Political Quotes

“I speak on this bill from personal experience because I am probably the only Member in the Chamber who actually fell under this mandate because I am still actively practicing, and I am still on staff at an active medical center. I have practiced at this one institution for 30 years. I don't know how many calls I got from nurses, people on the floor taking care of COVID patients, pleading with me to not be forced to take this vaccine. Let me just say, if there were any individuals who knew what they were talking about, it was these nurses. They were actually taking care of COVID patients. I have been very pro-vaccine, very pro-vaccine, but I have said since day one that this is not a decision that should be made between a government and a citizen, but rather one made between a doctor and a patient. It is a medication. There are risks and benefits that go with this. Sadly enough, we lost a lot of our nurses, way too many, because they chose not to get this. They were young, of fertility age, and they were fearful. I am just going to speak to my colleague's comments about exemptions. Yes, there were exemptions, but they were minute, and I won't speak about one institution in specific, but nationwide they were oftentimes ignored. Thirty-year-olds who desired not to get this vaccine based upon fears about fertility don't have preexisting medical conditions. I think this is the right thing. I am pro-vaccine, but I do not believe in the avenue of forced vaccination.…”