Tag: mandatory vaccination

Former MLB prospect sues White Sox for millions over COVID-19 vaccine injury

An awful vaccine side effect has allegedly sidelined a baseball player for the rest of his life.

Isaiah Carranza was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 2018 but never made it to the major leagues. Now, Carranza is suing his former organization, saying it denied his vaccine injury after he was “coerced” into getting the shot.

Carranza played two years in High-A, the third-highest level of minor league baseball in the United States. However, 2022 was the last time he appeared in a game, and the former pitcher has since alleged that team officials warned him he would be “blacklisted” if he didn’t get a COVID-19 vaccine.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Carranza claimed if he did not get two doses, his organization would not release him from his contract so that he could pursue other teams. At the same time, he was allegedly told he had “no prospects of moving up” within the White Sox’s organization.

After getting the Pfizer vaccine, Carranza says he soon began suffering “extreme dizziness, nausea, near-fainting, and wildly fluctuating heart rate,” but the team told him it was simply dehydration, anxiety, and “rookie nerves.”

Carranza also allegedly began experiencing severe pain and dysfunction in his pitching arm.

“After receiving the vaccine, Plaintiff suffered severe adverse health reactions with little to no support from Defendants, who denied him necessary accommodations,” the lawsuit said, according to Newsmax.

Carranza also claimed that the injury impaired his ability to throw at a professional level and essentially ended his career. He is reportedly seeking $19 million in damages and has an estimated $557,000 price tag in future medical expenses.

The MLB did not have an official vaccine mandate but encouraged players to get vaccinated through its union and the league.

Carranza’s legal team said on its website that minor league players lacked union representation and the financial security to safely speak out against the “condition of employment.”

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‘The People Showed Up’: South Carolina Lawmakers Side With Parental Choice in Two Vaccine Votes

South Carolina senators clashed Wednesday over childhood vaccination policy, but ultimately sided with parental choice in two key votes, the South Carolina Daily Gazette reported.

A Senate Medical Affairs subcommittee voted 7-1 to advance legislation prohibiting vaccine mandates for children under age 2.

Minutes later, the panel voted 6-2 to reject a separate proposal that would have removed religious exemptions for the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine.

Advocacy groups supporting parental rights called the outcome a major statement on constitutional protections.

“Yesterday was a remarkable day for South Carolinians — and a reminder to the rest of the nation and the world that constitutional rights still matter,” Andrea Lamont Nazarenko, Ph.D., of the South Carolina Health Rights Cooperative said in a joint statement with Ashley Jones and Christi Dixon of South Carolina Family First.

“At a time when inalienable liberties are increasingly restricted in the name of public health, the South Carolina Senate made it clear: not here,” the groups said.

Dawn Richardson, director of advocacy for the National Vaccine Information Center, said the decision to halt the MMR proposal sends a broader message about vaccine mandates.

“It sends a strong message nationally that forced vaccination with the MMR or any vaccine holds no legitimate place in health policy or law in the U.S.,” she said. “Vaccine mandates need to be repealed, not entrenched.”

The debate unfolded amid South Carolina’s largest measles outbreak in decades. State health officials reported 990 measles cases as of March 3.

Linda Bell, the state’s epidemiologist, told lawmakers that about 95% of measles cases involve unvaccinated people. She said infections appear to be slowing after a surge in vaccinations last month, which rose about 70% compared with February 2025.

Federal health officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are expected to arrive next week to help contain the outbreak, according to Reuters.

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Arbitration victory for workers denied COVID-19 vaccine exemptions

During COVID-19 lockdowns many Canadian employers implemented vaccine mandates, forcing employees to choose between job loss or an unwanted COVID-19 vaccination. TDF lawyers met with many union members confronted with this dilemma, and explained their legal rights under human rights legislation and collective agreements

Many religious union members who opposed vaccination due to their sincerely held religious beliefs, filed religious exemption requests with their employers. However, these religious exemptions were often denied arbitrarily and superficially. Sometimes employers requested written proof of relevant spiritual doctrine from a religious objector. Sometimes employers summarily rejected claims of sincere religious belief.

