(Ezekiel Loseke, Headline USA) The Montana House of Representatives is considering a bill that would prohibit people who have received the coronavirus vaccination from donating blood.
House Bill 645 would prohibit individuals who have received the coronavirus vaccine from donating blood, according to the Daily Montanan. Violators of this bill would be guilty of a misdemeanor and face a $500 fine.
The bill also bans donors who have been diagnosed with “Long COVID.” Long COVID is defined as “postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 due to chronic 27 SARS-CoV-2 viral infection.”
The bill’s sponsor, Montana Rep. Greg Kmetz, R-Miles City, explained why he introduced the legislation. He said that his constituents told him that they didn’t want “vaccinated blood making a patient’s health situation even worse.”
Former Montana Rep. Krayton Kerns, R-Laurel, played a large role in drafting the bill. He explained the urgency of the situation.
“An immediate effective date would fit this building emergency,” he said in a January email.
Montana Rep. Lola Sheldon-Galloway, a supporter of the bill, and also vice-chair of the House of Human Services Committee, made arguments that parallel the documentary Died Suddenly.
She said the vaccine caused issues with blood flow, citing the experiences of her brother, who is a mortician.
Another supporter, Jo Vilhauer from Miles City, Mont., said the prohibition was necessary to have a just medical system.
“I’m one of many who believe in the God given right of medical freedom, which is having access to genetically unmodified blood during a time of need,” he said. “This is a vital part of health autonomy.”
Cliff Numark, the senior vice president of blood collection nonprofit Vitalant, said he opposed the policy and didn’t like the legal penalty, but he did admit it would be possible to screen donors for their vaccination status.
Opponents of the bill expressed concerns that it would vastly shrink the number of eligible blood donors.
