The Facts of The GRACE Act

From the CHD Advocacy Team

There are some criticisms of the GRACE Act circulating that we wish to address below.

The GRACE Act, supported by Children’s Health Defense (CHD) and over three dozen prominent organizations, will deny federal funds to any state that does not at bare minimum offer a religious exemption to vaccination. Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) authored and sponsored the bill. Congress has the authority to appropriate federal funds, and Rep. Steube does not support any federal dollars going to schools who have regulations that violate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

The GRACE Act is just one step in the fight against mandates – but it’s a crucial one.

Many in the Health Freedom movement, including CHD, currently support a bill from Rep. Paul Gosar, HR 4668, to end the vaccine carve out liability shield. Rep. Steube is a cosponsor of that bill which is also a critical step in achieving a mutual goal. We are thrilled that Rep. Gosar has agreed to be an original cosponsor of the GRACE Act along with a dozen of his colleagues.

While Rep. Steube’s co-sponsorship of HR 4668 confirms he shares the same goal as the broad medical freedom movement to end all mandates, there is more than one path to achieving this goal. Comprehensive efforts at local, state, and federal levels are necessary if we’re to succeed.  The GRACE Act does not preclude support for all of those action items as well.

For those who claim the GRACE Act is “justifying” mandates, this is quite simply not the case.

In states that already have laws allowing families to opt-out of vaccines, those provisions exceed the GRACE Act’s provisions. For those in states that don’t currently have religious or philosophical exemptions to vaccines, the GRACE Act is a lifeline for millions of children and their families.

Nothing in the text of the bill prohibits states from going further with exemptions. If a state already recognizes “philosophical” or “privacy” exemptions, those provisions remain intact.

The GRACE Act places the bare minimum at religious accommodations. Why would anyone want to deny this access to millions of children and their families? Why would anyone want these good folks to suffer such injustice?

The GRACE Act does not legitimize mandates; it is a bill put forward to recognize the reality of the situation by limiting the impact of existing mandates.

Whether or not one agrees with the concept of vaccine mandates, they exist. The GRACE Act doesn’t create them; it ensures families are not forced to violate their faith in order to comply with mandates. The GRACE Act does not delegitimize or oppose other efforts that should be taken in a comprehensive way at all levels of government.

No one bill can be the ultimate cure for all of the many problems we currently face. The GRACE Act is a critical factor in working towards the elimination of mandates, one of the core goals of the Health Freedom movement.

If you haven’t done so already, please take action and alert your congress person to support the GRACE Act.