In 2022, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), on behalf of 7 unionized Air Canada pilots, brought grievances against Air Canada for improperly rejecting their vaccine exemption requests. After their religious exemption requests were denied, the pilots were placed on unpaid leaves of absence. The union members alleged workplace religious discrimination under their Collective Agreement and the Canadian Human Rights Act.

A labour arbitrator has now ruled in favour of the pilots, as reported in Air Canada v. Air Line Pilots’ Association 2026 CanLII 16803 (CA LA).

Arbitrator Hayes ruled that denying these religious exemption requests was improper and resulted in workplace discrimination contrary to the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Collective Agreement. The arbitrator held that it was not appropriate for Air Canada to direct employees to justify religious exemptions with a “personalized, written, and dated explanation from your religious leader explaining the religious reasons why you are unable to be vaccinated against COVID-19.” Arbitrator Hayes reiterated that the law requires an employer to assess an individual’s subjective religious beliefs rather than making an overly objective determination of whether those beliefs objectively conform to the mandates of the religion.

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Former Australian Member of Parliament Says Pfizer and AstraZeneca Paid Lobbyists to Direct Australia’s Leaders to Push Vaccine Mandates

A former Australian member of Parliament came out and said Pfizer and AstraZeneca are paying lobbyists to direct Australia’s leaders to push vaccine mandates.Clive Palmer, leader of the United Australia Party claimed ousted New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian was told she wouldn’t be charged in a corruption probe if she imposed a vaccine mandate.Palmer made these statements a couple weeks ago but it has garnered a lot of attention this weekend after Berejiklian resigned in disgrace following a corruption probe.Two weeks ago, Palmer said Pfizer and AstraZeneca were paying lobbyists tens of millions of dollars to direct Australia’s liberal leaders to push the double jab.According to Palmer, Berejiklian, who was under a corruption probe by the ICAC at the time, was told if she imposed strict lockdowns and vaccine mandates, she wouldn’t be charged.Shortly before Berejiklian resigned, she told Sydney residents that if they don’t take the Covid jab, they face total social isolation indefinitely after the stay-at-home order ends in December.Berejiklian made history for overseeing one of the most fascistic regimes in modern history like nothing we have witnessed in the Western world.It appears she was bowing to Big Pharma lobbyists and special interest groups once again proving Covid mandates have NOTHING to do with science or saving lives.Clive Palmer told reporters of Berejiklian: “The only way she gets out of the inquiry is if she pushes the double jab.”A lefty reporter pushed back on Clive Palmer: “You think the premier of New South Wales is trying to destroy businesses?”“I do,” Palmer replied. “She’s being directed by lobbyists in Sydney, who is being paid by AstraZeneca and by Pfizer tens of millions of dollars to get these policies through, to make sure the vaccines get pushed…that’s my personal knowledge and I’m happy to make a statement here, to police, to anyone.”

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California Planning to Sue Trump Admin Over Revised Child Vaccine Guidelines, Bonta Says

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said on Feb. 17 that the state plans to take legal action against the Trump administration over the recent modifications to the childhood vaccine schedule.

The CDC on Jan. 5, with backing from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., narrowed the number of vaccines routinely recommended by the childhood schedule.

Bonta told Reuters in an interview that he has mobilized his team to identify the necessary details for a possible complaint against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including jurisdiction and legal grounds for pursuing the lawsuit.

“I like the facts. I like science. I don’t want to give any airtime to his—I mean, just conspiracy [expletive],” Bonta told the news agency, referring to Kennedy’s stance on vaccines.

Bonta did not specify when the state might file or whether it would be a multistate filing. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, who also spoke to Reuters, indicated his state may join California in the filing.

The Epoch Times reached out to HHS for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

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Florida plans to become first state to eliminate all childhood vaccine mandates

Florida plans to become the first state to eliminate vaccine mandates, a longtime cornerstone of public health policy for keeping schoolchildren and adults safe from infectious diseases.

