posted by: Joe | February 18, 2021 at 10:10 PM
Elaine, I have heard Ivor Cummins (The FatEmperor) talk about this phenomenon. He explains that it is the usual occurrence that a virus (flu in this instance) can fade away into the background (not disappear) when there is a more dominant virus around. It apparently often happens so it may not be that the flu is being reclassified. I hope I am getting that right; it was just a passing remark he was making.
Posted by: Julie | January 17, 2021 at 10:42 PM
This is great! On our local news, no Flu outbreaks or deaths this year. Of course, all of them are probably counted as a Covid case. But they still recommend you getting a flu shot. Who knows what the reaction of both shots given around the same time will do to the body. They will just say it is a co-incidence.
Posted by: Elaine Dow | January 17, 2021 at 09:57 AM
Well done! This is great news.
Posted by: Bayareamom | January 16, 2021 at 02:45 PM
Hurray!
Posted by: False Scientists | January 16, 2021 at 12:27 PM
Our only hope in protecting our families will be a fair and equal justice system...where our VOICES can be heard through legal briefs filed by ICAN … an organization well worth supporting as much as we can.
ONWARD AND UPWARD … THANKS ICAN
Posted by: Bob Moffit | January 16, 2021 at 09:25 AM
So grateful for ICAN. They are doing amazing work!
Posted by: 4Bobby | January 16, 2021 at 09:18 AM
Well done ICAN. This was Health Department bullying and tyranny. They were not above the law.
Posted by: Jenny Allan | January 16, 2021 at 06:10 AM