A new bill would get mRNA vaccines only to those Idahoans who need them most: cows | Opinion
There are a lot of missing faces at the Legislature this year, but perhaps none is missed as badly as former Rep. Fred Wood, R-Burley.
Through nearly two decades in the Legislature, Wood was known as a smart, sensible guy. Usually the only doctor in the room, he brought sorely needed expertise to the House Health and Welfare Committee, especially during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
And you can really see how valuable he was now that he’s gone.
With him gone the place has degenerated into an utter clown show — as it did Friday morning when Sen. Tammy Nichols, R-Middleton, took the podium to present a new bill.
It’s nearly identical to an old bill she introduced banning the administration of all mRNA vaccines in Idaho — a measure with no merit at all that could cost untold lives in a new pandemic.
It seems there was a very important problem with the old version of the bill, one that necessitated an immediate rewrite.
It’s not the part that means you can’t get a COVID booster, or a newer, better flu shot if one becomes available. That’s still in the new bill.
It’s not the part that says any doctor or pharmacist who gives you that vaccine could face up to a year in jail. That’s indispensable.
It’s the part that says you can’t give these same vaccines to “mammals.” That section was removed, she noted, due to objections among agricultural interests.
So you can give the vaccine to a cow, but you can’t give it to a person. That was the emergency.
The doctor can go to jail, but not a veterinarian. That was the emergency.
This is the new House Health and Welfare Committee, where cows matter more than you.
The committee promptly agreed to print the bill in an overwhelming voice vote, an idea that makes about as much sense as making it a misdemeanor to use a cell phone.
So it’s easy to see why Wood decided it was time to ride off into the sunset — being the only non-certifiable person in the room must have been absolutely exhausting.
This story was originally published March 10, 2023 at 10:06 AM.