My doctor has never mandated I do anything, ever. It’s one of the reasons I trust him so much.

The relationships we have with our doctors are often the most trusted relationships of our lives. Our doctors tell us hard truths that others will not. We often tell our doctors what we will not tell others. We trust our doctors to give us the good, the bad and the ugly about our health so that each of us can make an informed decision.

Yet, we don’t always take our doctor’s advice.

We know excessive drinking or eating or a lack of exercise can all cause us harm. Heck, watch the advertisement for any drug your doctor has prescribed and you know that even your doctor’s best advice can come with substantial risk.

Ultimately these decisions rest with us as individuals, not our doctors, and certainly not the government.

Enter COVID-19, an economic shutdown, government mask mandates and now private business mandates that threaten people’s livelihoods.

As a congresswoman, I have never publicly advocated for or against taking the vaccine. I’ve never revealed my private health information, although I’ve made it clear that in the past my husband and I have made the choice to be vaccinated and to vaccinate our children. Why take that public position?

Read Lauren’s full op-ed at FoxNews.com