What the WHO…?

US Sovereignty is on the Line as Nations Negotiate Pandemic Treaty

Published: Mar 8, 2022

Our Stand: At-A-Glance

  • The WHO is creating the public health equivalent of a “one world government” yet they don’t have the authority to override the Constitution of the United States, nor its national sovereignty. A Pandemic Treaty could pave the way for an initiative like the Good Health Pass, described by Tony Blair as an “internationally-recognized system of health passes” for world travelers.
  • If you believe in bodily sovereignty, parental rights, and informed consent, you must stand up now and let your voice be heard. Congress needs to keep Biden in check with international relations!
  • Our membership in the WHO doesn’t give this globalist organization the right to violate our civil liberties, human rights, and medical freedom.

Petition:

To President Joseph Biden; and to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and to individuals serving in the US Congress; and to Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US Ambassador to the United Nations; and to the Secretary of US Health and Human Services:

Member States of the WHO have begun negotiations for a global Pandemic Treaty, on track to be legally binding through adoption at the 77th World Health Assembly in May 2024. At an unprecedented special session in November, 2021, the Assembly voted to create an Intergovernmental Negotiating Body to strengthen the authority of WHO governance of global health responses.

The undersigned citizens of the US strongly oppose any involvement in a treaty, agreement, or other legally binding global document that would hinder US sovereignty in any area, but especially public health. We oppose policies that require US citizens to take actions directed by a global body in the context of health that also impacts the freedom of travel and trade. We also oppose the inevitable sharing of private health data that underlies the functionality of increased global responses.

It’s dangerous to allow a global agreement to rule the American people in a time of crisis. Additionally, it’s imperative that each nation and territory retain their individual sovereignty especially during times of emergency so that the entire global community can be protected.

The undersigned respectfully request the US decline to participate in such an agreement. The US government should demand transparency, including a public discussion period, from the INB in their negotiations for a global health agreement. If such agreement is adopted, the US must immediately opt-out, as is our right under the WHO Constitution.

Please stand with the American people and keep health at home and stop a global WHO power grab for financing, private health data, and authority.

WHO

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Our Stand: The Full Story

Do you want an international board to make health decisions for you and your family?

World Health Organization nations are negotiating an Agreement right now that would legally bind countries to act according to international consensus when a health emergency strikes.

Stand for Health Freedom is opposed to any policies that require US citizens to do something in the context of health simply because a supranational agency claims they must. We have seen the devastation that follows this type of decision-making when federal level policy is forced on states and local communities. The agreement proposed by the WHO would remove local control beyond the federal government and instead to a global level.

Health Freedom Advocates are for cooperation, but not for loss of sovereignty. The WHO is an international agency that should work for us, not the other way around, so we can strengthen our local and federal responses and resiliency in times of health emergencies.

Sovereignty is not only the cornerstone of individual human rights and civil liberties but also international law. Countries “decide which actions or measures take place within their territory—not other nation-states and certainly not third-party organizations such as the WHO.”[1]

One recent BMJ article described the system the WHO is forming as a “new global public health world order.”[2]

We do not yet know exactly what the WHO has in store for this agreement, but we can make educated guesses based on current agreements, policies, and internal analysis.

In short, the agreement will:

  • deeply compromise or otherwise destroy privacy at a global level;
  • funnel US tax dollars to a global agency that will use it to “enhance, update, and strengthen” its own ability to be a global health authority;
  • create an international structure for sharing dangerous pathogens and genetic information;
  • censor (or “cancel”) more and more voices for informed consent through “global coordinated actions to address the misinformation, disinformation, and stigmatization that undermine public health.”[3]

Background

The World Health Organization is an agency of the United Nations and was formed in 1948. The US played a major role in funding and creating of this global health giant.

Once a year, 194 Member States (nations and territories) send delegates to the World Health Assembly, where major decisions that can impact all the world’s citizens are made about the activities and mission of the WHO.

Only one other time in history has the entire organization assembled for a special session. The first was in 2006 to address the death of the WHO Director. The second was November 2021 to consult about global coronavirus response.

At the second special session, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution to create an intergovernmental negotiating body (INB)[4] “to draft and negotiate a WHO convention, agreement, or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.”[5] The agreement is expected to be ready by May 2024 for presentation to the 77th World Health Assembly.

As directed, the INB met February 24, 2022 to elect chairs and agree on methods and timelines to meet the 2024 deadline. The European Council (that directs the policy and politics of the European Union’s 27 Member States) agreed to start negotiations on March 3, 2022.

The Constitution of the WHO gives it authority to adopt regulations that are “designed to prevent the international spread of disease.” These regulations will become enforceable and legally binding against all Member States unless the member state opts out affirmatively within a certain amount of time.

What Will Be in the Agreement?

Another development at the second special session was a report from the Member States Working Group on Strengthening WHO Preparedness and Response to Health Emergencies. The group outlined benefits of creating an international WHO agreement on pandemic preparedness and response.

