Health Freedom Impacted by the Larger Freedom Conversation
February 27, 2025
The core purpose of the 2025 Idaho bill entitled The Idaho Medical Freedom Act was to protect each and every person’s human bodily autonomy, including a person’s ability to direct their own health care decisions at all times. After an exciting legislative journey, the bill passed on April 4, 2025, codifying prohibition of medical intervention requirements, and setting a precedent across the nation for other states to follow. Thank you Idaho!
After vetoing bill, Governor approves substitute
The original bills were introduced by Senator Keyser and Representative Beiswenger. The intense paths of the bills required deft leadership, including the advocacy work of Leslie Manookian of Health Freedom Defense Fund. The Senate bill S1023 made its way through the Idaho legislature and passed both the House and the Senate, and was sent to the Governor. But the Governor had concerns and vetoed S1023. In an effort to address the Governor’s concerns, a new bill, S1210, was quickly introduced by Senator Daniel Foreman. That new bill traveled swiftly through the legislature and also passed and was sent to the Governor. On April 4, 2025, Governor Little signed the second bill.
Health freedom leaders from around the country watched with hope as the Idaho bills moved. The entire process brought forth important education, advocacy and testimony on basic human health freedom principles as delivered by Manookian in her February testimony before the Idaho Senate State Affairs Committee.
Leslie Manookian
Medical Freedom Act built on prior COVID-19 vaccine law
Protecting health and medical freedom is not for the faint of heart. Human autonomy is being challenged to the max as we all become interconnected even to the point of being replaced by technological applications. Idaho has demonstrated strong leadership for health freedom. In 2023 Idaho passed the Coronavirus Stop Act. Under the Idaho Coronavirus Stop Act coronavirus vaccinations requirements were prohibited. The new 2025 Idaho bill was amending and expanding that Act by modifying it to include all medical interventions.
Act offers broad protection for bodily autonomy
The Medical Freedom Act expands the current law, which prohibits mandates of Coronavirus vaccinations, to now include broad Right to Refuse protection against “medical interventions.” Under the Act, public and business entities may not refuse to serve any person based on whether they have used a medical intervention or require any medical intervention as a condition of employment. And public and private K-12 and higher education schools may not mandate a medical intervention for attendance. Unless required by federal law, no state entity may require any person to receive a medical intervention. There is an exception for occupational safety items, and the Act allows the Attorney General to enforce it.
RighttoRefuse.org tracking bodily autonomy bills
National Health Freedom Action is a partner in the Right to Refuse project and is tracking hundreds of bills throughout the country working to protect health freedom. NHFA posts these bills and their status on the Righttorefuse.org website. The bills have a wide variety of goals, some to protect the broad breadth of bodily autonomy and health freedom, others to address specific concerns such as opposition to mandates and protection against certain countermeasures and medical interventions.
Please contact us if you have questions about how you can become involved in your state to protect your health freedoms!!!
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