Back in December 2021, Louisiana’s Attorney General Jeff Landry sued Governor John Bel Edwards, challenging the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for public and private schools. Then in May 2022, the Governor announced that the Louisiana Department of Health would not require the vaccine during the  2022-2023 school year. Now, in a September 21, 2022, press release, Attorney General Landry’s office announced that the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) has formally rescinded the student vaccine mandate as of September 20, 2022, and that Landry was therefore dismissing the 2021 lawsuit. The press release notes that, “parents and guardians stood together in opposition to the COVID-19 shot being required for their children to attend school. As a result of their coming together, the LDH decided to rescind the mandate for Louisiana students.”

Health Freedom Victory

Landry is quoted, summing up the LDH’s decision to back down on the vaccine mandate: “Today is the culmination of hard work by so many concerned parents throughout Louisiana. This is the direct result of moms, dads, grandparents, and guardians fighting for what is right. I thank Representative Raymond Crews, Health Freedom Louisiana, the Bayou Mama Bears, Town Hall Baton Rouge, Children’s Health Defense, and all those from across Louisiana that stood with us for parental choice—-Child medical decisions should be made by their guardians, not the government. I hope this health freedom victory reminds everyone what can happen when we all work together. When citizens are engaged and get involved, their government will listen.”

Multiple Groups Step Up

Children’s Health Defense also publicized this win with a piece by Dr. Robert Malone, mRNA technology co-inventor. Dr. Malone reports that in December 2021 he went to Louisiana along with the CHD team to assist Health Freedom Louisiana (HFL) and the doctor and nurses’ group Louisiana for Medical Freedom in providing testimony against the mandate that, “the unlicensed and still experimental Pfizer vaccine be taken by Louisiana school children.” Then, in April HFL publicized a plea for folks to let their legislators know that they oppose the school mandate.

Vaccine Bill Also Pending

Dr. Malone went back to Baton Rouge in May to offer testimony to a senate committee hearing in favor of the state’s HCR3, “a bill to stop the governor’s mandated COVID-19 vaccination for the state’s schools.” This bill passed in the house and is now in pending in the state senate. In opining on the repeal of the vaccine mandate, Dr. Malone offers special recognition to Louisiana for Medical Freedom and Rep. Kathy Edmonston and notes that CHD’s “chairman and chief legal counsel, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., also worked behind the scenes to make this happen.” This win for Louisiana shows how groups and individuals, working together using both legal and legislative forums, can change public policy to protect our kids!