This post is adpated from an X (formerly Twitter) thread I wrote here:
I said as much here earlier this year...
Idaho absolutely should not be giving Big Pharma, like Bayer, a free pass from lawsuits.
Let's talk about antibiotics...
Sure, they kill harmful bacteria, but they also take down the good stuff in our gut. That might not sound like a big deal, but it can throw our whole system out of whack. So, why should Bayer get a free pass when their products could potentially/allegedly mess up our health like that?
Then there's glyphosate...
It's a "chelating agent"—meaning it grabs onto essential minerals in our bodies and doesn’t let go.
Think about it: that’s great for killing weeds, but for us? It’s like having a thief in the body that leeches minerals from the body FOREVER (it's actually called a "forever chemical"). Soooo.... Glyphosate isn’t just "passing through," it sticks around, wrecking everything from our cells to our DNA until we die.
This stuff is a cancer risk waiting to happen, and we’re supposed to sit back and let Bayer off the hook?
"TRUST THE SCIENCE"
During the COVID crisis we were told to “trust the science” and believe everything was “safe & effective.”
These phrases got thrown around to justify anything and everything the government wanted. Now, they want to give Bayer the same kind of legal shield vaccines got in 1988?!
Is THAT what Idahoans want their legislature to do?
To shield and protect Big Pharma?
And who’s science are we trusting anyway?
The EPA says1 glyphosate is "unlikely to be a human carcinogen," (note the hedging) but the University of Washington found2 a 41% increased risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer called it "probably carcinogenic."3
With "science" all over the place, how can we just hand Bayer a get-out-of-jail-free card?
No Quarter
Bottom line: real people in Idaho are allegedly suffering because of these products.
Ag workers, farmers—they’re on the front lines, and they’re potentially paying the price with their health. Are we seriously going to say that it’s okay to trade crops for cancer?
To sacrifice the future just to pad Bayer's pockets right now? When Idahoans voted us in, I bet they didn’t have “give lifetime immunity to Big Pharma” on their bingo cards. It’s crucial to keep these corporations accountable.
Bayer doesn’t need another hall pass.
They need to be held responsible for what their products allegedly do to people. Idaho should focus on decisions that protect its citizens, not let Big Pharma off the hook. It’s time to stop bending over backward for corporations and start looking out for the real people who live here.
Cheers,
Brian
P.S. Watch Democrat Senator James Ruchti’s powerful debate on this same bill:
https://www.epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/glyphosate
https://www.washington.edu/news/2019/02/13/exposure-to-chemical-in-roundup-increases-risk-for-cancer/
https://www.iarc.who.int/news-events/glyphosate-monograph-now-available/
Well said, Senator Lenney! Agree 100000%. Thank you for addressing this topic so clearly.
Coincidentally, Bryan Smith wrote a related op-ed titled "Be Smart, Say “No” to Corporate Immunity" (https://idahodispatch.com/op-ed-be-smart-say-no-to-corporate-immunity/). Smith's op-ed discussed Sen. Mark Harris' support of immunity for harms caused by Bayer's (completely "safe and effective") pesticides including Roundup.
BOTTOM LINE: Why must we continue fighting companies that want immunity from the harms their products may cause — including pesticides, drugs, "vaccines," cloud seeding, and more? Where there is risk — and there IS risk — there must be liability.
Last year, we strongly opposed H653, a resubmission of failed Senate S1245. This murkily written bill would have exempted pesticide producers from liability under any "provision or doctrine of state law, including without limitation state tort law or relevant common law" as long as they were in compliance with federal EPA regulations. Fortunately, with your help, that egregious bill was withdrawn, but it seems likely to rear its ugly head once more.
Some references for the curious:
* Substack Note: "No corporate immunity": https://substack.com/@bige47/note/c-65105934
* 2024 Legislature Action Item "No immunity for pesticides" (archive): https://eolson47.substack.com/i/144919695/oppose-idaho-h-pesticides-warning-labels
* "Informed Consent and Human Health": https://eolson47.substack.com/p/informed-consent-and-human-health?r=14nzxn