Garden State Times

Senator Doug Steinhardt (R-23) has voiced concerns about A-1884, a bill that passed the Assembly Health Committee today. He believes it will limit innovation and growth in the healthcare sector.

“This legislation is unnecessary, unconstitutional, and a potentially deadly overreach by our State government that will make healthcare professionals live in fear of losing their licenses or livelihoods for abiding by their Hippocratic oath, questioning science, or challenging the status quo,” said Steinhardt. “Innovative research is the foundation of medical progress and medical science is, by definition, knowledge gained through observation and experimentation, all of which evolves over time. History has proved over and over that doctors who are in the minority of thought now become the mainstream consensus of the future.”

Steinhardt referenced historical examples to support his argument. In the 19th century, Hungarian doctor Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis was ostracized for demonstrating that childbed fever was caused by unsanitary hands but is now known as the “father of infection control.” More recently, incorrect assumptions about breast cancer spreading solely through lymphatics led to aggressive mastectomies based on flawed premises.

He argues that this bill aims to silence doctors who question vaccine efficacy, masking, social distancing, or other government-imposed measures during pandemics. According to him, it undermines medical science and freedom under the guise of good governance.

Steinhardt also warned about financial repercussions: “Adding a fresh set of bureaucratic red tape to the health care industry will cause insurance prices to skyrocket on doctors and patients, making healthcare less affordable for New Jerseyans. While our residents face some of the highest cost of living in the nation, Trenton Democrats should be prioritizing improving affordability and searching for ways to give more people access to the quality of life they want instead of fearmongering industry professionals with forced groupthink.”

A-1884 would censor medical professionals by forcing them into silence due to fear of retribution from dissenting opinions.