JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bills to ban public employers from requiring COVID-19 vaccination, ensure unvaccinated patients can still get organ transplants and enact other protections for workers who don’t get the shot advanced Monday in Missouri’s GOP-led House.
House members advanced the measures in a voice vote, galvanized by pushback to even the suggestion of vaccine mandates in both public and private businesses in Missouri.
A second bill would ban public employers from requiring vaccinations, with exceptions for nursing homes and other health care facilities that need to mandate vaccines in order to get federal funding.
Representatives gave the bills initial approval in voice votes.
Republican Rep. J. Eggleston, who said he donated an organ to help his unvaccinated wife, advocated for the rule on transplants.
“This nonsense about comply or die from those in power, is just ridiculous,” Eggleston said.
Bipartisan critics said it should be left to doctors and other health care experts to decide who is eligible for organ transplants.
Republican Rep. Jonathan Patterson, a surgeon, said transplant recipients take medicine designed to shut down their immune systems so their bodies won’t reject the new organ. He said that puts them at greater risk of catching and getting sicker from COVID-19 after surgery.
Patterson said limits on who gets organ transplants are designed to ensure recipients have the best chance of getting well.
“I would hate to be that person that was second in line and watch that organ go to someone else, and then they die of COVID two weeks later because they didn’t want to get vaccinated,” he said.
A second vote of approval is needed for the measures to move to the state Senate, which has accomplished little so far this session amid an ongoing fight over redistricting.
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