Free speech is essential to health freedom

Stop the White House from using Big Data to destroy the First Amendment.

Published: Jul 21, 2023

Our Stand: At-A-Glance

  • Emails were uncovered showing the federal government teamed up with social media behind the scenes to censor Americans questioning their COVID agenda.
  • The White House used private companies to suppress the First Amendment.
  • The ability to access information and share it freely with others is essential for the ethical principle of informed consent in medicine to exist.
  • Much of the censored speech, including warning about dangers and urging caution in use of COVID shots, prevention, or treatment, has now been acknowledged correct by the CDC and other health authorities.
  • Labeling speech as misinformation, disinformation, or malinformation (MDM) does not make it lose its protection under the First Amendment. Technically, even lies and falsehoods are still constitutionally protected speech.
  • Americans must demand our elected officials follow the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
  • Tell your congressmen and women that Americans will not tolerate bad actors in the government trying to destroy our Constitution and ignoring our fundamental rights by signing this petition.

Petition

In July 2021, President Biden accused 12 health advocates of “killing Americans” simply by questioning federal public health policies. Disappointed after not meeting COVID vaccination goals, instead of meeting criticism and questions head-on to raise the confidence of Americans in public health policy, the White House attacked people and their speech. The administration singled out 12 Americans as the “Disinformation Dozen,” and called all information questioning COVID policy misinformation, disinformation, or malinformation (MDM).

Evidence is coming to light about how extensively the White House and federal agencies worked directly with social media platforms to censor speech critical of COVID policy. Two state Attorneys General challenged the censorship with a lawsuit, and discovery revealed emails that show efforts to suppress free speech were ongoing and elaborate between the executive branch and social media platforms. At a hearing on September 16, 2022, Representative Josh Hawley questioned Facebook/Meta representative Chris Cox about the company’s policy of targeting “private individual speech that is constitutionally protected.” Cox told members of Congress that Facebook/Meta was openly engaged with the United States government, the World Health Organization, and other health organizations in America and abroad to make sure individuals “were not getting information that could cause imminent harm.” (Emphasis added.) This is a direct admission of suppression of constitutionally protected speech.

Almost three years after declaring a health emergency, the Biden administration has backed down or backtracked on many COVID policies. It was right for Americans to question the CDC, HHS, and the White House from the start. The censored speech could have given Americans a meaningful chance at informed consent and changed the physical or mental health outcomes for millions of Americans — and even saved lives.

The White House and its federal agencies cannot use private social media companies to bypass the Constitution and the First Amendment. Informed consent to medical treatments relies entirely on free speech and access to information.

When our federal government conspires with private companies to trample on fundamental rights, and when Americans are making decisions that truly result in life or death, protection of free speech and all fundamental rights is essential. The Bill of Rights was written for these times; we must protect Americans by protecting the Constitution.

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Our Stand: The Full Story

Informed consent requires information. Censorship strikes at the heart of health freedom because it disrupts the ability of citizens to be able to properly evaluate both the risks and benefits of medical – especially pharmaceutical – interventions for health.

Americans have experienced widespread deplatforming from social media and been censored over the past three years for questioning a highly politicized COVID narrative spun by the White House. Social media such as Facebook/Meta, Twitter, and Instagram, worked to suppress and deny speech that was critical, or simply questioning, of government’s pharmaceutical-favored COVID policy. These platforms censored citizens, scientists, doctors, injured people, and health workers who questioned or challenged the plan to prioritize pharmaceuticals for COVID treatments. They also silenced challenges to nonpharmaceutical tactics such as universal masking and lockdowns, which carry great psychological and physical harms not explicitly acknowledged within their COVID policies.

Our first president, George Washington, warned that if Americans are not free to offer their thoughts on matters “which may involve the most serious and alarming of consequences … then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”[i] He said this while addressing a letter calling for mutiny for lack of pay and pensions to the army by Congress. Washington set the example for leaders in our federal government — instead of suppressing the speech that challenged federal actions and the government itself, he honored the fact that the concerns were critically important and must be heard, and he answered them.

Sadly, we now have solid evidence that our own federal government worked behind the scenes with social media platforms to stop the free and protected speech of Americans when it was not in lockstep with lockdowns, masking, and pharmaceuticals for COVID.

