Lawmakers in South Carolina are adopting a unique stance on vaccinations in contrast to Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis, who aims to remove all childhood vaccine requirements.
A proposed bill in the South Carolina senate doesn’t seek to abolish all vaccine mandates. Instead, it aims to restrict requirements for certain vaccines, focusing on those developed during public health crises.
This legislation pertains specifically to “novel vaccines”—those that haven’t received full approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration or have been available for under a decade.
State Senator Matt Leber (R – Charleston), a co-sponsor of the bill, stated, “Individuals with concerns or hesitations should be empowered to make their own choices.”
The bill would prevent mandates for vaccines approved under emergency use situations, similar to early COVID-19 vaccines. However, it does not apply to routine immunizations, such as the annual flu shot.
Lawmakers said the bill aims to prevent coercion like what they believe happened during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This bill champions medical freedom, ensuring that individuals retain the right to make personal medical decisions free from external pressures of government, employers, or other entities,” expressed Leber.
“Nobody wants a repeat of 2020 and 2021. When we were in the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, nobody wants to see that again. So, I believe that if there is another novel vaccine that’s required, I believe that we should not take that option off of the table,” said State Representative, Kambrell Garvin (D – Richland).
Leber said he not only supports this Senate bill, but he said he would absolutely like to replicate what Florida is doing in South Carolina.
“I’m all for that … The principle of medical freedom and the parents being the top stakeholder in the children’s health and future,” said Garvin. “The parents should be making those decisions solely.”
Leber added, “It should be concerning for all Americans and all South Carolinians. When we see governmental officials that are binding our public health officials and preventing them from being able to make decisions, that could truly be lifesaving.”
On Thursday, Governor Henry McMaster said “I don’t think that we need to be getting into too many fights over vaccines right now for those that we have traditionally been using for all these years in South Carolina. Now, if someone wants to impose a new kind of vaccine, something that is not already required by state law and has been for many years, then that would be a question that would be fully debated in the legislature.”
If this bill is passed as is, employers, schools, and state agencies wouldn’t be legally allowed to require vaccines.
The bill is currently in the senate and lawmakers will continue to discuss it in Columbia in January.
