HARRISBURG (Newsradio 100.1 FM and AM 1020 KDKA) – Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R-Centre/Mifflin) said that Pennsylvania should not follow in New York’s policy of developing a COVID-19 “vaccine passports”.
“Every Pennsylvanian who wants a COVID-19 vaccine should have the opportunity to get one, and we are working hard to make sure that happens sooner rather than later. However, those who cannot receive the vaccine due to medical reasons, arbitrary vaccine deployment phases, or personal choice should not be discriminated against, especially as we work toward herd immunity,” Benninghoff said in a statement. “The idea of so-called vaccine passports is an opening to unfathomable government intrusion into people’s personal lives, particularly their private medical information. I hope the Wolf administration and my fellow lawmakers join me in opposing this ill-conceived idea.”
Benninghoff’s concerns come due to Pennsylvania’s past pattern of following New York’s COVID-19 response plans.
“The swift deployment of the COVID-19 vaccine is necessary for a return to normal, but that normal cannot include government-sanctioned monitoring of an individual’s health and the unfair selection of those who can return to normal and those who cannot,” Benninghoff added. “We have constitutional rights and health privacy laws for a reason. They should not cease to exist in a time of crisis. These passports may start with COVID-19, but where will they end?”