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(Children’s Health Defense) – Rhode Islanders over age 16 who don’t get the COVID-19 vaccine could face $50 monthly fines and have to pay twice as much state income tax under legislation introduced in the state Senate.
Senator Samuel W. Bell (D-Providence) said he proposed the bill (S 2552) because “ … we have a crisis with the pandemic.”
Bell told the Boston Globe Wednesday:
“Thousands of Rhode Islanders have died. I’ve had really painful calls from constituents who can’t go to the store because they’re immuno-compromised, who have lost loved ones to this pandemic, who are really ill and not fully recovered, suffering long-term effects.”
Bell said his 4-month-old son has interstitial lung disease, which places him at risk of serious illness or death if he gets a respiratory infection.
“My son’s condition has made me feel more compassionate and ready for the heavy level of abuse I knew I’d receive,” he said.
“I love my son more than I can put into words, and the idea of him not being able to interact with people and to go to school — those things terrify me. And I’m not the only parent of a child with a serious immune condition,” Bell added.
Bell’s assumption that people who are vaccinated can’t infect the immunocompromised is not supported by research, especially in the case of Omicron, said Brian Hooker, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of Children’s Health Defense.
Hooker told The Defender:
“Senator Bell’s passion is severely misplaced and appears to be based on a huge amount of misinformation regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. The science clearly shows that the vaccine does not prevent transmission and could do more harm than good considering the more than 1 million reports of vaccine injury in the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System database.”
The legislation provides for no religious exemption and the state’s health department would consider a medical exemption only if three physicians signed off on it.
The proposed law also requires employers to collect additional state income taxes from those who violate the mandate. The law does not specify how employers would accomplish this, but does make them subject to hefty fines for noncompliance.
“Any employer found to be knowingly in violation of this section for more than seven (7) days shall be required to pay a monthly civil penalty of five thousand dollars ($5,000) for every violation.”
The law grants directors of “the department of health and the department of revenue the power to promulgate regulations to ensure compliance.”
Critics call legislation ‘dangerous’
According to WJAR, a Providence media outlet, two senators removed their names from the bill after reporters from the station “stopped by a local grocery store to speak with people about the matter.”
The station reported:
“Some of the senators who introduced the bill on March 1 did not want to talk about it anymore. The issue blew up on Tara Granahan’s WPRO radio show Tuesday morning.”
Rhode Island Sen. Jessica de la Cruz, the Senate minority whip who dropped out of the 2nd Congressional District race last week, organized an email campaign opposing the measure.
The entire country has seen what happens when men enter women's sports.
Lia Thomas is a biological male, but he was nonetheless allowed swim against elite female competitors to win an NCAA Freestyle competition, much to the disappointment of those women who had trained so hard to compete.
SIGN THE PETITION TO BAN MALES FROM WOMEN'S SPORTS TODAY
Males have a natural advantage over females in the vast majority of sports, so allowing them to enter women's sports can:
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- put females into harm's way in contact sports and locker rooms
- deprive women of their right to fairly compete for college scholarships and many other accolades
We all know the spectacle of Lia Thomas defeating those female swimmers was a charade, a mockery of women's sports, but now it's time to do something about it.
Please SIGN this urgent petition calling on members of Congress to pass a law banning the participation of biological males in women's sports.
This is not just about ensuring biological girls and women can compete fairly and win in their chosen sports, but it's also a major safety issue in contact sports and the dangerous use of women's locker rooms by gender-confused males.
Some of you will remember Fallon Fox, the male MMA fighter who claimed to be a woman and left his female opponent concussed and with a fractured skull.
Fox later announced on social media that he enjoys "smacking up" women who "talk transphobic nonsense."
Any reasonable person knows men shouldn't compete against women, but some people are too politically correct to take a stand and protect girls and women from this madness.
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Future generations will look back with gratitude on those who stood on the right side of history, defending women from these very confused males.
Nothing less than a federal ban on biological males forcing their way into women's sport is enough, so this petition will be sent to all members of Congress demanding legislative action.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
'Olympians, coaches, swimmers write open letter demanding NCAA protect women’s sports' - https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/olympians-coaches-swimmers-write-open-letter-demanding-ncaa-protect-womens-sports/
'Female swimmer torches NCAA after losing spot to William ‘Lia’ Thomas: ‘Make the right changes’' - https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/female-swimmer-nudged-out-of-competition-by-william-lia-thomas-torches-ncaa-in-open-letter/
'Rep. Boebert files resolution declaring female runner-up to ‘Lia’ Thomas the rightful winner' - https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/boebert-leads-resolution-to-declare-female-runner-up-to-lia-thomas-the-rightful-winner/
**Photo Credit: Fox News/YouTube screenshot
As reported by the Globe, de la Cruz wrote an email to supporters on Tuesday saying people across the state have been asking her about Bell’s bill.
“I have not, nor will I ever support, legislation that coerces Rhode Islanders into making medical decisions or face steep financial damages,” she wrote.
“I hear my constituents and others around the state loud and clear — this is dangerous legislation and sends the message that our government doesn’t trust you to make the right choice for you and your family. This is an unconscionable overreach of legislative powers.”
De la Cruz tweeted:
As I was quoted in the article, “it’s amazing that a state senator from Rhode Island, a state that was founded on personal and religious liberty, would impose a special tax on people for exercising their religious or conscientious beliefs.”https://t.co/hKKxdOZYG2
— Senator Jessica de la Cruz (@JessicaforRI) April 20, 2022
De la Cruz said the “good news” is the bill stands little chance of becoming law.
“That said, I’m not taking it for granted, and neither should you,” she wrote in her email.
Rhode Island ranks No. 6 in the country for residents supporting a universal COVID vaccine mandate, according to a new survey. reported in the Boston Globe.
The poll from the COVID-19 Consortium for Understanding the Public’s Policy Preferences Across States found 64% of Rhode Island residents said they believe everyone should be required to get the vaccine, behind only Washington, D.C. (75.6%), Massachusetts (67.3%), Hawaii (66.7%), Maryland (65.2%) and California (65%).
Nationally, 55.3% of Americans support a vaccine mandate, according to the survey.
© April 22, 2022. Children’s Health Defense, Inc. This work is reproduced and distributed with the permission of Children’s Health Defense, Inc. Want to learn more from Children’s Health Defense? Sign up for free news and updates from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the Children’s Health Defense. Your donation will help to support us in our efforts.