Evidence of collusion with Big Data

Two states Attorneys General from Louisiana and Missouri sued the Biden administration over censorship on social media platforms. As part of the suit, the U.S. Department of Justice had to hand over documents to be examined for wrongdoing. Emails between the U.S. Health and Human Services department, the Centers for Disease Control, and social media companies such as Facebook/Meta, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter were revealed, showing an ongoing and tangled relationship between federal agencies and social media described in the lawsuit as a vast “Censorship Enterprise across a multitude of federal agencies.” The initial documents, which were heavily redacted and had to be produced after court order, did not show any communications from top officials in the administration because DOJ says they are “privileged” and therefore the American people cannot see them. Attorney General Schmitt from Missouri said, “We have already received a number of documents that clearly prove that the federal government has an incestuous relationship with social media companies and clearly coordinate to censor freedom of speech, but we’re not done.”[ii]

Labeling speech as misinformation, disinformation, or malinformation (MDM) does not make it lose its protection under the First Amendment. In general, censorship based on what is said is assumed to be unconstitutional, unless the government can show the speech fits narrow exceptions such as criminal conduct or words that would incite violence. Technically, even lies and falsehoods are still constitutionally protected speech.[iii]

The complaint further points out that censorship of posts and information labeled MDM was shown time and time again to be valid information that was critical for Americans. For example, in early 2020, social media platforms censored speech about COVID coming from a lab leak, and ultimately even Dr. Fauci has admitted that could be the case. Speech about masks and lockdowns was censored, even though public health officials have now admitted these policies did little to stop the spread of COVID (while also acknowledging the surging mental health crisis caused by COVID policies).

Americans are protected by the First Amendment against censorship of speech by the government. To get around that, the federal government closely worked with Big Data to censor free speech of Americans. Our government used private corporations as a workaround to hide critical information that Americans needed to give meaningful consent with full knowledge of known risks or potential benefits for pharmaceutical interventions, or other health policies pushed by the Administration.

Ongoing censorship and name calling

In July 2021, President Biden accused 12 health advocates of “killing Americans” because of their work in getting information to the public to help inform their health choices during the COVID lockdowns and federal medical policies. Stand for Health Freedom reported on this censorship, which included the speech and social media posts of Co-founder Sayer Ji. The White House asserted that 65% of all misinformation about COVID shots came from these 12 people, when in fact the newly revealed emails between the White House and social media cites only 0.05% of vaccine related content can be linked to them. [iv]

To protect our Constitution and our country, Americans need to make sure our elected officials hold the White House accountable for using Big Data as a tool for violating the First Amendment, and for targeting individuals for openly sharing their ideas, experiences, or opinions. The digital space is our new town square, and the U.S. Supreme Court has acknowledged, “[T]o foreclose access to social media altogether is to prevent the user from engaging in the legitimate exercise of First Amendment rights.”[v]

Social media can’t ignore the First Amendment

People turn to social media as a resource for finding information about pharmaceutical products — especially stories from people who have good or bad experiences. In the time of COVID, “the urgency of the pandemic processes may have tilted the traditional patient-practitioner dialogue toward direct public messaging and handouts about risk-benefits of vaccinations, fostering a sense of community-based information sharing rather than individual informed consent engagement.”[vi] Our Supreme Court has stated social media is “perhaps the most powerful mechanisms available to a private citizen to make his or her voice heard.”[vii]

In Texas, there is a law prohibiting large social media platforms from censoring speech based on the viewpoint of the speaker. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld this law in September 2022. The court noted, “[T]he platforms argue that buried somewhere in the person’s enumerated right to free speech lies a corporation’s unenumerated right to muzzle speech.” (Emphasis in original.)[viii]

“The implications of the platforms’ argument are staggering. On the platforms’ view, email providers, mobile phone companies, and banks could cancel the accounts of anyone who sends an email, makes a phone call, or spends money in support of a disfavored political party, candidate, or business.”[ix]

The Fifth Circuit stated, “Today we reject the idea that corporations have a freewheeling First Amendment right to censor what people say.”[x]

We need lawmakers who will uphold the Constitution

At a hearing on September 16, 2022, Representative Josh Hawley questioned Chris Cox of Facebook/Meta about collusion with the government to suppress First Amendment Rights. He wanted accountability for the company’s policy of targeting “private individual speech that is constitutionally protected.” Cox stated Facebook/Meta was openly engaged with the United States government, the World Health Organization, and other health organizations in America and abroad to make sure individuals “were not getting information that could cause imminent harm.” (Emphasis added.) This is a direct admission of suppression of constitutionally protected speech.

