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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State Rep.
Babette Josephs |
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Committee approves Josephs bill to ban human ID implantations
HARRISBURG, June 16 – The House State Government Committee has approved a bill introduced by state Rep. Babette Josephs that would prohibit a person from requiring, coercing or compelling another person to be surgically tagged with an identification device.
Josephs, chairwoman of the committee, cited the need to take pre-emptive action on the issue to protect the health, privacy and civil liberty of Pennsylvania residents.
"As more and more advanced technology becomes available, it carries with it an equally detrimental set of risks," Josephs said. "We need to safeguard against all possible abuses of the use of ID devices, as they pose significant ramifications which might compromise the information security of countless individuals using the device."
Identification devices are defined in the bill as any item, application, or product that is passively or actively capable of transmitting personal information. This personal information could include anything from a person’s first and last name to even a Social Security number.
Currently, Pennsylvania has no law prohibiting the forced implantation of identification devices, though Josephs said that numerous threats to personal health, privacy and civil liberty had been brought to the nation’s attention by other states. California, North Dakota and Wisconsin have already passed legislation to create civil penalties and cause for action for damages resulting from such coerced procedures.
One such example of potential hazards posed by this device has been observed in Florida, where a corporation has already put into place a two-year program to test its microchip in 200 Alzheimer’s patients. FDA research has revealed serious potential ramifications of the program, including adverse tissue reaction, compromised information security, electrical hazards and the increased risk of cancer development.
Violation of this bill would carry a civil penalty of up to $10,000. In addition, anyone who wishes to take action against their aggressors would have to do so within three years of implantation, with allowances made for those who were a minor or dependent adult at the time of implantation.
The bill now goes to the full House for consideration.
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