TUCSON, AZ –
On September 1 Congressman Dr. Mark Green passed an amendment to protect the discharge status for active-duty troops who assert their right of bodily sovereignty in refusing an experimental shot.
The shot is still experimental because it is less than one year old, and it is years away from completing medical trials. The shortest time any vaccine has ever been approved in the history of our nation is four years (mumps) and most take 10-15 years. The COVID vaccine was rushed through by the FDA even with a skyrocketing incidence of death and adverse events and proof that the vaccine does not even prevent transmission.
Due to its newness, highly concerning safety profile, and lack of efficacy, many Americans are choosing not to take these shots and we laud the Congressman-Physician for recognizing soldiers do not surrender their bodily integrity rights when they enter the service.
In an unusually commonsense statement, Congressman Green said the following: “As a physician, I’ve weighed the pros and cons of the COVID-19 vaccine and have chosen to get the shot. As a former Army officer, I also understand the need to vaccinate servicemembers on deployment against a highly infectious virus. For years, the military has possessed the authority to compel servicemembers to be vaccinated. However, those vaccines underwent years of research with ample longitudinal safety data. In the case of the coronavirus vaccine, that longitudinal data is not yet possible. Therefore, I believe servicemembers who make the personal medical decision to refuse the vaccine, and are subsequently separated from the service for their refusal, should not receive anything other than an honorable discharge for refusing to take the vaccine. Period.”
Congressman Mark Green represents the 7th District of Tennessee. He is a decorated combat veteran of the War of Terror, deploying to both Iraq and Afghanistan, awarded the Bronze Star, the Air Medal with V Device for Valor and an ER physician and businessman. He serves on the Armed Services Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis.
