Article written by Christy Heitger-Ewing
Originally Published in the Holistic Living Magazine
Leah Wilson’s family was preparing to welcome their next foster child into their home in 2018 when they learned they were ineligible to do so, due to the vaccine status of her biological children. She and her husband were confused because they’d had foster kids before in their home, and their unvaccinated kids weren’t deemed as a threat to the welfare of the foster kids then.
“It became clear that the most vulnerable kids in our state were being used as pawns for an agenda of vaccine compliance, because there was nothing to show that my kids were a threat scientifically or legally,” says Wilson. “We have foster kids in this state who are sleeping on the floor of the Department of Child Services because there aren’t enough safe and loving homes.” Wilson had originally gone to law school because she wanted to fight for child welfare and advocacy issues. Knowing that every political grassroots issue could collectively influence policy, Wilson dove back into advocacy full time, focusing on commonsense public health policies. She is now co-founder and executive director of Stand for Health Freedom, a trusted resource for information on safeguarding basic human rights, constitutional rights and parental rights.
According to Wilson, in 1986, children were getting 23 vaccinations between birth and 18. Then, under the Reagan administration, the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act was passed, which acknowledges that vaccines will be harmful to some, but are still necessary. The U.S. government insulated the industry from any liability for harm or death. Following the passage of this act, vaccines surged to 68 doses between
birth to 18, 36 of which are given by a child’s first birthday.
“We saw the vaccine program balloon when liability was removed by doctors and manufacturers,” says Wilson, who notes that there was another shift when a law passed stating that the pharmaceutical industry could advertise directly to consumers, thereby influencing the messages people hear on mainstream television.
“Those things have dramatically affected free speech, access to information, and the unequal control of what it looks like to exercise any option outside of the one pill/one ill model,” Wilson says. “And where has that gotten us? If you look at the health statistics in the U.S., we are the most vaccinated population and yet one of the unhealthiest.”
As people have become more intentional about what goes into their bodies, they have gravitated towards the health freedom movement, which is a libertarian coalition that advocates for increased access to nontraditional health care and opposes regulation of health practices.
Julie Kline, CEO of Trinity School of Natural Health, maintains that public awareness regarding health freedom has grown steadily through the years, and ramped up following the COVID pandemic. As people become more disenchanted with the pharmaceutical medical model of health care, they are actively pursuing natural health support.
“When transitioning from mainstream thinking, people don’t often seek natural health support for alternatives,” Kline says. “They’re typically looking for integrative care, so we bridge the gap with what we offer at Trinity School of Natural Health and the Health Freedom Expo.”
Trinity School of Natural Health, launched in 1991 by Kline’s father, Dr. Wendell Whitman, started as a correspondence school where students could complete their program independently or attend optional in-person seminars. It evolved over time, however, and is now an interactive school with flexible online programs that enable students to enroll while simultaneously holding down a full-time job and/or raising a family. Trinity has graduates from all 50 states and over 40 countries, offers 19 programs (two of which are also in Spanish), and boasts more than 30,000 graduates.
Programs range from eight to 40 weeks. The most popular programs at the school are Certified Health Coach and Certified Natural Health Professional. According to Kline, upwards of 30% of their students are repeat enrollments who complete one program and then start another. Herbology and nutrition, for instance, are both very popular specialized programs.
Since its beginning in 2005, Trinity School of Natural Health has hosted an annual Health Freedom Expo. The event has been held at various locations including California, Texas, Virginia and Illinois. This year it’s coming to Plainfield on September 28 and 29 at the Embassy Suites Hotel
& Conference Center. The exhibit hall is free for attendees, but preregistration is encouraged to expedite check-in at the event. Optional add-ons include speakerroom access and a private symposium with dinner and a keynote speaker.
“We’ve always made it affordable for attendees and exhibitors,” Kline says. “I don’t want financial reasons to limit why someone can’t come.”
The expo, whose tagline is “defending your right to know and the freedom to choose,” provides the public with information to empower them to make informed decisions regarding their health. The exhibit hall invites attendees to taste, touch and sample products and services. In addition, speakers talk about a variety of health and wellness topics. Plus, there are two interactive discussions, including the annual Health Freedom panel and a new topic titled “America’s Broken Food Industry.”
“In recent years, with lab-grown meat and supply-chain issues, we’ve had such a turn towards homesteading and victory gardening,” Kline says. “We want attendees to be able to ask questions about why the industry has changed and what we can do to fix it in order to take better care of ourselves.”
In addition to the in-person expo in September, there will be a virtual expo on January 25 and 26, 2025. “We will record all the lectures so those who can’t make the in-person, or even if you were there but perhaps at a different speaking room, have the opportunity to watch or replay the speakers,” Kline says. Over time, gains have been made in health freedom where legislation is concerned.
“We used to spend all our time fighting bad bills that sought to remove religious exemptions or parental rights, or lower the age of consent,” Wilson says. “This year we saw more good bills and more lawmakers opening their doors to us, as they see these issues as ballot-box issues.”
In 2023, a bill was passed stating that foster care cannot be denied based solely on vaccine status, unless the foster child is younger than six months or is deemed medically fragile. “There’s been a lot of headway made that will allow more foster-care children to have safe and loving homes in the state of Indiana,” says Wilson.
As the public continues to embrace treating the whole person – body, mind and spirit – natural health and health freedom can flourish. “People are eager to take charge of their health and make sure resources are available for them,” Kline says.
For more information about Stand for Health Freedom visit standforhealthfreedom.com or in.gov/healthfirstindiana.
Trinity School of Natural Health is located at 220 Parker Street in Warsaw. For more information, visit trinityschool.org and trinityhealthfreedomexpo.com.
