Legislation that would ban mRNA vaccinations statewide — including the Covid-19 vaccine — drew equal parts support and opposition during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Friday.

House Bill 371, sponsored by Rep. Greg Kmetz, R-Miles City, would prohibit administering gene-based vaccines to a human within the state. Violating the law would result in a $500 fine and a misdemeanor charge, as well as the potential revocation of a license.  

Northwest Montana Reps. Tracy Sharp, R-Polson, and Lukas Schubert, R-Kalispell, are cosponsors. 

The bill’s text states that “gene-based vaccines” are vaccines developed using messenger ribonucleic acid — also known as mRNA — technology, which the legislation considers a danger to humans.  

Supporters testifying before the committee agreed with that assessment. Dr. Christine Drivdahl-Smith, a family physician in Miles City and a volunteer board member for the Montana Medical Freedom Alliance, was among the bill’s backers. 

“[mRNA vaccines are] the most destructive and lethal medical products that have ever been used in medical history,” she told the committee. 

Drivdahl-Smith and other proponents blamed mRNA vaccines for causing serious injury in humans. She cited the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, which is a passive reporting system that helps detect adverse symptoms of vaccines, to back up her testimony. 

But opponents, who argued mRNA vaccines help the body create a protein from the virus to help build antibodies, argued that the data collected by the system is unreliable evidence. Doctors are required to report any adverse event after a vaccine is given, even if they can’t determine that the vaccine itself caused the subsequent issue. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which manages the system alongside the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, includes a disclaimer on its website: “A report to VAERS does not mean that the vaccine caused the adverse event, only that the adverse event occurred some time after vaccination." 

MANY DOCTORS, nurses, tribal members and pharmacists testified against the bill, stating that the Covid vaccines are safe and saying that mRNA technology opens the doors for more options in the future. They also objected to the government intervening in medical decisions.  

“This bill interferes with the health care provider, patient relationships, it interferes with the practice of medicine,” said Dr. Douglas Harrington, a preventative medicine physician and the state medical officer for the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services.  

There are other vaccines that HB 371 could target beyond Covid-19. An mRNA vaccine could help specifically target disease processes, like with auto immune diseases like lupus. 

Ann Langdji, a critic of the legislation, is the director of Montana Families for Vaccines, a nonpartisan network that works to bolster public health in the state.  

“Prohibiting mRNA vaccines would limit preventative health care,” she said. “... This legislation is not about safety; it’s about restricting personal choice.”  

Dr. Marian Kummer, a retired pediatrician in Billings with almost four decades of experience, echoed Langdji’s sentiment.  

“It denies the people of Montana the freedom to choose their health care ... I should have the ability to protect myself, I can decide with my doctors,” Kummer said.  

Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls, told the committee that while he wasn’t anti-vaccine, he was against rushing vaccines. Drivdahl-Smith responded by deeming the Covid vaccine rushed and that the “incidents of Covid-19 itself went up after the vaccines came out.” 

Toward the end of the hearing, Rep. Ed Stafman, D-Bozeman, asked Dr. Lauren Wilson, a practicing pediatrician, whether she agreed with the statements made by the bill’s supporters. Wilson serves on the executive committee of Montana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.  

“I’ve been keeping a list of things that seem inaccurate, and I’ve gotten to point 14, I think those things are not accepted in our organization, the views [Drivdahl-Smith] is expressing,” Wilson said.  

Stephanie Lathrop, a researcher in immunology for over 25 years, stated in her testimony that she was “quite shocked” when she was informed that this legislation had gotten to committee.  

“All of these statements that seem to be the basis for this bill are completely and totally incorrect,” Lathrop said. 

Reporter Kate Heston may be reached at 758-4459 or [email protected].