(Office of the Lt. Governor Press Release, July 14, 2021)
Boise, Idaho — Idaho Lt. Governor Janice McGeachin will hold a press conference Thursday, July 15, at 9:00 AM in the Lincoln Auditorium of the Idaho Capitol. McGeachin and her guests will discuss the recent announcement that some Idaho employers intend to terminate the employment of their employees who make certain personal health decisions.
“Last week, I called on the Idaho Legislature to reconvene and take action to protect Idahoans from medical tyranny,” Lt. Gov. McGeachin said. “If you want the vaccine, it is readily available. Anyone who wants it can get it. Those who choose to get the vaccine are not facing discrimination or termination. Those who have made the personal medical choice NOT to take this vaccine deserve to have their decisions respected as well. No one should be forced to choose between keeping their job and taking a vaccine authorized for emergency use, when doing so violates their conscience.”
Members of the media are invited to attend the press conference and learn more about these important issues.
“Thousands of Idahoans are about to have their jobs and paychecks used as leverage to coerce them into making a medical decision that violates their conscience,” said McGeachin. “This idea of discriminating against and firing employees based on private and personal health decisions flies in the face of the principles of liberty and justice.”
The Idaho legislature had several bills introduced last session related to vaccine mandates, but none became law. Some states have taken action on these issues recently while others have had such laws on the books for years. In Oregon, for example, some employees such as health care providers, health care facility employees, clinical lab workers, firefighters and law enforcement officers are protected by a 1989 state law that says, “A worker shall not be required as a condition of work to be immunized” unless it’s otherwise required by federal or state law.
