You wouldn’t think it living in a deep blue state like NY or California where your personal medical choices are now everyone’s business, but in many other parts of the country, they actually still value your right to privacy. South Carolina is no different.
Republican lawmakers in South Carolina value your right to medical freedom so much that they introduced legislation to make it illegal for employers to ask about your covid vaccination status, saying it’s private medical information.
The bill’s author said the legislation is needed because unvaccinated individuals are suffering real-world consequences that not only violate our constitutional rights but are causing serious medical and financial burdens for many.
“We have people in South Carolina that are losing their jobs because they have to report to their employer that they’re unvaccinated,” bill sponsor Rep. Mike Burns told Fox News Digital. “We also have people who are having their insurance rates put in a different category. They’re charging up to an extra $100 a week more than the vaccinated people. It is absolutely insane to do this kind of thing.”
The legislation, H. 4848, was introduced on Jan. 20. The bill would make it a criminal offense for any employer, business, nonprofit or public entity to ask about someone’s COVID-19 vaccination status.
Burns said asking about vaccination status should be off-limits, just like asking a woman about her pregnancy status.
“I’m your employer, and I asked you if you’re pregnant, I can’t do that,” Burns told Fox News Digital. “I can’t ask you if you’re thinking about getting pregnant. I can’t ask you if you got STDs or HIV. I can’t ask any of those private medical questions, but somehow it’s alright to terminate people’s employment because I didn’t take this emergency-use-only vaccine. This is ridiculous.”
Burns introduced the legislation along with co-sponsors GOP Reps. Patrick Haddon, Steven Long, Bill Chumley, Sandy McGarry and Vic Dabney.
The legislation makes asking vaccination status a misdemeanor, that carries a fine of up to $14,000 and/or one year in jail.
