Galesburg Reporter

Illinois state Rep. Norine Hammond (R-Macomb) recently spoke out on the newly amended health care Right of Conscience Act which has been updated to include what is essentially a a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

On Nov. 8 Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed SB1169 into law which will amend the Health Care Right of Conscience Act to say that it is not a violation of the act for any person or public official, or for any public or private association, agency, corporation, entity, institution, or employer to take any measures or impose any requirements intended to prevent contraction or transmission of COVID-19 or any pathogens that result in COVID-19 or any of its subsequent iterations.

Hammond voiced her views on the Senate floor on the amendment and vaccine mandate.

"I firmly believe that the COVID-19 virus is real. It is absolutely real. I personally am also convinced of the source of this virus, but my opinion on that is not important in this discussion," Hammond said on the Senate floor.

The state representative shared that she believes that the COVID-19 vaccine has long been in development as a result of earlier pandemics.

"I also believe that this vaccine did not appear overnight. In fact, I know for a fact, having spoken with Christian Dr. Peter Hotez from Texas that this vaccine has been in the works since the SARS outbreak of 2003," Hammond added.  "The reason for that is because when the SARS outbreak appeared in 2003, many people were firmly convinced that the source of this outbreak would continue with other outbreaks and in fact they were right, because now we have COVID-19. In a year or two or ten, we may have something else and I pray that those same scientists that have been working on this since 2003 are working on another vaccine that will help us in the future."

She added that although she believed in and supported the vaccine, she also supports her constituents' right to make their own choices.

"For myself personally, I am fully vaccinated. I will also get a booster shot when it's the appropriate time, but that is my choice," Hammond said. "I have made that decision. Many of my constituents do not share my belief and I respect them for that. We talk about misinformation; this is not misinformation. Let's give people credit for having individual rights and deciding what they think is right for their body. This is not how this act was intended."

The bill passed both houses, mostly along party lines, and will go into effect on June 1, 2022.