Bernadette Pajer calls herself a ‘mom on a mission.’ Although she didn’t become an activist until later in life, when she got started, boy did she hit the ground running. This fearless and tireless advocate for health freedom moved from Washington state to eastern Tennessee during the pandemic and subsequently helped ignite one of the most potent legislative victories over regulatory capture that we have seen in recent years.
Tennessee is the first state in the country to have a law allowing pharmacists and physicians to enter into private “Collaborative Agreements” to sell ivermectin over the counter after consultation with the pharmacist.
So, what’s the secret to her success? She can’t stress enough the importance of the medical freedom stance of the people who hold office in your state. “There are advocates doing exactly what I did in Tennessee in all 50 states. I was doing the same thing in Washington state, with no success,” she says. “Your number one job is to make sure the people representing you stand for medical freedom.”
If you’re in one of those states where the people in office are not supportive, she says the first thing you need to do is focus on getting supportive people elected.
A recipe for success
Next, she says “go read what passed in New Hampshire. You’ve got model language there – you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.” She advises reaching out to the sponsors of the bills you’d like to emulate or the activists who promoted them because sometimes bills can pass with less-than-ideal language. “Often when you talk to those people, they’ll tell you ‘If I could do it over again, I would change this sentence,’” she says.
Lastly, Bernadette says that being a successful advocate doesn’t require expensive education or specific degrees. “You don’t need letters after your name. If you’re earnest, and you’re honest, and you’re professional, and you’re passionate, and you come armed with the right information, and you’re tenacious, and you get loud, and you get all your momma bears around… we’re a force to be reckoned with.”
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