This post originally appeared at https://www.prolifewi.org/blog/2021/6/8/act-now-call-assembly-leadership-on-tuesday-june-8

ACT NOW: CALL ASSEMBLY LEADERSHIP, URGE THEM TO PLACE AB309 ON THE CALENDAR FOR A FLOOR SESSION

On Wednesday, June 2, Pro-Life Wisconsin Legislative Director Matt Sande testified before the Assembly Committee on Constitution and Ethics in support of Assembly Bill(s) 299, 303, 309, 316, and 347, legislation prohibiting vaccine discrimination and coercion.

Please watch Matt Sande’s public testimony courtesy of WisconsinEye HERE. Wisconsin Family Action, Vaccine Choice Wisconsin, and Wisconsin United for Freedom also testified in favor of the legislation, along with many individuals from across the state.

Pro-Life Wisconsin SUPPORTS:

• Assembly Bill (AB) 299, legislation prohibiting proof of vaccination for COVID-19 as a condition of receiving business and government services;

• Assembly Bill (AB) 303, legislation prohibiting businesses from discriminating against customers due to their vaccination record;

• Assembly Bill (AB) 309, legislation prohibiting discrimination on the basis of vaccination status;

• Assembly Bill (AB) 316, legislation prohibiting the government from discriminating against any person based on whether the person has received a vaccine against COVID-19;

• Assembly Bill (AB) 347, legislation prohibiting University of Wisconsin System institutions and technical colleges from requiring students or prospective students to be tested for, or vaccinated against, COVID-19.

Some of the bills apply generally to all vaccines and all epidemics, and some only to those associated with the 2019 novel coronavirus. We prefer the former.

For example, AB 309 provides the most comprehensive protection against vaccine discrimination. Current Wisconsin law protects residents from discrimination based on age, race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and developmental disability in many areas of life, including employment, housing, education, and insurance. AB 309simply adds “vaccination status” as a prohibited basis of discrimination.

But the remaining four bills are a good step in the right direction and will set a good precedent. Accordingly, we support passage of all five bills. The Assembly Constitution and Ethics Committee will hold an executive (voting) session on all five bills this Wednesday, June 9.

The Personhood Alliance/Pro-Life Wisconsin vaccine ethics position 1) opposes the production and testing of vaccines using the remains of aborted human beings, and 2) opposes forced or coerced vaccination.

Assembly Bill(s) 299, 303, 309, 316, and 347 reinforce our vaccine ethics position. For the many Wisconsinites who earnestly avoid any entanglement in the abortion industry, discriminating against them for refusing a vaccine produced from or tested using aborted fetal cells is repugnant – a total violation of conscience. Many pro-life Wisconsinites reject the use of the Pfizer, Moderna, and Janssen/Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines and would vehemently oppose any discriminatory coercion of their use.

We are entering a time of unprecedented coercion. COVID-19 testing is already required for international travel. Will COVID-19 vaccination soon be required to engage in daily activities of American life? Privileges for the vaccinated; punishments for the non-vaccinated?Such requirements are discriminatory and divisive, dividing citizens and families into “separate but equal” groups. One would think we are long beyond this type of segregation in America.

Coercion severely undermines the public trust and tramples on our cherished rights, including our First Amendment right to freely exercise our religious beliefs, our Fourteenth Amendment guarantees of liberty, equal protection, and due process of law, and our Article 1, Section 18 Wisconsin constitutional guarantee of liberty of conscience. These bills protect our right to make our own health decisions, our right to follow our conscience, and our right to freely exchange in commerce.
ACT NOW!

It is not certain that all five bills will be scheduled for Assembly floor debate and passage. It is imperative that AB 309 be voted on by the full Assembly!

Please CALL Assembly leadership ON TUESDAY, JUNE 8th, and urge them to place AB 309 on the calendar for their next floor session. The leadership team includes the following individuals:

• Representative Robin Vos: (608) 266-9171

• Representative Jim Steineke: (608) 266-2418

• Representative Kevin Petersen: (608) 266-3794

• Representative Tyler August: (608) 266-1190

• Representative Tyler Vorpagel: (608) 266-8530

Tell them, “Vaccine discrimination/coercion is immoral, unconstitutional, and un-American!”

Please ALSO CALL your own state representative ON TUESDAY, JUNE 8th, if they are not one of the individuals listed above, and tell them to urge the Assembly leadership team to move AB 309 forward.

• Don’t know your state representative? Go to legis.wisconsin.gov and type in your home address under “Who Are My Legislators” or call the Legislative Hotline: 1-800-362-9472.

Thank you for making your pro-life voices heard in the Wisconsin Assembly!