Health Care Is Turning Texas Blue

COVID shot mandates started in Texas for a reason.

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Of all the controversies during the pandemic, forcing working citizens to choose between their right to bodily autonomy and staying employed was the most egregious, and it all started in Houston, Texas. In May 2021, three months before President Joe Biden announced federal employees would be required to get the COVID shots, Houston Methodist Hospital proudly declared it was setting a precedent—“leading medicine,” as they like to say—and mandating COVID shots for all of its employees. At the time, these shots were only under emergency use authorization (EUA) status and had been on the market for less than four months. In June of 2021, the 153 employees who refused to comply either resigned or were fired.

Dr. Mary Talley Bowden. Courtesy of Dr. Mary Talley Bowden