Sen. Melissa Melendez, R-Lake Elsinore, Monday introduced a resolution seeking the Legislature’s support for implementing provisions in state law recognizing the right to refuse coronavirus vaccines.
Melendez said her Senate Concurrent Resolution 59 would establish that Californians “have a right to decide what they choose to put in their bodies, without being threatened with their jobs by government or employers.”
“Our Constitution allows free-thinking people to take responsibility and make decisions for themselves and their families, and those decisions should be free from retaliation or coercion by their government,” Melendez said.
SCR 59 specifically requests that the Legislature resolve to amend Health & Safety Code 120140, which lists the circumstances under which public health officials may act to contain communicable diseases.
Melendez said there should be a constitutional provision stating “all people by nature are free and independent,” thus ensuring Californians have the opportunity to “provide consent for any preventative, diagnostic or therapeutic medical interventions taken by the state with regard to a disease and its potential spread.”
“Cities across this state have, or are considering, mandates seeking to segregate out the vaxxed from the unvaxxed,” Melendez said.
“California shouldn’t promote the open discrimination of those who’ve made a choice, when substantial outbreaks in highly vaccinated places like Israel, Malta and Vermont make it obvious that an increase in vaccination rates doesn’t necessarily guarantee a reduction in COVID cases.”
“Asking for passports or papers to verify your vaccine status to ride a bus, attend school or receive benefits is simply un-American,” she said.