As Washingtonians, we have a strong tradition of valuing personal medical freedom, and we will continue to protect the existing vaccine exemptions in WA, as we work toward the elimination of all mandates.
— Informed Choice Washington
Our friends at Informed Choice Washington play a very special role within our state: They stand strong on the frontline to defend medical freedom, a crucial issue that FPIW cares about, too. We count it a privilege to honor Informed Choice for their courageous and valiant work to protect the doctor-patient relationship and our basic liberties. As you will see, their specific work against vaccine mandates dovetails three principles: medical freedom, religious liberty, and parental rights. In practical ways, Informed Choice is a living example of the sacred truth: “The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.”
The Mission
Headed by Bob Runnells and Lisa Templeton, they describe themselves this way:
Informed Choice Washington (ICWA) is an organization of parents, families, medical professionals, educators, and Washingtonians from all walks of life, who believe in healthy immunity, personal freedoms and individual choices, including vaccination and health care choices. The right to make those choices without coercion is fundamental to our civil liberties.
Founded in 2015, Informed Choice’s mission upholds both choice and informed education regarding any medical procedure or product that might go into a person’s body.
Our mission is to educate and advocate for medical freedom, informed consent, and scientific integrity in public health policy, and to actively support legislation that furthers this mission.
In short, “No More Mandates – Ever Again.”
Protecting the Doctor-Patient Relationship
Notice how Informed Choice defends parental rights, religious liberty, and medical freedom:
“Parents have a fundamental right and responsibility to protect their children’s health, free from governmental interference, based upon medical necessity, advancements in scientific research, philosophical values, or religious beliefs. As Washingtonians, we have a strong tradition of valuing personal medical freedom, and we will continue to protect the existing vaccine exemptions in WA, as we work toward the elimination of all mandates.”
Such vaccine exemptions need vigilant and perennial protection. Specifically, as one of their key points, they note that vaccines can and have had a serious and life-threatening impact upon people, and especially children. Along with that fact, they point out that trust is the foundation of the doctor-patient relationship:
The doctor-patient relationship is founded on trust that a patient (or a patient’s caregiver) is provided with full information to make an informed decision about any recommended medical procedure. Vaccine mandates compromise informed consent, intrude into medical care, and violate the doctor-patient relationship.
The Lockdown
Remember “The Lockdown”? The wielding of force by Governor Jay Inslee was unprecedented in the history of Washington State, and his mandates harmed thousands upon thousands of individuals, businesses, and even churches. In one famous moment, Inslee issued the “Stay Home” lockdown on March 23, 2020. In a TV address, he was specific:
This order will immediately ban all gatherings of people for social, spiritual, and recreational purposes. This includes everything that affects the old and the young in our state. If you want to have parties on the beach, or play pickup basketball at the park, or have sleepovers, these are no longer allowed for at least a couple of weeks. This applies to some of the most important gatherings in people’s lives, like weddings and funerals.
The lockdown began. We were told it would be short-lived, such as “14 days to flatten the curve” — yet his use of Emergency Powers lasted 975 days, or some two and a half years. Overall, there were:
- Mask mandates
- Vax mandates
- Social distancing mandates
- Proof of vaccination required in order to enter buildings
(Here is a link to a timeline of Covid closures and restrictions.)
As readers will no doubt recall, many thousands of people across Washington were fired or lost their jobs from such unjust vaccine mandates:
Who stood strongly against such mandates? Informed Choice Washington — through rallies, events, lobbying, radio shows, and education. Amidst enormous social pressure rooted in fear and lies, they were one of the few courageous voices in our state still speaking up for medical freedom:
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Standing Strong
Here is a sample of their work throughout the years. In 2019 in Olympia, they stood strong with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (center), the current U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services:
And here they are on the Opening Day of a Legislative Session (2023), which built even more momentum for medical freedom. Today’s WAGOP Chairman Jim Walsh holds up a gift from the Informed Choice bookstore, with Runnells and Templeton on the right:
And here they are on the steps of our Capitol again in 2026:
New Battles
Informed Choice continues to carry “The Torch for Medical Freedom.” New battles call us all to renew our commitment to bodily protection. Nearly everyone knows first-hand or has heard tragic stories about vaccine injuries. It’s truly heartbreaking. Yet some governors and legislators in our state continue to push vaccines. Here’s just one example:
Informed Consent seeks to protect us all from such harm; and for such protection, FPIW is proud to unite and stand with them to defend families and those we love, too. Or as Informed Consent so eloquently puts it:
An engaged and connected community is foundational to freedom. In this age of coercion and censorship, it is more important than ever for individuals to find each other and unite in our efforts to protect our medical freedom.
You can follow them and find more information with the links below:
• Informed Life Radio, Hosted by Lisa Templeton
• Informed Choice’s lobbying efforts on legislation in Olympia