“My views have changed as things have progressed, and this has gotten to a point where this is literally crimes against humanity right now.”
As elected officials across the nation continue to force citizens to get injected with controversial coronavirus vaccines—and amid the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the issue—Texas Scorecard spoke with nurse and newly spotlighted advocate Jennifer Bridges about her fight for medical rights in Texas and the rest of the U.S.
Jennifer, a registered nurse who was fired from Houston Methodist Hospital last year for declining to take the experimental coronavirus vaccinations, was thrust into the national spotlight and is now leading a nationwide campaign to protect citizens’ bodily autonomy.
The Beginning Incident
“I was with Methodist for about eight years as a registered nurse, spotless record, never been a troublemaker, anything,” Jennifer said. However, in late 2020, Houston Methodist was one of the first hospitals in the country to receive the vaccines; and in early 2021, the administrators started pushing it on the many hesitant employees. Jennifer responded by organizing a makeshift petition among her colleagues, but “someone basically snitched on me to the CEO.”
“They had me come into their big executive conference room, and it was me, Baytown [Hospital] CEO and CNO, the head of HR, and then I brought another nurse as a witness. And it was an hour-and-a-half-long meeting, basically of them bullying me and threatening me to try to get me to stop,” Jennifer said. “They even told me that people were saying that I was bullying them against their will to sign the petition, which was a full-blown lie.”
“There were thousands of [employees] that did not want to take this shot still and were really scared of it, so I told them I’m speaking on behalf of all these people because they’re terrified. Can you just work with us? You know, wear an N95 mask or let us wait till it’s fully FDA approved, just do something. And he said absolutely not, and I quote, he said, ‘100 percent compliance with this vaccine mandate is more important than our individual autonomy.’”
Soon after the meeting, Jennifer said she requested to speak with Houston Methodist CEO Marc Boom, but she never received a response. Boom instead sent out a system-wide email telling employees to get injected with both doses by June 7 or be terminated by the end of that month, prompting Jennifer to then go to the local news, start an online petition, and eventually—along with almost 200 colleagues—file state and federal lawsuits.
Jennifer Bridges speaks at a state Capitol press conference last fall.
The Supreme Court Steps In?
Earlier this month, amid Jennifer’s ongoing lawsuits, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a mixed ruling on the Biden administration’s vaccine mandates—prohibiting the federal government from forcing big businesses to require COVID shots for their employees, but allowing healthcare providers to mandate the injections on their employees.
“I think it’s a horrible decision,” Jennifer said. “We have our rights, our own bodily autonomy, just like everybody else. So, the fact that you’re going to force us to do it, even though we’re the ones that have been taking care of all the COVID patients this whole time without being vaccinated … almost 90 percent of us at least have all caught COVID. We all have natural immunity, which, according to so much medical information, data, and research papers, is way better than any shot.”
“Then what’s really stupid is hospitals are firing the employees who are unvaccinated then forcing all those remaining to get vaxxed, but that decision didn’t do any good because people and colleagues I know still in hospitals all caught COVID regardless of being vaccinated, and their symptoms were still the same,” Jennifer continued. “So, the hospital created a huge nursing shortage, but then all of your vaccinated nurses are home sick anyway, so there’s an even worse shortage. The vaccine didn’t do a damn thing to stop the spread.”
“And then now, since they’re so short-staffed, [Houston Methodist’s] employee policy is if you have COVID and your symptoms aren’t that bad, you can still return to work. So, how dumb is that? You have COVID-positive nurses taking care of patients now, but they won’t let the unvaccinated who are healthy with natural immunity come in and help. It’s so dumb.”
The Ongoing Fight
As Jennifer has spoken out, media outlets have been quick to denounce her and label her many things, including “anti-vax,” but she said that’s completely false and ignoring the real issue.
“This has gotten to a point where this is literally crimes against humanity right now. If you have to bully, force, and coerce people to do something, then it’s probably not good,” Jennifer said, adding she’s witnessed the risks of the new coronavirus vaccinations.
“They’re saying it’s 100 percent safe, but that’s a complete lie. I have personally seen now so many people with just horrible adverse reactions; I’m around them, I help them. These are healthy people that have nothing wrong with them except they took the shot, and within a few days afterward, now they either have blood clots, hemorrhaging, neurological issues, paralysis. Some even died within a couple of days, because all of a sudden it’s inflaming their heart and they’re getting severe enlarged heart or myocarditis,” Jennifer said. “Yet the media isn’t talking about it or reporting it; it doesn’t exist, and they won’t give people proper informed consent in forcing them to take it.”
“Then all the good physicians and nurses who are standing up, saying ‘Look, this is the data. We have the research. This is what we see’ are being silenced,” Jennifer continued. “Usually in science, you’re supposed to question things; you’re supposed to critically think, and things change all the time in science. But now, all of a sudden, that’s not supposed to happen. They just got it right the first time and that’s all there is, so shut up and don’t talk. It makes no sense. It goes against everything that’s ever been in the medical field or science before.”
Jennifer described how in her new role working for nationally known Dr. Mary Bowden and treating new COVID patients with “good early protocols including monoclonal antibodies and ivermectin,” she’s seen thousands recover and “not die nor have to go to the hospital.” Still, Houston Methodist suspended Dr. Bowden’s surgeon privileges because of “misinformation.”
Texas Politicians Continue to Do Nothing
As a growing wave of citizens across the state face either getting jabbed or losing their livelihood, Jennifer said top Republican state officials won’t listen. Indeed, last year, the Republican-controlled state Legislature could have passed a state law to stop the vaccine mandates during their regular spring session or three special summer/fall sessions, but lawmakers declined to act.
Meanwhile, Gov. Greg Abbott, while finally announcing a short-term and questionably effective executive order on the matter in the fall, still refuses public and GOP party outcry to reconvene state lawmakers to deal with the problem.
“Abbott’s got to go. He is against us,” Jennifer said. “He is paid and bought out by big business. I reached out to his office at the beginning of last year, but they wouldn’t help us.”
Jennifer did host a press conference at the state Capitol in October (joined by a group of lawmakers and medical professionals) to implore Abbott to act, but she said citizens can step in the fight too.
“I definitely think people can help by bombarding them with calls and emails—the governor, state representatives, senators, even the Texas attorney general,” she said.
“We have to keep putting pressure on them. That seems to be the only way that’s worked to get Abbott to do anything thus far. He knows his poll numbers are dropping because so many people are not happy with how he’s dealing with this.
“Abbott will talk a big game and make himself sound good, but he doesn’t actually do anything.”
The Road Ahead
In the meantime, Jennifer’s lawsuits against Houston Methodist are still unfolding in state and federal courts, and her group of employees has been trying to fundraise to “fight the billion-dollar beast.” (GoFundMe shut their page down because of “misinformation,” but they’ve set up another successful one, as well as a website to inform and help the public with the vaccine mandate issue.)
“Our lawsuits are the official first mandate cases, so we’re fighting hard, because ours should set the precedent for everybody else in the nation,” Jennifer concluded.
Concerned citizens may contact Gov. Abbott and their other elected officials. If you or someone you know has encountered coronavirus vaccine mandates at work, please contact jacob@texasscorecard.com.
