3,000 Australian Christian leaders sign declaration against vaccine mandates, lockdowns

Free citizens should have the right of consent, especially when the vaccine rollout has been labelled as a “clinical trial,”’ wrote nearly 3,000 church leaders and more than 18,000 Christian citizens in Australia..

Australian Christian leaders have released an open letter to the Prime Minster entitled The Ezekiel Declaration. The letter puts forth a series of principles that makes the case for Christian opposition to the implementation of vaccine passports and other restrictions in Australia.

So far, the letter has been signed by 2,825 church leaders, including more than a dozen Catholic priests and other Catholic leaders, and 18,498 church members and attendees.

The letter is written with the intent of calling to mind the issues that surround the implementation of vaccine passports as they restrict the freedom of conscience of many Christians. The letter states: “We do write, however, to you regarding a matter of significant concern. Namely, the proposed introduction of ‘vaccine passports’ into Australian society. For many Christian leaders and Christians, this is an untenable proposal that would inflict terrible consequences on our nation.”

The declaration puts for five points that they believe makes mandated vaccinations unacceptable.

The first point states that there is a risk of creating “an unethical two-tiered society.” They cite the Australian Department of Health (ADH) in arguing for objecting to the proposed COVID vaccinations in good conscience. The ADH stated in February, “The world is engaged in the largest clinical trial, the largest global vaccination trial ever, and we will have enormous amounts of data.”

The letter reads, “Free citizens should have the right of consent, especially when the vaccine rollout has been labelled as a ‘clinical trial.’ Imposing a ‘vaccine passport’ when the nation is already divided on the matter risks the creation of medical apartheid.”

The authors add, “A ‘vaccine passport’ would therefore represent the dangerous precipice of a therapeutic totalitarianism that does not promote liberty and human flourishing, but would rather only dehumanize and control its citizens all under the cloak of personal health and safety.”

The second point of the letter speaks of burden that many have already faced as a result of lockdown restrictions. They acknowledge that in March 2020 “the threat was unknown,” which could excuse missteps in the early part of the pandemic. However, they add that since then, the burden of the restrictions has led to a rise in people considering suicide:

“As these lockdowns continue, it is evident that people are getting more desperate, with many people considering suicide as their means of escape. People are inherently social creatures, meant for human interaction and contact, not long-term isolation. But these policies are causing many people to feel lonely, and increasingly isolated.”

The letter also points to a rise in alcoholism in Australia as a result of the lockdown. They ask the question, “if Australians are drinking more during lockdowns, what will be the societal cost of adding a ‘vaccine passport’ which will potentially alienate already desperate Australians and turn them into second class citizens?”

Florida Attorney General to Defiant School Boards: Change Your Mask Policies
epoch times ^ | 2 September A.D. 2021 | Jannis Falkenstern
Posted on 9/2/2021, 2:49:22 PM by lightman

PUNTA GORDA, Fla.—Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody issued an advisory opinion on Sept. 3 on whether school districts could legally depart from state law and emergency rules to require children to wear masks in school.

The opinion was in response to an inquiry from the Suwannee County School District as to whether the district could legally opt out of the state law and emergency rules.

“It is my opinion that the District must comply with Rule 64DER21-12 (pdf) and any other applicable authorities unless and until the judiciary declares them invalid,” Moody wrote in an advisory opinion in response to an inquiry from the Suwannee County School District.

“Students may wear masks or facial coverings as a mitigation measure; however, the school must allow for a parent or legal guardian of the student to opt-out the student from wearing a face covering or mask,” the attorney general said.

Moody also said that the judiciary “has not declared the rule to be invalid, and as such, this advisory opinion clearly states that multiple school districts are breaking the law by violating parents’ rights.”

Moody advised, “The Department is urging every school district that has mandated masks without an opt-out to promptly change its policies and comply with Florida’s rules and laws.”

Last week, Leon County Judge John Cooper ruled that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order and the Department of Education’s emergency rule concerning school mask policies are unconstitutional. As a result, multiple county school districts have changed their mask policies and believe they are within their legal rights to require students to “mask up” while they are in school.

At a news conference on Sept. 1, DeSantis said the order has not yet been signed as he is planning to appeal the ruling. Sarasota County

An additional county at an Aug. 20, 2021, school board meeting voted 3-2 to change their mask policy and defy the governor’s executive order by only allowing a medical opt out.

Sarasota County at their meeting discussed enacting a mask mandate and drew ire from parents who wanted the opt out policy with no provisions. On Monday, the mandate went into effect and sent parents rushing to their doctor’s offices for a medical release for their children. Board members put the mandate in place for 90 days or until the COVID-19 hospital rates decrease.

Parents decided to take matters into their own hands and obtain medical releases for their children.

Multiple media reports captured parents lined up outside of chiropractor Dan Busch’s office in Venice, Sarasota County, because they had heard he was signing forms for anyone who wanted a medical opt out. There were so many opt out forms that showed up at schools after the board passed the policy that the school board thought might be “questionable.” This prompted the board to update the form to exclude chiropractors and required pediatricians and other medical professionals only to sign the opt out forms, according to board minutes.

“The school district will accept such medical certification regarding whether an individual is exempt from the emergency face mask policy only from medical doctors, osteopathic physicians, or advanced registered nurse practitioners,” Superintendent of Sarasota County Schools Dr. Brennan Asplen said in an issued public statement provided to the media.

The board’s decision to choose which doctors would be acceptable to sign such a release prompted the chiropractor to obtain legal counsel and issue a public statement issued to the media through his attorney Bryan Kessler of Venice.

“Dr. Busch is pleased that the school board conceded he was acting within the scope of his practice by amending the mask exemption form,” the statement read.

The attorney went on to say in the statement that the doctor is concerned about the “exclusion” of some medical professionals whom the board has in the past regarded as qualified to give medical diagnoses and grant medical exemptions for children who are ill and missed school, and for athletic participation.

“It seems that if the school board is taking the position that chiropractors are unqualified to sign the mask exemption forms, then it goes without saying they are likewise unqualified to determine whether a student is physically fit enough to participate in school athletics,” the attorney said through his written statement.

The Florida Department of Education issued a media release announcing their plans to investigate Sarasota and some other counties that have changed their masking policies after the judge’s ruling last week. They are also going to withhold funds from Broward and Alachua counties for instating mask mandates with no parental opt out.

“We’re going to fight to protect parent’s rights to make health care decisions for their children. They know what is best for their children. What’s unacceptable is the politicians who have raised their right hands and pledged, under oath, to uphold the Constitution but are not doing so. Simply said, elected officials cannot pick and choose what laws they want to follow,” said Florida Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran in a media release.

Moody advised, “The Department is urging every school district that has mandated masks without an opt-out to promptly change its policies and comply with Florida’s rules and laws.”

https://www.theepochtimes.com/florida-attorney-general-to-defiant-school-boards-change-your-mask-policies_3978401.html
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