The Idaho Joint Democratic Caucus released the following statement Friday in response to GOP state leaders threatening a legal action against President Joe Biden for his vaccination plan:
“At this historic moment, our state needs to come together to navigate the crisis. We are at a breaking point, as unvaccinated COVID-19 patients flood hospitals statewide, forcing Crisis Standards of Care, where medical providers will have to decide who does or doesn’t get treated.
Those of us who trust science have been encouraging and even begging Idahoans to get vaccinated for months. It has not been enough and our health care system is buckling. We all want our schools to stay open for our students, our hospitals to have a bed when we need one, and parents to stay alive to care for their children. Low vaccination rates threaten all of this. We have to do more to ensure our children, teachers, health care workers, and others can stay safe and healthy.
We need strong leaders who will do the right thing to preserve human life even if they face criticism. What we don’t need is political posturing. This frivolous lawsuit demonstrates a callousness to thousands of Idahoans who have died and will continue to die if nothing changes.
The vaccine is our best way of ending this pandemic, and our state is near the bottom in the nation for vaccination rates. We have to change that, or else the crisis will only worsen and more Idahoans will needlessly lose their lives. The time for bold action is now, and we need real leadership, not another wasteful lawsuit.”