In summary, WHO wants an international agreement for:

  1. “Equity” in health responses, including vaccines. There is international upset that response to the COVID-19 pandemic was not addressed the same way across the globe. It’s argued that wealthier countries were able to protect themselves better, and first, leaving countries with less wealth without resources.
  2. Expanding the WHO’s “One Health” approach. One Health purports to be a global initiative to achieve good health outcomes for all people, animals, and the environment by addressing food safety, antibiotic resistance, the transmission of diseases from animals to humans, and influenza programs.[6]It involves sharing health data and information across many industries and across the globe.
  3. Money. The agreement will be “[a]n opportunity to enhance, update, and strengthen the leading and coordinating role of WHO and its function to act as the directing and coordinating authority on international health work in light of the 21st century global health landscape.” WHO needs “adequate and sustainable financing so that WHO can play a leading and coordinating role in global health.” It’s notable that the US contribution to the WHO, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars annually,[7]was jeopardized when former president Donald Trump took actions to withdraw the US from the organization.[8] It’s also worth noting that the Gates Foundation was one of the largest funders of the WHO in 2021, contributing about 9% of the overall budget that year.[9]
  4. “Striving to achieve universal health coverage.”
  5. “Compliance and accountability” of Member States with International Health Regulations. The WHO already has an International Health Regulations document from 2005 that guides responses to global health initiatives. However, “There is a general consensus that several key aspects of health emergency preparedness and response may not be addressed solely” by that document.
  6. A “whole-of-government and whole-of-society” approach to prevention, rapid risk assessment, detection, and response. This type of objective can only be met by a massive amount of surveillance and data sharing.
  7. Increased sharing of pathogens, genetic information, biological samples, data, and technology.
  8. “Global coordinated actions to address the misinformation, disinformation, and stigmatization that undermine public health.”

Problems with a Pandemic Treaty

There are a wide range of problems with the Pandemic Treaty. First and foremost is the WHO’s self-assigned role to make decisions for Member Nations that preempt and in some cases override their national sovereignty. Since the WHO is claiming to be the highest health authority on the planet and has within itself the sole sovereign power to declare a global pandemic, any treaty that limits the freedom of movement (travel), right to earn a living (trade), or the privacy of a nation’s citizens should be discussed openly, carefully examined, and should only be ratified if it truly is in the best interest of the world.

The new proposed treaty builds off of and strengthens the already existing International Health Regulations of 2005 that grant authority to the WHO to “independently collect surveillance data on potential PHEICs [potential public health emergencies of international concern] within a country’s borders, report this information to other potentially affected countries, and to issue recommendations, such as trade and travel advisories, to control the spread of these threats.”[10] Will these “recommendations” carry the force of guidelines or mandates in the future? If the period of the declared COVID-19 pandemic is any indication, where CDC recommendations were treated in their de facto implementation as if they carried the weight of law or mandates, we can assume that this is the direction the WHO and many of its members will also be going.

Another anticipated problem is the erosion and/or wholesale violation of data privacy. Health agencies like the CDC used the pandemic as an excuse to recommend contact tracing and the collection and sharing of private medical information using the justification that it was for “the greater good” of public health.

The CDC is now monitoring wastewater. In other words, they’re collecting data from the waste you flush down the toilet. This is the kind of privacy intrusion we are talking about. Can you imagine this on a global scale? The WHO is essentially erecting a global bio-security governance system that will push for the tracking of what was formerly private behavior and data, essentially eliminating health privacy for all people. Moreover, these same systems of surveillance can be leveraged for violating human rights and exerting control and restrictions on populations that have nothing to do with protecting their health.

We may be told that a treaty is necessary to continue international travel safely and protect national borders, but that’s false.

The WHO wants to increase sharing of pathogens, samples, and technology. If it’s true that the #1 health threat we face is pathogen-related in origin, then this focus would leave the world more vulnerable to potential mishandling and mistakes where something like a viral release, or even theft, could occur. Instead of preventing a world catastrophe, a treaty that increases sharing of pathogens around the globe inadvertently increases the risk of a pandemic.

Fearing disease is a human trait. We’re hardwired to fear things we don’t understand and that threaten our safety and survival. But we cannot let our fears steer the ship so that we end up making greater sacrifices of privacy and freedom than we’re receiving in return for the promise of safety.

Take Action

Please act now to take a stand against a WHO global power grab and to stop the obliteration of health privacy. Click the button to sign our petition opposing a Pandemic Treaty. Once we reach 100,000 signatures, the petition will be sent to lawmakers and the President of the United States.

To learn more and access free quick printables summarizing the dangers of increasing the power of the World Health Organization go to SHF’s WHO Resource Page. There you will find links to all SHF articles and analysis, interviews with our Policy Analyst, and current actions you can take.

References

[1] Mack, Eric (2006) “The World Health Organization’s New International Health Regulations: Incursion on State Sovereignty and Ill-Fated Response to Global Health Issues,” Chicago Journal of international Law: Vol.7: No.1, Article 18. Available at: https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/cjil/vol7/iss1/18

[2] https://globalizationandhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12992-020-00600-4

[3] https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHASSA2/SSA2_3-en.pdf

[4] https://apps.who.int/gb/inb/

[5] https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHASSA2/SSA2(5)-en.pdf

[6] https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/one-health

[7] https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/assessed-contributions-overview-for-all-member-states-as-at-31-december-2021

[8] https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/17/us-will-pay-who-more-than-200-million-in-membership-fees-withheld-by-trump.html

[9] https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2020-05-29/gates-foundation-donations-to-who-nearly-match-those-from-us-government#:~:text=The%20Gates%20Foundation%20has%20been%20a%20key%20donor,Trump%20brought%20U.S.%20government%20funding%20to%20a%20halt.

[10] World Health Organization. International Health Regulations (2005) 3rd Edition [Internet]. Geneva, Switzerland; 2016. Available from: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/246107/9789241580496-eng.pdf;jsessionid=571A416D79BA24BE767C1B1A23389728?sequence=1.

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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