Unfortunately, the Biden administration continues to partner with social media giants to spread its own messaging. On September 15, 2022, the White House held a summit called United We Stand to address “hate-fueled violence.” The summit included an announcement from YouTube that it will launch “an educational media literacy campaign across its platform to assist younger users in particular in identifying different manipulation tactics used to spread misinformation – from using emotional language to cherry picking information.”[xi]

America needs empowered citizens to protect the Constitution now more than ever. When Americans are making decisions that truly result in life or death, we are reminded why protection of free speech is an essential human right.

References

[i] https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-10840

[ii] https://ago.mo.gov/home/news/2022/09/01/missouri-and-louisiana-attorneys-general-ask-court-to-compel-department-of-justice-to-produce-communications-between-top-officials-and-social-media-companies

[iii] https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/11-210

[iv] https://ago.mo.gov/docs/default-source/press-releases/free-speech-pitch-thread-docs/hhs-fb-exhibit.pdf?sfvrsn=55bd83df_2

[v] https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/582/15-1194/

[vi] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33645658/

[vii] https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/582/15-1194/

[viii] https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca5/21-51178/21-51178-2022-09-16.html

[ix] https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca5/21-51178/21-51178-2022-09-16.html

[x] https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca5/21-51178/21-51178-2022-09-16.html

[xi] https://unitedwestand.gov/

Jill Hines

Directory of Advocacy
A former banker turned homeschool mom, Jill Hines began researching alternatives to conventional medicine in 2010 and what she discovered changed the trajectory of her life. She corrected a worrisome health issue, and embraced a natural approach to wellness. Advocating for informed consent and parental rights became a full-time mission when she joined the board of the Georgia Coalition for Vaccine Choice and later became the co-director of Health Freedom Louisiana. Due to her advocacy efforts during the COVID crisis, Jill was one of 25 Louisianans selected by Central City News as “a hero of the constitutional crisis.” She was also presented the Impact Award for Outstanding Public Service from the government watchdog organization Citizens for a New Louisiana. Jill now represents hundreds of millions of Americans who experienced censorship due to the Biden administration's efforts to suppress disfavored speech as a plaintiff in the landmark lawsuit Missouri v. Biden. Jill holds a marketing degree from Louisiana Tech University and now passionately “sells” health freedom full-time. Serving as Stand for Health Freedom’s advocacy director provides an incredible opportunity to advance the growing movement to preserve the sacred right to refuse unwanted medical interventions for ourselves and our children without fear of retribution.
“We have lived through a terrifying societal, psychological, and medical experiment which afforded us a knowledge that our forefathers tried to impart and we can no longer ignore: Our freedom is tenuous. For our children’s sake, the time is now to take a stand for health freedom.”

Chrissy Scott

Executive Assistant and Social Media Manager

A labor and delivery nurse with a lifelong passion for maternal and fetal health, Chrissy Scott left her job of 19 years after learning the truth about the harms caused by the medical system. In 2009, she was mandated by her employer to receive the H1N1 vaccine during her first trimester of pregnancy with her second child. She was assured that the vaccine was “safe and effective” for pregnant women, but her son was born with a kidney defect that could have been fatal. She didn’t connect the dots to vaccine injury until several years later when the declining health of her oldest son drove her to seek answers outside of allopathic medicine.

This personal journey ignited in her a new passion for truth and transparency in health care. As SHF’s Executive Assistant, Chrissy facilitates communication and local advocacy initiatives alongside Leah Wilson for their home state of Indiana. She also manages and creates graphics for SHF’s social media accounts and the website’s swag shop.

Chrissy earned her nursing degree from Anderson University and served her entire career at her local hospital. While she’s no longer a floor nurse, her five very active boys frequently test her nursing skills! She homeschools her children and has been co-owner of a successful home décor sign business with her sister.

“Parents, being the experts on their own children, are best suited to make decisions for the well-being of their family. To do this properly, they must be given full and accurate information and be free from force or coercion.”

Ellen Chappelle

Writer/Editor

Ellen Chappelle serves as SHF’s resident wordsmith. A seasoned writer and editor, she’s enthusiastic about ensuring that our content is clear, concise, and inspiring.

