Why Declare a Swine Flu Emergency?

Radio Commentary, WMVV 90.7 New Life FM, November 13, 2009
By Sue Ella Deadwyler

Good morning, Jim. Three weeks ago I reminded you of a 2002 Georgia law giving the governor dictatorial emergency powers that could be triggered by a real or perceived biological scare or threat of enemy attack. In either case, the governor could take control of everything, including private property and medical care. If the perceived emergency were a contagious disease, the governor could mandate vaccinations and quarantine or surveillance of anyone or anything. Even if folks have a doctor’s opinion questioning the vaccine’s safety, a special judge could override the physician’s opinion and order vaccination, anyway.

So, current circumstances make me wonder. Is there a political side to the swine flu frenzy? Consider this. Five years after Georgia passed the CDC’s favorite emergency powers act, President Bush and the leaders of Mexico and Canada met August 21, 2007. At that meeting they produced a 44-page plan for a “Coordinating Body” using UN and NAFTA guidelines to write a flu epidemic protocol the three countries would handle on a yearly rotation. Then, this year H.B. 217 was introduced in Georgia to create a protocol allowing flu shots to be given without prescriptions and it passed the House that way. However, the Senate amended it and extended the governor’s emergency power to specifically cover a pandemic flu emergency.

But it gets even more interesting. This year’s 232-page H.B. 228 created a State Health Officer and a Behavioral Health Coordinating Council as part of a complete reorganization of the state’s health and human service agencies. But the first four pages emphasized emergency authority. That bill lists 18 powers of the Department of Community Health, including the authority to quarantine, isolate and treat individuals with communicable diseases, as well as to take control of all health facilities, clinics, laboratories, hospitals, drugs and vaccines.

While it’s great that flu shots are available for the taking in the United States, it’s another thing to force vaccinations on the population. That hasn’t happened yet, but here in Georgia the governor has absolute power to enforce extraordinary measures during declared or perceived emergencies, including the current national swine flu emergency declared by the president on October 23rd. Right now, a limited number of swine flu vaccinations are suggested for and available to at-risk groups that choose to participate, but there has been no call for mandatory vaccinations. For Georgia Insight I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol correspondent.