Houston Methodist announced the change in policy in an internal email to employees. The move follows a new law passed by the Texas Legislature that outlawed the practice of denying private-sector workers the right to vaccine choice.
According to the hospital's announcement, workers who choose not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine will no longer be prohibited from working at the institution, effective Dec. 1.
"The Texas Legislature passed a law in the special session that prohibits private employers from requiring employees and contractors to get a COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of employment," read the email.
"We will continue to encourage everyone to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, but it will no longer be mandated at Houston Methodist. This means that getting the vaccine, or being approved for an exemption, will no longer be a condition of employment," continued the email, which also claimed that Houston Methodist has always prioritized the safety of patients and employees.
Dr. Mary Talley Bowden, a practitioner in Texas and founder of the Coalition of Health Freedom, explained that the hospital’s decision to become the first to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine was poorly conceived. It also had a "series of negative ripple effects in terms of medical freedom that would quickly spread to other institutions throughout the nation."
Bowden said Houston Methodist and its CEO Dr. Marc Boom "coerced nearly 30,000 employees to get an experimental modified mRNA shot with no long-term safety data."
She added that Houston Methodist's mandate policy was one of the first in the country and it paved the way for the government and other businesses to impose "a highly unethical employment policy on millions of Americans." (Related: Florida permanently bans all COVID-19 mask and vaccine mandates in schools and businesses.)
On June 8, 2021, Houston Methodist was the first hospital system in the U.S. to require its private healthcare providers to get vaccinated.
In a letter informing hospital staff of the policy, Houston Methodist Chief Physician Executive Dr. Rob Phillips defended the decision by saying that forcing employees to take the vaccine was their moral obligation.
Houston Methodist's vaccine mandate cost workers their jobs
Houston Methodist's vaccine mandate cost 153 employees their jobs in 2021.
At the time, a spokesperson for the hospital revealed that two weeks after being suspended for refusing to comply with the mandatory COVID-19 policy, 153 employees voluntarily resigned or were terminated by the health system.
Houston Methodist claimed that the 2021 mandate was enforced due to studies that showed how the vaccine was "as much as 95 percent protective against the virus."
However, these claims are now the subject of a lawsuit brought by the Office of the Texas Attorney General against pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, with the OAG claiming that the drug maker violated the Deceptive Trade Practices Act by claiming its vaccine had "95 percent efficacy" against COVID-19 when company executives knew it did not and withheld information from the public that undermined the claims.
Additionally, Houston Methodist revoked privileges and led a public attack against Bowden, who was vocal about her criticism of vaccine mandates and the COVID-19 vaccine. The hospital declared that Bowden was "spreading dangerous misinformation" not based on science.
In response, Bowden filed a $25 million defamation lawsuit against the hospital. The lawsuit is still pending in court.
Legislation prohibiting employers from mandating the COVID-19 vaccine authored by State Sen. Mayes Middleton and State Rep. Jeff Leach, both Republicans, is slated to become law on February 7, 2024. Houston Methodist cited this law in the email it sent to employees as the reason they are lifting the mandate. It remains to be seen how many private mandates remain in place.
However, after Feb. 7 next year, employees and contractors may file complaints with the Texas Workforce Commission against any employer with mandates still in effect. Employers violating the new law may face fines of up to $50,000.
Read more articles about health freedom victories in the U.S. at HealthFreedom.news.
Watch the video below to learn how COVID-19 vaccine mandates were weaponized to fire U.S. military personnel.
This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.
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Report: Some doctors pushing COVID mandates on social media are actually FAKE.
Study: Mask mandates made no difference to COVID-19 transmission rates in hospitals.
Groups that aggressively lobbied for covid jab mandates were funded by, you guessed it: PFIZER.
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