Van Drew plans federal legislation to bar states from mandating Covid vax for school kids

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) decision to add the Covid-19 vaccine to its list of suggested required vaccines for school kids isn’t just earning the opposition of Jeff Van Drew (R, NJ-02), but also a forthcoming bill from South Jersey GOP congressman.

“The CDC knows that by updating their list of suggested vaccines for schoolchildren, many states will force children to get the COVID-19 vaccine, even though the CDC has even acknowledged that children are at low risk of infection and that the vaccine does not prevent the spread of COVID-19,” said Van Drew on Monday. “States across the country will ignore the science and the will of parents, putting our children’s education at risk. Test scores across the country dropped to its lowest levels in decades because of the left shutting down schools and teachers’ unions protesting the return to in-person learning. We should be celebrating students return to the classroom, not imposing additional barriers to hinder access to a public education.

“This is why I am introducing legislation to ensure that states do not enforce COVID-19 vaccine mandates as a barrier of entry to a public education,” added Van Drew. “Parents must decide what the best course of action would be regarding their children’s health, not the government. I will continue the fight to preserve parental rights and ensure state governments are not usurping their authority.”

Parental concern regarding the Covid-19 vax is fueled, in part, by data suggesting an elevated risk for potentially severe reactions in younger Americans.

“[The Florida Department of Health’s] analysis found that there is an 84% increase in the relative incidence of cardiac-related death among males 18-39 years old within 28 days following mRNA vaccination,” said Florida Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo, MD, PhD in an October 7th statement. “With a high level of global immunity to COVID-19, the benefit of vaccination is likely outweighed by this abnormally high risk of cardiac-related death among men in this age group. Non-mRNA vaccines were not found to have these increased risks.”

The text of Van Drew’s bill hasn’t yet been released. States generally make their own decisions concerning vaccines, but a GOP bill could tie a prohibition to federal road money as a mechanism to prevent blue states from forcing vaccination.

Matt Rooney
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MATT ROONEY is SaveJersey.com's founder and editor-in-chief, a practicing New Jersey attorney, and the host of 'The Matt Rooney Show' on 1210 WPHT every Sunday evening from 7-10PM EST.