Idaho Gov. Brad Little vetoes Medical Freedom Act

• Idaho Gov. Brad Little vetoed S1023, which sought to ban nearly all medical mandates (including vaccine requirements) in businesses, schools and government agencies, arguing it could hinder disease control efforts.
• Little warned the bill would prevent schools from sending home contagious students, risking public health. He emphasized Idaho’s existing medical freedom laws and opposed additional government restrictions on parents’ ability to protect children.
• The bill, backed by Republican lawmakers, had passed both chambers but faced a veto. Medical freedom activists, including the Idaho Freedom Foundation, accused Little of siding with “Big Medical” interests and urged legislators to override his veto.
• Critics, like Leslie Manookian (Health Freedom Defense Fund), claimed Little vetoed the bill to retain emergency powers, citing his pandemic policies (business closures, mask mandates) and alleged he refused to engage with bill sponsors in good faith.
• Advocacy groups are pressuring Idaho’s legislature to overturn the veto, framing the issue as a fight against “medical tyranny” and government overreach in personal health decisions.

Gov. Brad Little has vetoed a bill that would have banned nearly all medical mandates in Idaho, arguing the legislation could undermine efforts to control contagious diseases in schools and other public settings.

The Idaho Medical Freedom Act, which passed the Republican-led legislature in February, sought to prohibit businesses, government agencies and educational institutions from requiring medical interventions, such as vaccinations for employment, admission to venues or school attendance, to protect the public against government overreach in personal health decisions.

S1023, sponsored by Sen. Daniel Foreman and Rep. Robert Beiswenger, cleared the Idaho Senate 19-14 in February and passed the House 47-23 in March. (Related: Florida takes a stand: DeSantis proposes permanent ban on mRNA vaccine mandates.)

But Little, also a Republican, vetoed the bill on March 29, one hour before the deadline.

In his veto letter, he warned that the bill would have restricted schools from sending home sick students with highly contagious illnesses, potentially putting others at risk. He cited concerns about unintended consequences, noting that parents “do not need government imposing more limitations on keeping children safe and healthy from contagious illnesses at school.”

“We are proud that Idaho already boasts the freest laws in the country when it comes to personal medical decisions, and we need to keep it that way,” Little wrote. “Parents already have enough to worry about while raising their children. They do not need government imposing more limitations on keeping children safe and healthy from contagious illnesses at school.”

Idaho medical freedom activists urge legislators to override veto against S1023

In response to the veto, medical freedom advocates have mobilized to pressure state legislators to override it.

Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF) and Idaho Freedom Action (IFA) President Ronald M. Nate condemned Little for capitulating to “Big Medical special interests.”

“We at the IFF and IFA know Idaho should be a beacon for freedom in all parts of our lives, including and especially medical freedom. It’s clear our governor does not share our state’s values, only the values of the highest bidder. It’s time for the Legislature to stand up against medical tyranny and do what’s right for the people of Idaho: OVERRIDE LITTLE’S VETO!!” Nate said.

Meanwhile, Health Freedom Defense Fund Founder Leslie Manookian published an open letter to state senators, accusing Little of vetoing the bill to retain emergency powers. She recounted an incident in 2020 when she allegedly witnessed Little and colleagues removing masks for a private fundraiser after posing masked for a photo op.

Manookian claimed Little’s pandemic policies led to business closures, arrests of worshipers, job losses and a spike in teen suicides. She also revealed that Little refused to meet with bill sponsors before vetoing the legislation, suggesting bad faith.

“If he was acting in good faith, he would have communicated with the bill’s sponsors to discuss his concerns,” she said. “There can be only one explanation for this behavior: he wants to preserve his power to do it all over again.”

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Sources include:

TheDefender.org

MSN.com

Brighteon.com