A proposed bill in the state of Rhode Island would require anyone over the age of 16 to be vaccinated and comes with some serious punishments if refused.

Every person of at least sixteen (16) years of age who is eligible for immunization against COVID-19 and who resides in the State of Rhode Island, works in the State of Rhode Island, or pays personal income taxes to the State of Rhode Island pursuant to chapter 30 of title 44 shall be required to be immunized against COVID-19.

https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText22/SenateText22/S2552.pdf

If implemented, Rhode Island citizens would be required to pay a $50 fine and be forced to pay twice their personal income taxes. The bill was proposed by Democratic Senator Samuel W. Bell and has faced harsh criticism since its proposal.

“The reason I introduced the bill is we have a crisis with the pandemic,” Bell said. “Thousands of Rhode Islander have died. I’ve had really painful calls from constituents who can’t go to the store because they’re immuno-compromised, who have lost loved ones to this pandemic, who are really ill and not fully recovered, suffering long-term effects.”

Republican Senator Jessica de la Cruz has combated this proposal with harsh criticism and has even organized an email campaign opposing the legislation.

“I have not, nor will I ever support, legislation that coerces Rhode Islanders into making medical decisions or face steep financial damages,” she wrote. “I hear my constituents and others around the state loud and clear – this is dangerous legislation and sends the message that our government doesn’t trust you to make the right choice for you and your family. This is an unconscionable overreach of legislative powers.”

This bill would by far be the harshest implemented vaccine mandate here in America. People have already been forced to choose between their jobs and the jab, which seems bad enough, but this takes things to a whole new level. For families living paycheck to paycheck, a double in their income taxes could leave them struggling to get by, if they could at all.

The bill would also require signatures from THREE licensed physicians for any individual to be exempt from the vaccination. Let’s not forget that a vaccine is a medical procedure. MRNA technology is experimental, and every individual should have the right to choose their own medical decisions based on their own situation and freedom. Government does not have the right to step over this line and infiltrate anyone’s decisions about their own health.