Ellen is most energized by working on projects that transform lives. A truth seeker as well as a journalist, she’s disturbed by the lack of accuracy in today’s media and determined to help share fact rather than fiction. And having found greater healing with alternative approaches, she’s also passionate about preserving our freedom to make informed health choices.

Past projects include serving as regional editor of a dog magazine, color and trend specialist for a small cosmetics company, arts columnist, newspaper reporter, ghostwriter, and creator of website content for artists and small businesses.

With a degree in journalism and theatre, Ellen is also a performer. She enjoyed singing and dancing on a cruise ship and traveling with a national musical theatre tour, as well as recording industrial videos, television commercials, and radio voiceovers. She also creates handcrafted jewelry in wire, chain maille, and fused glass.

“Despite what some would have us believe, the fact remains that this nation was founded on biblical principles by people who wanted freedom to worship God and live their lives without government involvement. It’s never been more critical to fight for those rights.”

LEAH WILSON

Executive Director and Co-founder

An attorney with a background in complex litigation and advocacy, Leah Wilson is passionate about children’s health and has researched and worked on child welfare issues for more than a decade.

The overmedication of children in foster care as a form of behavior management is what compelled Leah to become an advocate and foster parent. During her time as a court-appointed special advocate for abused and neglected children, Leah witnessed the rampant use of psychiatric drugs among foster kids. She also discovered that, in addition to many extensive requirements, the state had a policy that all foster children and foster families be fully vaccinated, without exception. Through her involvement in law, health and the foster care system, it became abundantly clear to Leah that the single most important issue affecting child welfare in the United States is the practice of one-size-fits-all medicine via medical mandates. This motivated Leah to expand her advocacy beyond foster care to all children nationwide and to start Stand for Health Freedom (SHF) in 2019.

A graduate of the Saint Louis University School of Law, Leah holds dual bachelor degrees in political science and Spanish from Indiana University. In addition to her advocacy work with SHF, Leah is the owner and former operations director of MaxLiving Indy, one of the largest natural health centers in the Midwest. She is also an educator on holistic health as well as a sought-after speaker on issues ranging from religious rights to greening your home.

“Parental rights and religious freedom are God-given natural rights that cannot arbitrarily be taken away by government authorities. Parents are the single most important factor in a child’s success; I stand in full support of this sacred relationship.”

Sayer JI

Director and Co-founder

Sayer Ji is a widely recognized researcher, author, lecturer, activist, and educator on natural health modalities. Among his many roles, he is an advisor to Stand for Health Freedom, a reviewer and editor of the International Journal of Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine, an advisory board member of the National Health Federation, a steering committee member of the Global GMO Free Coalition, and the co-founder and CEO of Systome Biomed Inc., a revolutionary scientific validation framework.

Most notably, Sayer is the founder of Greenmedinfo.com, the world’s most widely referenced, evidence-based natural health resource of its kind. He founded the platform in 2008 to provide an open access, evidence-based resource supporting natural and integrative modalities. Today, Greenmedinfo.com has more than a million visits per month, serving as a trusted resource on myriad health and wellness topics to physicians, healthcare practitioners, clinicians, researchers and consumers worldwide.

Sayer attended Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, where he studied under the notable American philosopher Dr. Bruce W. Wilshire. He received a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy in 1995, with a focus on the philosophy of science. His new book, Regenerate: Unlocking Your Body’s Radical Resilience through the New Biology, was released in March 2020 and is an Amazon bestseller.

“I truly believe that education will be our greatest shield against accelerating the erosion of civil liberties, including the right to bodily sovereignty, as well as the greatest catalyst for positive change on this planet moving forward.”

Bailey Kuykendoll

Associate Director

Designer and visual marketer Bailey Kuykendoll began advocating for health and religious freedom and parental rights in 2014 after learning she was pregnant. A self-described skeptic, she’s not afraid to ask questions and do copious amounts of research to reach her own conclusions.

She’s also not afraid of hard work. As SHF’s Associate Director, Bailey truly keeps the organizational boat afloat. Working closely with our State Directors in each state, she ensures that SHF has calls-to-action for health-freedom bills and petitions on our website and across social media, spreading the word to encourage people to contact their legislators. She builds campaigns, graphics, website pages, and relationships.

