by Michael Nevadakis, Ph.D. at the Defender
Rep. Paul Gosar on Thursday reintroduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives that would allow people injured by vaccines to sue the vaccine manufacturer. It would also expand the statute of limitations on vaccine injury and allow people injured by a vaccine to pursue both federal and civil compensation.
Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) on Tuesday reintroduced legislation to end the liability shield for vaccine manufacturers and allow people injured by a vaccine to sue the drug’s manufacturer.
Children’s Health Defense (CHD) is one of the bill’s supporters.
The End the Vaccine Carveout Act targets two federal laws that give legal immunity to vaccine makers — the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 (NCVIA) and the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act of 2005 (PREP Act).
The NCVIA’s liability shield covers vaccines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for routine use in children or pregnant women.
The PREP Act protects manufacturers from liability for injuries or death caused by vaccines or other countermeasures implemented during a public health emergency.
“Current immunity provisions unfairly shielding Big Pharma from the harms caused by their products prevent those injured by vaccines to pursue a civil lawsuit in state or federal court,” Gosar said in the press release.
Gosar’s bill removes language in the NCVIA that requires people injured by vaccines to first seek compensation through the government-run National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP).
Under the new legislation, the vaccine-injured could file lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers while also submitting a VICP claim.
In a press release, Gosar’s office said the VICP sets an unreasonably high bar for claimants to meet:…
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