Action Alert: Remind NJ Legislators that Anti-Bias Training Must Include Respecting Vaccination Choice
Tomorrow, January 4, the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee will vote on S4047, a bill that “requires certain health care professionals to undergo bias training.”
Unfortunately, the bill fails to acknowledge one of the most significant biases impacting health care during the pandemic. According to the Journal of Medical Ethics,
Individuals unvaccinated against COVID-19 (C19) experienced prejudice and blame for the pandemic. Because people vastly overestimate C19 risks, we examined whether these negative judgements could be partially understood as a form of scapegoating (ie, blaming a group unfairly for an undesirable outcome) and whether political ideology (previously shown to shape risk perceptions in the USA) moderates scapegoating of the unvaccinated.
Discriminatory attitudes against the unvaccinated are well documented. Many people were denied medical treatment, entrance into public spaces and even fired from their jobs. And this prejudice, which permeated health care and other institutions, was not limited to Covid-19 vaccination status.
Medical decisions and medical privacy must be respected. It is therefore critical that anti-bias training and discussions around “cultural competency” acknowledge biases against the unvaccinated and those who make alternative personal medical decisions.
Currently, S4047 currently defines “cultural competency” as “the ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures, socio-economic status, gender, races, ethnic backgrounds, religions, and other diversity categories in a manner that recognizes, affirms, and values the worth of individuals, families, and communities and protects and preserves the dignity of each.”
Please reach out to members of the Senate Health Committee and ask them to include vaccination status to this definition, and otherwise reject this bill, so that we can work to end this medical discrimination in health care settings.
Here are the members of New Jersey’s Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee: (click the name/link to send e-mail)
Senator Joe Vitale, Committee Chair – 732-855-7441, SenVitale@njleg.org
Senator Fred Madden, Vice Chair – (856) 232-6700, SenMadden@njleg.org
Senator Renee Burgess – (862) 231-6577, SenBurgess@njleg.org
Senator Richard Codey – (973) 535-5017, SenCodey@njleg.org
Senator Edward Durr – (856) 595-2676, SenDurr@njleg.org
Senator Vin Gopal – (732) 695-3371, SenGopal@njleg.org
Senator Holly Schepisi – (201) 666-0881, SenSchepisi@njleg.org
Senator Robert Singer – (732) 987-5669, SenSinger@njleg.org
If your schedule allows, you can attend the committee hearing and provide testimony. The Senate Health Committee will be meeting tomorrow, January 4, at 1pm in Committee Room 6, First Floor, State House Annex (125 West State Street, Trenton, NJ).
You can find additional information on anti-bias bills in New Jersey here.