Medical Liberty Tyrant of the Week: Yvonne Davis

During the first hearing for HB 609, a bill that would provide indemnity for businesses who do not mandate a vaccine during a pandemic, Representative Davis insisted that a decision on the passage of the bill through committee be tabled until a “resource witness” from the Health and Human Services Commission could testify about the potential impact this indemnity could have on public health. Nevermind that the bill doesn’t tell businesses that they can or can’t mandate vaccines, just that they can make that decision without fear of frivolous lawsuits. Ultimately, Rep. Davis got what she wanted and, at a second hearing for HB 609, she and other committee members lobbed nonsense questions about mandates at Dr. Jennifer Shuford, the state health department Commissioner, who responded in a mostly neutral manner. 

TFVC’s Legislative Director, Michelle Evans, took the opportunity to remind the committee that the issue of mandating was not the subject of the bill, but rather the rights of employers and employees. That’s when Rep. Davis showed her true intent in wanting to debate the bill – she began equating public and private vaccine mandates to outlawing abortion, arguing that the state makes decisions about medical “choice” all the time. During a mostly unintelligible monologue, she went on and on with this comparison until being shut down by committee Chairman Jeff Leach, and subsequently course-corrected by Rep. Vasut, a fellow committee member and the bill’s author. Rep. Davis clearly has an agenda when it comes to medical liberty and it has nothing to do with protecting your right to vaccine choice and everything to do with political grandstanding. The bill was eventually voted favorably out of committee, along straight party lines.