Bill > SJM8012

This Joint Memorial is a formal request to the United States Congress to change federal law so that individuals who suffer adverse side effects from vaccines can sue vaccine manufacturers for "design defects." Currently, a federal law passed in 1986, known as the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, and a Supreme Court ruling in 2011, generally prevent such lawsuits, stating that vaccine manufacturers cannot be held liable if injuries result from unavoidable side effects even when the vaccine is properly made and labeled. The memorial argues that individuals' rights should take precedence over pharmaceutical profits and points to the European Union as an example of a system that allows such lawsuits without causing major disruptions. The core request is to repeal a specific part of federal law (42 U.S.C. Sec. 300aa-22(b)(1)) to allow these "design defect" claims, which would essentially mean holding manufacturers responsible if the vaccine itself was designed in a way that made its side effects unreasonably dangerous.