Jenny Beth Martin of Tea Party Patriots Action explains from the outset that her group doesn't think the administration should be mandating the COVID injection.
"Of course, people should make a decision about whether they want to take it or not, and consult with their own doctor," she continues. "Tea Party Patriots has long believed that it's very important to maintain the doctor-patient relationship. [So] we do not think that that doctor-patient relationship should be replaced with a government-patient relationship or an employer-patient relationship."
As for the option available to show a negative test as a way of getting around the COVID shot, Dr. Anthony Fauci and others have described that as a compromise:
Fauci (on CNN in September): "I think the president is being somewhat moderate in his demand, if you want to call it that, in that there are some people who really don't want to get vaccinated, but they don't want to lose their job. You've got to give them an off lane – and the off lane is if you get tested frequently enough and find out you're positive, you won't come to work and you won't infect other people. So, it really is somewhat of a compromise there."
Martin shares she would prefer not to have testing. "But the bigger issue right now is that so many employers right now are not actually providing testing as an option," she explains. "Even though the rule is allowing for that, employers are not – and I think that that's where we are running into problems."
Martin, therefore, offers a few suggestions for those who oppose the impending rule and are wondering what they can do about the situation.
"First and foremost, … they're going to have to deal with how they might need to fight their own employer immediately," she states. "There are a lot of good organizations – so, take care of your own employment situation first.
"Then, reach out to your governor and your attorney general and urge them to challenge these mandates and to protect the doctor-patient relationship. And finally, reach out to your … senators and urge them to sign onto the letter that Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) is circulating right now [saying] they're not going to fund the mandate."
[Editor's note: At press time, ten Senate Republicans had endorsed Marshall's letter.]
The rule for workers of businesses with 100 or more employees is set to take effect in January. It will be enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which falls under the Department of Labor.
