Texas Governor Greg Abbott outlawed vaccine mandates in the second-largest U.S. state, setting the stage for a showdown with the federal government in Washington.
In an executive order signed Monday, the Republican said “no entity in Texas can compel receipt of a Covid-19 vaccination by any individual, including an employee or consumer, who objects to such vaccination for any reason of personal conscience, based on a religious belief, or for medical reasons, including prior recovery from Covid-19,” according to a statement from Abbott’s office.
Greg Abbott
Photographer: Alex Wong/Getty Images
Abbott is pitting himself directly against President Joe Biden, whose own Sept. 9 executive