As I write this article today the count remains at 26 Nebraska State Senators who are willing to sign the petition to call for a special session of the Nebraska State Legislature to deal with the vaccine mandate problem. Unless seven more State Senators change their minds by November 1, the special session likely won’t happen. The Governor, however, may call for a special session without 33 Senators.

Many Nebraskans are now losing their jobs because they cannot take a COVID-19 vaccination shot. Many people have sound medical reasons for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, while others object on moral, religious and philosophical grounds. The bottom line is that vaccinations of this kind are really a matter of personal liberty and should not be decided by government bureaucrats, businesses or employers.

Choosing to get vaccinated against COVID-19 is really a matter of individual choice, and that choice should not be infringed upon by any government entity, business or employer. The courts have already determined that individuals have the right to make medical decisions concerning their own bodies. For instance, in 1914 in the case of Schloendorff v. New York Hospital an appellate court in New York State said, “Every human being of adult years and sound mind has a right to determine what shall be done with his [or her] own body.”

Those who advocate for abortion usually argue that a woman has an absolute right to decide what to do with her own body and the Planned Parenthood license plate exhibits the slogan, “My Body, My Choice.” Shouldn’t that same absolute principle be applied to vaccine mandates? If it is true that a woman has an absolute right to make her own decision about an abortion, then shouldn’t an individual also be able to decide for himself or herself about receiving a vaccination?

One of the main reasons that people are refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccination shot is due to the body’s own immunity which naturally results after recovering from a COVID-19 infection. Dr. Paul E. Alexander, a Canadian health researcher, has compiled a list of 91 studies which have all concluded that natural immunity is better than the COVID-19 vaccines. That list can be found online at the Brownstone Institute’s website: www.brownstone.org. According to Dr. Alexander, the medical establishment and the media are “misleading the public with assertions that the COVID-19 shots provide greater protection than natural immunity.”

President Biden continues to demonstrate his firm resolve to follow through with his vaccine mandates, even though he has said in the past that he would never do so. For instance, President Biden stated on December 4, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware in response to a question about vaccine mandates, “No, I don’t think [vaccines] should be mandatory. I wouldn’t demand it be mandatory.”

Because President Biden’s actions have not exactly matched his words, Nebraska State Senators should feel compelled to take the threat of his vaccine mandates seriously and call for a special session of the State Legislature immediately to deal with this problem. Because people are already being let go from their jobs, the Legislature can no longer afford to wait. Even if 33 Senators do not sign the petition, Governor Ricketts should still call for this special session anyway!