Opposition is building to a proposed World Health Organization (WHO) pandemic treaty. JDFI has been sounding the alarm for months, but the Biden administration has continued its negotiations with WHO. Under the proposed changes, WHO, a United Nations entity, would have sweeping new powers over public health authorities and elected officials in the U.S. and around the world. In addition, all signs point to the treaty not being sent to the Senate for ratification, but being agreed to, unilaterally, by the White House.
We all remember how quickly even some of our own elected officials and public health authorities restricted our constitutional freedoms during the COVID pandemic. But because we are a Constitutional Republic, we had the ability to defend our rights and vote out of office those who abused their authority. The proposed WHO treaty would transfer significant power to unelected WHO bureaucrats, including the power to unilaterally declare worldwide public health emergencies.
Even under the best of circumstances, it would be unwise to put our liberties in the hands of an international entity not restrained by our Constitution. In this case, it's reckless, given WHO's history. During COVID, they were regularly wrong in their health recommendations. In addition, communist China has undue influence over WHO, leading the organization to "cover" for that nation's role in causing the pandemic.
Twenty-two state attorneys general agree with our concern: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia. They have signed a scathing letter to President Biden, warning of the dangers inherent in giving WHO sweeping new powers. One worrisome possibility is that WHO will set up a global "digital health passport" that prohibits travel unless the individual has agreed to particular health treatments and experimental vaccines.
The letter reminds President Biden that "…the federal government cannot delegate public health decisions to an international body. The U.S. Constitution doesn't vest responsibility for public health policy with the federal government. It reserves those powers for the States. Even if the federal government had such power, Article II, Section 2 requires approval by the United States Senate."
We applaud the state attorneys general but we are skeptical that Biden will be restrained by their warnings. For example, the Biden administration has openly boasted that they will defy Supreme Court rulings, and they have repeatedly taken executive actions that some constitutional scholars say far exceeds their power.