SB1078 is a bill that will give immunity to chemical companies. This bill has passed its Senate Committee, and must NOT pass if it reaches the Senate floor.
According to OKPR, this bill “would severely limit Oklahomans’ ability to seek justice in court if harmed by pesticides or herbicides, effectively granting Big Chem companies legal immunity similar to that of Big Pharma for vaccines, and leaving citizens with little control over exposure to these chemicals.”
Bayer Moves to Legislation After Losing Lawsuits
To dig into the story further, “After acquiring Monsanto in 2018, Bayer found itself facing nearly 100,000 individual lawsuits and was eventually ordered to pay up to $10.9 billion to settle lawsuits that alleged RoundUp caused cancer…..Monsanto knew the product could harm people, but they withheld that information from the EPA and the public — while NOT doing anything to correct the issue.” (SOURCE)
The Ninth Circuit Court ruled in 2020, that, “[The] EPA did not adequately consider whether glyphosate causes cancer and shirked its duties under the Endangered Species Act (‘ESA’).” (Court Ruling).
Bayer Puts Forward Immunity Bill in Eleven States
- Missouri – Missouri House debate shows GOP split over bill to protect pesticide makers: For the second year, lawmakers consider whether to side with Bayer, which faces thousands of lawsuits over failure to warn users that Roundup may cause cancer
- Georgia – UPDATE: SB144 has passed the Senate and the house and will head to the Governors desk shortly.
- “Georgia Senate Bill 144 will give pesticide producers like Bayer and ChemChina liability immunity from lawsuits associated with any adverse health effects or harms to crops or property from their chemicals.” – SOURCE
- Tennessee – “…Pesticide immunity shield bill is still moving.”
- North Dakota – “A bill has been introduced in the North Dakota state legislature to eliminate failure-to-warn liability claims for North Dakota residents who are exposed to toxic pesticides and are seeking justice.” (SOURCE)
Eleven states are considering similar bills this session. In a statement from Stand for Health Freedom, “Bayer sees that their bills in many states are in danger of failing, so in a political move to instill fear and intense pressure on legislators, they issued a press release on March 7th, saying they may stop selling Roundup if the bills don’t pass. This is the 1986 industry playbook that removed liability from vaccine manufacturers. Don’t let your legislators or farmers fall for it.”
Will Harris, a farmer in Georgia says, “Pesticide companies have no incentive to be honest about the risks of their products.” This must be stopped!
The Grassroots Must Speak Up Against Bayer and Their Lobbyists
As they face countless legal cases regarding the carscengenioty of Roundup, Bayer decided to push bills to protect themselves from liability, like vaccine makers have historically done. Bayer lobbyists are promoting and lobbying for these bills. “The multi-pronged strategy is just one example of how multi-billion-dollar global companies use their influence to change laws and keep pesticides on the market.” (SOURCE) In Missouri, this includes advertising, “television ads…and a direct mail campaign accusing nine Republican state senators of betraying President Donald Trump’s agenda by allowing ‘Chinese Communist Party chemicals’ to take over the market.” (SOURCE)
The grassroots must stand up and demand that our legislators protect the rights of the people, and not give immunity to these chemical companies. Contact your State Senator and tell them to Vote NO on SB1078!
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