State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, who announced the decision Wednesday, cast current requirements in schools and elsewhere as “immoral” intrusions on people’s rights that hamper parents’ ability to make health decisions for their children.

“People have a right to make their own decisions, informed decisions,” Ladapo, who has frequently clashed with the medical establishment, said at a news conference in Valrico. “They don’t have the right to tell you what to put in your body. Take it away from them.”

Florida’s move, a significant departure from decades of public policy and research that has shown vaccines to be safe and the most effective way to stop the spread of communicable diseases, especially among schoolchildren, is a notable embrace of the Trump administration’s agenda led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist.

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Congress Members Urge DOJ to Investigate 4 States That Prohibit Religious Exemptions

A coalition of federal lawmakers today urged the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate four states whose laws prohibit religious exemptions for school vaccine mandates.

In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, lawmakers warned that vaccine mandate laws in New York, California, Maine and Connecticut violate the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause.

Lawmakers also asked the DOJ to intervene in two New York lawsuits where Children’s Health Defense (CHD) is either a plaintiff or is financing the case.

Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) is the lead author of the letter, which is also addressed to Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for Civil Rights.

As of this afternoon, 13 Congress members had signed the letter.

“Religious freedom is the cornerstone of our Republic,” Steube said in a statement to The Defender. “It is inexcusable that New York, California, Maine, and Connecticut refuse to provide people of faith with a religious exemption from their vaccine mandates. This is not only a direct violation of the Free Exercise Clause, but it is also a grave assault on civil liberties.”

He added:

“Your constitutional rights should never take a backseat to a vaccine mandate. That is why I am requesting Attorney General Pam Bondi and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon launch formal investigations of all states that continue to violate the constitutional rights of the American people via coercion and infringement on their religious beliefs.”

Allowing the four states to violate citizens’ constitutional rights has emboldened states like Massachusetts and Hawaii, which are considering eliminating religious exemptions for vaccines, to “further encroach upon Americans’ rights,” according to the lawmakers.

The four states make up nearly 20% of the U.S. population, said Cait Corrigan, a former congressional candidate from New York and a medical freedom advocate who helped raise awareness at the federal level and worked with Steube’s office on the effort.

Corrigan said she hopes the DOJ will intervene in “the tragedy that is happening in these four states.”

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Air Force Blocks Retirement of Exemplary Officer and Discharges Her Over Lawful Objections to Vaccines

An exemplary Air Force officer is losing her retirement after a Board of Inquiry abruptly closes the door on her.

The Gateway Pundit spoke to Davis Younts, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer, who now serves as Maj. Kim Bitter’s legal counsel. Upon thoroughly assessing her career, he said, “She has had an outstanding career. No issues. No misconduct. You’ll find nothing negative about her service. Her character and integrity have never been questioned.”

Rather what has been repeatedly observed is the military pretending as though First Amendment rights do not apply to service members, the very individuals who have sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States.

During the COVID-19 era, Maj. Bitter filed a request for a medical exemption from the shot due to a preexisting health condition. Even though a doctor advised her against the shot, the military rejected her request. She also filed for a religious accommodation, but that request was denied as well. Violation of her rights, number one, but read on about the impending atrocities.

Younts said, “Major Kim Bitter was literally eight points—two drill periods— away from having 20 good years of service.” She was just one drill weekend away from being eligible to retire from the Air Force Reserve.

Maj. Bitter would be out-processed to Inactive Ready Reserve and placed in a no points, no pay status for two and a half years as punishment for opposing the shot, which has now been declared “unlawful as implemented.”

“Because of the no points, no pay status that she’s been put on,” Younts said, “she’s been prohibited from reaching 20 years [to become eligible for retirement].”

Despite being allowed to return to drill, she was again put on a no points, no pay status over her objections to the flu and typhoid vaccines, resulting her discharge from the Air Force Reserve.

This week, Maj. Bitter was sent to a Board of Inquiry (BOI) facing accusations of “dereliction of duty, unlawful drug use, and violating a lawful order to get the flu vaccine and typhoid vaccine,” Younts shared.

