Medical Freedom Activists Take on Albany Legislators in New York

Mainstream Media is Dead Silent

On Tuesday, January 23, 2024, Teachers for Choice and the Autism Action Network hosted a day of action and activism at the New York State Capitol in Albany. The event was organized to correspond with the state legislature returning to session, and inspired roughly 300 concerned citizens to brave upstate New York’s January cold to rally and lobby their representatives in favor of medical freedom. Unsurprisingly, this important gathering was not covered in traditional media despite multiple press releases being sent to dozens of reporters; but Honest Media was in attendance.

In full transparency, the lead organizers of the event were Michael Kane (Managing Editor of Honest Media) and John Gilmore, who also works for American Values 2024, which sponsors our project. Nevertheless, this gathering and the attendees involved deserve coverage regardless of any affiliations – particularly since other media is not talking about it. It is also important to note that activists are at their state houses fighting for medical freedom all across the country, not just in New York, also with very little attention.

The day of action commenced with a rally in the Empire State Plaza – a concourse attached to the State Capitol and the Legislative Office Building – in Albany. Notable speakers included many civil rights attorneys including Sujata Gibson of Cornell University, Tricia Lindsay, Bobbie Anne Cox, and General Counsel for Children’s Health Defense Kim Mack Rosenberg.

Hundreds of attendees gathered to hear them, and others, speak and learn what they can do to fight for their civil rights and health freedom. The organizers of the event arranged two buses from New York City and Long Island to bring concerned constituents to their Capitol (leaving very early in the morning), and many other attendees came on their own from all across the state. Teachers were particularly well represented due to the affiliation with Teachers for Choice, as were firefighters affiliated with Bravest for Choice, and doctors and nurses with Medical Professionals for Informed Consent. All of these groups were required to get jabbed to hold their jobs after the COVID pandemic, and thus attendees included individuals who have been unemployed (without pay) for years now. The majority of attendees also seemed to be parents, with many talking about experiences of discrimination against their children due to restrictive state laws mandating vaccination with no exemptions to attend school.

The rally portion of the day got quite heated when a separate organized action group calling for prison parole reform showed up in the same concourse with an organized marching band and loud chants. This assembly caused a small interruption and rivaling energy to the medical freedom rally, and riled up some attendees against each other, which one attendee amusingly described as “madness.” Nevertheless, the parole reform group marched by and entered the Capitol without too much disruption and many members of the group ended up eating lunch alongside each other later in the day in the legislature’s cafeteria after spending time talking to, and lobbying, their representatives. The dynamic between the two groups ultimately served as a reminder that competing agendas can actually coexist and find common ground, particularly when coming to the State Capitol in person.

After the aforementioned speakers, Gilmore once again took the microphone (joking that no one should ever try to give a speech after Tricia Lindsay) to explain to attendees how to best communicate their goals to their legislators. Specifically, they were encouraged to make appointments with their local representatives, when available, to share their stories and talk to them. If not, they are still able to visit their offices and leave letters/memos with the legislative staff or in their mailboxes. The activists focused on encouraging opposition to the following bills:

• A6791, which would allow any medical treatment, including surgery to be done to children without parental knowledge or consent
• S1531, which would make inclusion of all adult vaccine records, or lack of records, mandatory in a state database
• S762a/A276b, which allows vaccines for STDs to be given to minors without parental knowledge or consent
• A2125/S8113, which repeals religious exemptions for college and work

The activists also encouraged support for the following bills:

• S117/A6676, which restores the religious exemption to attend school
• S4316/A6541, which allows people injured by vaccines required by a government to sue the government
• S5715/A4460, which requires parents to be present when vaccines are administered
• A3397/S1636, which prohibits mandatory COVID shots for work or college

The attendees generally focused on making these demands to seven politicians each, which comprised of: 1) Governor Kathy Hochul; 2) Majority Leader of the New York State Senate Andrea Stewart-Cousins; 3) Speaker of the Assembly Carl Heastie; 4) Chair of the Senate Health Committee Gustavo Rivera; 5) Chair of the Assembly Health Committee Amy Paulin; 6) each attendee’s local state senator; 7) each attendee’s local state assembly member. Visiting these representatives consisted of going to their respective offices in the State Capitol and Legislative Buildings.

Unfortunately, like so many issues these days, these questions generally seem to have become a partisan issue. Republican legislators, such as Steve Rhoads and Aexis Weik, welcomed Teachers for Choice activists into their offices and were happy to chat with them – accepting t-shirts and even keeping files on their visits and memos submitted. Meanwhile, from the Democratic legislators it was a mixed bag. Assemblyman Brian Cunningham was reportedly “very receptive” to his constituents when they came into his office to talk. However many others were much less enthusiastic to hear from the activists, some even dodged meetings with their constituents on these matters, and many of their staff members were even wearing masks.

Nevertheless, Teachers for Choice and the Autism Action Network, as well as the majority of attendees encountered, all emphasized that they will keep pressing for their civil rights. They plan to return to Albany in the spring and will not back down from trying to get their jobs back and encourage political action to uphold medical freedom rights for their children and future generations.

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