Bailey earned a design degree from Harrington Institute of Design in 2008. She then served as a production assistant on several shows for HGTV, followed by working behind the scenes on the X Factor, small indie films, music videos, and documentaries. Bailey joined Health Freedom Florida after moving to the East Coast, becoming co-president of the grassroots organization in 2019. While at Health Freedom Florida, she successfully filed a state bill designed to stop discrimination based on your health status. She joined SHF in the fall of 2020.

“God placed a calling on my heart back in 2008 to be a part of something bigger for Him. Twelve years later, the opportunity came knocking to help others lean into their natural-born rights and take a stand for themselves and their families. I knew this is where I was called to be, and I have never looked back.”

Valerie Borek

POLICY ANALYST

Valerie Borek is a passionate advocate for health rights and family privacy. A mother of two with degrees in law and biochemistry, she is perfectly positioned to lead SHF advocates through complex health-rights policy. Her work is guided by a love for American values, uncovering truth, and a passion for empowering others. Valerie has served as SHF’s policy analyst since 2021.

Valerie’s understanding of the value of freedom to make one’s own health care choices is not just academic. Health freedom has kept her boys alive and thriving. Her choice to have home births jump-started her advocacy for health privacy. Her eldest son survived a rare and deadly cancer because her family was able to navigate medical care while holding onto values that were sometimes at odds with recommendations.

Before joining SHF, Valerie specialized in health and parenting rights at her boutique law firm, especially surrounding birth and vaccine rights. She advocated for informed consent in health care and transparent food labeling in her state. She helped found the Birth Rights Bar Association and was honored to present their argument to the Delaware Supreme Court that midwifery is not the practice of medicine, in support of a trailblazing midwife.

“Health is the foundation of how we show up in this world to love, serve, and create. Americans are blessed to live in a country that gets stronger the more we protect fundamental rights, like informed consent and privacy, so individuals and families can thrive.”

Mary Katherine LaCroix

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT AND NONPROFIT ADMINISTRATION

Mary Katherine LaCroix became involved with SHF as a volunteer in 2019 when the religious exemption for childhood vaccines was at risk in her home state of New Jersey. She believes strongly that parents have the responsibility for their children’s health, education, and faith formation and that only they have the right to make medical decisions and manage their care.

She has worked in fundraising for more than 25 years at various educational, cultural, human services, and political organizations. A graduate of the University of Scranton, she holds a degree in History and English Literature.

Mary Katherine is thrilled to have this opportunity to work with and help grow SHF, believing that together we can achieve even greater impact in protecting our rights and caring for our loved ones. She enjoys spending time with her husband, two children and large extended family, as well as volunteering to support the special needs community.

“Parents are taught that they must trust the experts. That’s what we did, until we learned that the experts can be wrong and don’t always know what is best for your child. Parents should instead feel empowered by their natural, God-given ability to advocate and care for their children. SHF is here to give them the tools to do just that.”

Sheila Ealey

Political Analyst

Dr. Sheila Lewis Ealey is the founder and former director of the Creative Learning Center of Louisiana, a therapeutic day school for children who are on the autism spectrum or struggling with other nonverbal intellectual disabilities. The wife of a former U.S. Coast Guard Officer, she is also the mother of four children. Her son was diagnosed with severe autism spectrum disorder at 18 months. He is now a young man and considered moderate and emerging.

Sheila and her twins were featured in the documentary “Vaxxed.” She has traveled extensively, advocating for medical freedom. She continues to educate disenfranchised parents about their fundamental rights to religious and philosophical exemptions, their ability to live sustainably on a limited budget, and the importance of nutrition and biomedical interventions for optimum health with autism. She also writes individual homeschool curriculums for parents of children with autism or intellectual disorders. Sheila is a trustee for the Autism Trust, USA, and on the board of directors of Children’s Health Defense.

Over the past 20 years, she has educated herself to use natural healing modalities for the body and brain. Her formal education includes degrees in communication, special education curriculum, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership in Special Education. Sheila serves as an assistant content advisor and political analyst for SHF.

“It is not the Constitution’s job to protect our liberties, as it is not a philosophical document but a legal one. Its purpose is to limit the powers and authority of our federal government in hopes of preventing an intrusion upon our unalienable rights. We are obliged to maintain our government within its limits.”

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