“What came out and was clear from the Board is no in command or in JAG channels realized that dereliction of duty is not a legally sufficient basis to discharge someone [emphasis mine].” Why wouldn’t the Board or the JAG officers be aware of this?

The accusation involved nothing more than being blamed for failing to complete a task during a power outage at Travis Air Force Base, which prevented her from accessing the systems needed to perform the work assigned to her.

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Air Force is “Hellbent” on Ending the Career of a Brigadier General Over His Opposition to the COVID-19 Mandate

In Air Force Brigadier General Christopher Sage’s case, he was left in command. No action was taken against him because of the many legal errors in the investigation. His own chain of command continued to support him and recommend him for promotion.

That is, until those voices were disregarded and he was taken off the two-star promotion list due to a flawed investigation that included his opposition to COVID-19 mandate policies.

The Gateway Pundit spoke to Brig Gen Sage, who, after three decades of honorable service to his country, now finds it difficult to come to terms with the fact that those in authority appear indifferent, or at least that’s the impression they create by disregarding his pleas for help.

“Why is the Air Force still not listening? Why are they still doubling down on a flawed investigation and hellbent on retiring me? Why are they not complying with President Donald Trump’s order to nullify all actions taken by the autopen?” These are only a handful of the questions that crowd his mind each day as he observes his own exemplary 31-year career come to an end, with a forced retirement looming on December 31, 2025.

According to reviewed documents, Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ), Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), and nine other Congressmen have called for the investigation against him to be dismissed. These same individuals have also requested a formal inquiry into the Air Force Inspector General (IG) who oversaw his case. “They called out his conduct and misuse of the IG system,” Brig Gen Sage explained. “Rather than investigate the IG, the Air Force promoted him to 4-star general.”

In March 2024, after two years of delay, Brig Gen Sage was issued a memo bearing the autopen signature of former President Joe Biden, which removed him from the promotion list. The Air Force is still acting as if the document is binding despite President Trump’s call to terminate executive actions signed by Biden’s autopen. Even the Department of War appears to be ignoring Trump’s intention.

Have attorneys like the acting General Counsel Shannon McGuire and the Deputy General Counsel for Military Affairs Julia Muedeking also played a role in the destruction of Brig Gen Sage’s career? For many following his story, it begs the question: Who are the lawyers and bureaucrats advising the Secretary of the Air Force (SECAF), or the Secretary of War for that matter? These very people are the same ones who advised the last administration on implementing the illegal COVID-19 shot mandate. They now appear intent on waiting Brig Gen Sage out until December 31, effectively forcing the one-star into retirement.

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Troops Discharged Over Biden’s Vaccine Mandate to Receive Honorable Status.

The Trump administration is directing the Pentagon to proactively review and upgrade the records of service members discharged from the U.S. military for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine under the former Biden government. Administration officials say the effort aims to restore honor to individuals who received “general discharge” as a result of the mandate.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, in a December memorandum, emphasized the progress made since the initial directive to reinstate veterans who were involuntarily discharged or voluntarily left military service due to the “unfair, overbroad, and unnecessary” COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The new directive expands these efforts by ordering a review of personnel records to identify those discharged solely for vaccine refusal and facilitate appropriate upgrades.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell explained the impetus for the new directive, “Under the previous administration, the Department involuntarily separated approximately 8,700 Service members for failing to comply with the Department’s since-rescinded COVID-19 vaccination mandate. Of those, more than 3,000 received less-than-honorable discharge characterizations.” Parnell added that military departments have been instructed to complete their reviews within one calendar year, with no action required from former service members.

Military service members impacted by the former Biden government vaccine mandate may also access the military board review website to address any perceived errors or injustices in their records. “The Department is committed to ensuring that everyone who should have received a fully honorable discharge receives one and continues to right wrongs and restore confidence in, and honor to our fighting force,” Parnell noted.

Additionally, an Executive Order signed by President Donald J. Trump in November reinstated GI benefits for veterans discharged due to the vaccine mandate.

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