Two states, Louisiana and Oklahoma, have passed legislation that prohibits the World Health Organization (WHO) from having authority.
On May 28, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry (R) signed a bill that “disallow[s] the exercise of jurisdiction by the World Health Organization, United Nations, and the World Economic Forum within the state of Louisiana,” according to a summary of the legislation. “It prevents the state or any of its political subdivisions from enforcing or implementing any rules, regulations, fees, taxes, policies, or mandates from these international organizations.”
After the bill initially passed the state Senate in March, Louisiana State Senator Valerie Hodges (R) told The Blaze that the bill followed the “horror story” of international bodies’ health regulations.
“We have watched a horror story unfold in front of us as time has shown that the ‘recommendations’ and coercive regulations from outside organizations such as the WHO have harmed hundreds of thousands of Americans who took a vaccine that they were told was safe and effective,” Hodges said.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt (R) also signed a bill prohibiting global bodies from threatening the state’s sovereignty.
“We aren’t buying what the WHO, WEF, and UN are selling,” Stitt wrote on X. “We value our freedom— and that means keeping their agenda far away from Oklahoma.”
“The World Health Organization, the United Nations, and the World Economic Forum have no jurisdiction in this state,” the bill declares.
Various mandates issued by the entities “shall not be used” in the state, including those for “masks, vaccines, or medical testing.” The bodies are also prohibited from collecting “any public or private information about the state’s citizens or residents.”
As the bill passed the state’s Senate last month, the legislation’s author, Senator George Burns (R) said, “In a time when global entities seek to impose their will on sovereign states, it is imperative that we stand firm in defense of our principles and values.”
He added that the bill “empowers Oklahomans to make their own health decisions and protects their rights from external interference.”
The WHO recently passed updated International Health Regulations (IHR). It failed to agree on a final draft of the “Pandemic Agreement, which has been widely condemned by numerous countries.
The IHR amendments will “bolster countries’ ability to detect and respond to future outbreaks and pandemics by strengthening their own national capacities, and coordination between fellow States, on disease surveillance, information sharing and response,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “This is built on commitment to equity, an understanding that health threats do not recognize national borders, and that preparedness is a collective endeavor.”