Many callers said they opposed the bill because their kids had been “vaccine-injured.” Maribel Duarte, a single mother of six who attended the hearing in person, spoke tearfully about the worsening health problems her son, who suffers from asthma and a bleeding disorder, began experiencing after he received the COVID-19 vaccine at school without her consent “for an exchange of pizza.”ĭuarte: “I feel that in that age, they still don’t have that mentality or rightness to choose if they’re OK or healthy enough to make that decision.” One woman, who described herself as “an ambassador for Jesus Christ,” labeled it “demonic.” Others called lawmakers “delusional” and “pedophiles,” and one caller told the committee, “I hope God forgives you.” Public comment in the Senate Judiciary Committee’s unwieldy hearing was dominated by those who oppose the bill.
