Austrian parliament votes to impose mandatory vaccines on all adults

[Stone]

BREAKING: Austrian parliament votes to impose mandatory vaccines on all adults
In what was essentially a procedural vote, 137 Austrian MPs voted in favor of the mandate, while 33 voted against it.

Thu Jan 20, 2022 - 1:36 pm EST
VIENNA (LifeSiteNews) — The Austrian parliament has passed the highly controversial universal vaccine mandate for all adults which was first announced in November 2021.

In what was essentially a procedural vote, 137 Austrian MPs voted in favor of the mandate, while 33 voted against it.

About a dozen MPs said they were sick and unable to be in parliament for the vote. At least some of them likely were afraid to cast a no vote in opposition to the party line.

The result is far from unexpected as the mandate was practically assured of approval to begin with. Four out of the five main Austrian parties had worked with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer on the plans, including his own conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) and the Greens.

Only Austria’s right-wing populist Freedom Party (FPÖ) voted against the mandate.

The new law will now enter into effect in February. When it does, all adults over 18 will be legally obliged to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or take steps to get vaccinated under penalty of heavy fines and even jail sentences. Enforcement of the law, however, will only begin in mid-March.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.