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MRNA vaccines — including the Covid shots — could be made illegal in Idaho under a radical new bill introduced by two female Republican lawmakers.
The bill, from state Sen Tammy Nichols and state Rep Judy Boyle, would impose misdemeanor charges against anyone who administers a shot using the mRNA tech. A well-meaning doctor could face up to six months in jail and/or a fine of $1,000.
The bill was met with derision on Twitter from healthcare professionals, who argued that the move was buying into conspiracies about the shots.
One of the main arguments against the shots made by the Idaho Republicans is that they were developed at such an accelerated timeline that they could have sidestepped safety and efficacy standards, a point often used by antivaxers to discount the shots.
Sen Nichols and Rep Boyle would see an outright ban in Idaho on administering vaccines that rely on mRNA technology, namely the Covid vaccines.
Covid vaccines are not the only medical breakthrough that relies on mRNA technology. Scientists are currently working to leverage that tech to develop cures for other diseases including some types of cancer. The Idaho bill would cast a chilling effect on that research
The mRNA shots do carry a small risk of serious side effects such as heart inflammation which has raised questions about their use in young people who are at relatively low risk of Covid infection. But the shots have been credited with averting more than three million deaths in the US.
The Idaho bill currently sits in the state House’s Health & Welfare Committee, which will hold a hearing on the bill before advancing it out of committee for full votes.
This process could be a sluggish one, as the legislature has yet to even place a hearing on the bill in the calendar.
Not only would the bill criminalize the use of mRNA Covid shots, but it would also put restrictions on experimental vaccines for other serious diseases such as cancer which are still in trial and showing promising results.
The bill itself says: ‘Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a person may not provide or administer a vaccine developed using messenger ribonucleic acid technology for use in an individual or any other mammal in this state.’
If passed, this bill would levy financial penalties or imprisonment against well-meaning doctors.
Many vocal opponents of mRNA shots have cited the debunked beliefs about the messenger RNA technology, including the theory that it can alter one’s DNA makeup.
And staunch conservatives like Sen Nichols have voiced concerns that the speed at which mRNA Covid vaccines were developed likely meant scientists sacrificed certain safety measures.
The tech entails wrapping the messenger RNA in a bubble of fat which is then injected into the body.
The mRNA then instructs the cells to reproduce the spike protein that is part of the coronavirus, helping the body recognize and fight the virus if it were to invade.
But Sen Nichols maintains that the FDA rushed the shots through approval without fully understanding health concerns associated with them, such as the risk of developing inflammation in the heart muscle, or myocarditis.
She said: ‘We are seeing more and more concerns rising because of the mRNA vaccine.
‘We have issues that this was fast-tracked, there’s no liability, there’s no access to data, risk-benefit analysis has not been done, there’s no informed consent.’
However, the vaccines’ safety profiles have been backed up by countless virologists, epidemiologists, and other experts.
A 2021 study published in JAMA analyzing records of just over 2 million people who had received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine through May 2021 found 20 cases of myocarditis and 37 cases of pericarditis, inflammation of the membrane surrounding the heart.
Reports of adverse health effects of mRNA shots are voluntarily uploaded into a database run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Those reports, which are unable to be verified as true by the agency, have driven anti-vax arguments against getting the shots which they say have more risks than benefits.
When questioned a second time about her claims that the mRNA vaccines were erroneously pushed to market despite being unsafe, Sen Nichols said: ‘I’m seeing conflicting reports in regard to [whether the shots actually measured up to FDA safety and efficacy standards].
‘So I’m actually having more information being sent to me to address that particular issue, because I’m finding that it may not have been done like we thought it should have been done or that it would have normally been done for an approval process, as an FDA-approved vaccine.’
Sen Nichols was slammed on Twitter in response to her Tweet saying: ‘Today I introduced a bill to ban all messenger ribonucleic acid technology (mRNA) in the State of Idaho.’
Dr Jack Turban, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the University of California San Francisco said: ‘1. This tweet suggests you think vaccines are the only mRNA technology, which should disqualify you from writing legislation in this arena. 2. The mRNA vaccine ban is also foolish.’
Meanwhile, Dr Leonidas Platanias who leads the Lurie Cancer Center of Northwestern University said: ‘Beyond vaccines, banning all mRNA technology in the state of Idaho, also means essentially banning cancer research in the state of Idaho. Not a good idea.’
And Dr Ryan Marino, an emergency physician and addiction specialist at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center said: ‘You should have read a book instead.’