Rep. Candelora Attends Forum on Vaccine Mandates

State Representatives Anne Dauphinais, R-Killingly, Deputy Speaker of the House Jack Hennessy, D-Bridgeport, and Deputy House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, joined activist and environmental attorney Robert F. Kennedy, Jr late Tuesday morning for a thoughtful conversation on vaccine mandates and the potential dangers of vaccines. “Parents who have religious beliefs that do not align with what bureaucrats deem acceptable should not be forced to violate those beliefs under government threat.  This forum served an important role to provide another perspective to informed consent,” Rep. Candelora said. “We have a constitutional right to do what is right by our family members and the federal government does not have the right to impinge its ideology onto us.  This forum creates an open dialogue and educates people on the possible side effects of vaccination,” said Rep. Hennessy. “Parents have the right to make decisions concerning their child’s wellbeing, so instead of stripping a parent’s right to choose, we should disseminate the correct information so they may make informed decisions.” Mandating vaccination violates the standards of informed consent, a fundamental human right established under the Nuremberg Code on Medical Ethics that means an individual should have the capacity to provide consent and exercise power of choice without coercion or deceit.  Individuals must also have sufficient knowledge and comprehension of the elements of the subject at hand. “Before any child or adult is treated with a medication or a subject to a procedure, each person or parent involved should be able to weigh out all of the risks and benefits before making a decision,” Rep. Dauphinais said. “This forum is intended to share information along with providing an opportunity to ask questions. It is extremely concerning to me that the people who represent our state would attempt to circumvent a parent’s choice and create a law that would allow those types of choices to be made without their consent.” While vaccines have demonstrated their effectiveness on eradicating fatal diseases, some vaccines have been associated with negative side effects that have led to reactions, hospitalizations, injuries and deaths. According to a 2018 report by the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System, there have been over 58,992 reported injuries associated with the Human Papilloma Virus vaccine, Gardasil, which is manufactured by Merck Vaccines.  There have been 430 related deaths, 794 hospitalizations and 2,773 disabling conditions, 45 percent of which occurred in teens between 12 and 17 years of age.