574: Standing For Medical Freedom — One State At A Time With Leslie Manookian
Wise Traditions
Weston A. Price Foundation
4.7 • 2.4K Ratings
🗓️ 13 April 2026
⏱️ 45 minutes
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Summary
What happens when one state passes a law that challenges the status quo around medical choice? Could it spark a movement across the country? And how are Americans really thinking about medical freedom today?
Leslie Manookian, President and Founder of the Health Freedom Defense Fund, joins us to discuss what has unfolded since the passage of the Idaho Medical Freedom Act—and why it may be just the beginning. Leslie shares how this legislation has inspired a growing coalition of organizations working together to advance similar protections in states nationwide.
She also reveals the results of a new national poll conducted in partnership with the Brownstone Institute, offering surprising insight into how Americans view informed consent, personal autonomy, and the role of government in healthcare.
In this conversation, Leslie explains how the Idaho law is being strengthened, what's happening in other states, and how individuals can get involved in shaping the future of health freedom in their own communities.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | So what we did was we took the Idaho bill and we kind of made it more neutral so it could apply to any state. |
| 0:05.8 | We created a model bill out of it and we perfected it so that any state could take it. |
| 0:11.5 | And then as I met all these different people in the, especially in August, September, October, November, everywhere I went, people were just like, we want to work with you. |
| 0:19.4 | I thought, you know what? Maybe we should |
| 0:21.8 | start a coalition. And so in the early part of this year, Health Freedom Defense Fund, my group, |
| 0:28.2 | together with Stand for Health Freedom, Leah and Jill, we started the Medical Freedom Act |
| 0:33.9 | Coalition. And we have, including Stanford Health Freedom and Health Freedom |
| 0:37.9 | Defense Fund, there are 15 organizations who have agreed to do this and signed on. And this is huge |
| 0:43.2 | because I've never seen this kind of collaboration or coordination in the health freedom |
| 0:47.3 | movement before. So it's really exciting. We are singularly focused on getting medical |
| 0:53.8 | freedom acts passed in as many states as possible. |
| 0:56.9 | And so far, legislation that's either modeled after the Idaho bill or our new model bill or removing vaccine mandates have been introduced in 13 states. |
| 1:15.1 | Okay. been introduced in 13 states. From the Weston A. Price Foundation, welcome to the Wise Traditions podcast for Wise Traditions |
| 1:20.8 | in Food, Farming, and the Healing Arts. |
| 1:23.1 | We are your source for scientific knowledge and traditional wisdom to help you achieve optimal health. |
| 1:33.1 | And now here is our host and producer, Kendall Nelson. |
| 1:39.4 | Welcome to the Wise Traditions podcast. |
| 1:42.4 | Sometimes a single piece of legislation becomes more than a local victory. |
| 1:46.9 | It becomes a catalyst, sparking new conversations, new alliances, and a deeper examination of the rights and responsibilities we hold when it comes to our health. |
| 1:57.3 | This is episode 574, and our guest today is Leslie Manukian. |
| 2:01.6 | Leslie is president and founder of the Health Freedom Defense Fund. |
| 2:05.6 | She joins us for part one of a special two-part series to discuss what has happened since the passage of the Idaho Medical Freedom Act, |
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