Freedom is under attack in the North Carolina General Assembly. State Sen. Jeff Tarte has introduced SB346, a bill to remove the option of religious exemption from vaccines.

Currently under North Carolina statutes, individuals are required to have their immunizations in order to attend school (including home schools, colleges, etc.), with the exception of those who are opposed to the vaccination mandate for religious reasons.  Under the newly-introduced legislation, individuals would no longer have the choice to be exempt from vaccinations on religious grounds; all would be required to receive injections in order to attend any school in North Carolina.

Bethany Wilkinson, a medical freedom advocate and member of the group North Carolina Parents for Vaccine Rights, summarizes the dangers of this legislation, “Senate Bill 346 does not allow selective vaccination. The bill mandates all current vaccines PLUS the flu shot and any new vaccine. This bill does not allow delayed vaccination. This bill would eliminate the religious exemption. This bill provides a commission to enforce the law- FORCE vaccination. I don’t care whether or not you vaccinate, this is a slippery slope folks. Do you want to live in a world where you cannot refuse a medical procedure?”

Sen. Jeff Tarte made the following statements about his proposal via social media: “there no major religions (Christianity, Judaism, Hindu, Buddhism, or Islam) against vaccines. Only two known religious “denominations” oppose vaccines.” A Tarte staffer later stated that the two denominations to which Tarte refers are Christian Scientists and the Taliban.

Lisa Jillani, founder of People Advocating Vaccine Education, noted the irony in Tarte’s claim, stating, “Jeff Tarte is a bigger threat to my religious freedom than the Taliban.” Jillani believes that money may be the driving force behind the legislation, citing Tarte’s sizable contributions from the healthcare industry shown within his campaign finance reports.

People from across the political spectrum are coming together this Tuesday to protest this tyrannical proposal and assert our 1st Amendment rights.

Pattie Curran of North Carolina’s 5th District has stated that she will be delivering opposition petitions to legislators. From her website:

“Many of the vaccines that would be made mandatory are derived from aborted fetal cells. As a freedom-loving pro-life Catholic, I consider it reprehensible for the government to force these injections on those who personally oppose them based on their religious morality. Tell Sen. Jeff Tarte that he is not the authority over individuals’ religious viewpoints by signing the petition below. I will be delivering signatures to legislators in Raleigh this Tuesday.”

You can sign her petition at this link.