The First Legislation in America Banning Medical Mandates: Leslie Manookian

American Thought Leaders

“What happened during COVID is exactly a perfect illustration of the harms of sacrificing some for the many,” says Leslie Manookian, founder and president of the Health Freedom Defense Fund.

She played a pivotal role in getting her state of Idaho to pass the first legislation in the United States banning most medical mandates, including vaccines and masks.

“One of my missions at Health Freedom Defense Fund, in founding this organization, was to educate the public and raise awareness about the importance of medical freedom, because I think it’s the most basic and fundamental of human rights—and then to codify that in law. And the Idaho Medical Freedom Act is the first step in that process,” says Manookian.

In this episode, we dive into the volatile process of getting this bill signed into law, and discuss why Manookian believes Americans must be protected from being forced to undergo medical interventions—even if they are potentially lifesaving.

“On the last day of the legislative session, we were able to insert … that no healthy, unvaccinated individual may be excluded from any educational entity or any business entity on the basis of a disease outbreak. So just because you’re unvaccinated, if you’re healthy, they can’t kick you out,” says Manookian. “In the last 50 to 70 years, somehow public health has started to intrude into private health, and I think that’s a mistake.”

Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.