In previous posts we have looked at the top GOP contenders on the science of evolution and the science of climate change. In both cases, the great majority were either outright science denialists or else fearful of openly affirming scientifically established facts. In today’s post, we’ll have a look at the same field of candidates on questions of public policy related to vaccination.
Donald Trump personally exemplifies the worst scientifically illiterate fear-mongering around vaccines.
If I were President I would push for proper vaccinations but would not allow one time massive shots that a small child cannot take – AUTISM.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 27, 2014
Healthy young child goes to doctor, gets pumped with massive shot of many vaccines, doesn't feel good and changes – AUTISM. Many such cases!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2014
I am being proven right about massive vaccinations—the doctors lied. Save our children & their future.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2014
In the words of Emily Willingham, “If he were successful in his presidential bid and urged that vaccine policy, the result would be increased risk for children who go unvaccinated during their period of greatest risk from vaccine-preventable disease.”
Jeb Bush: “Parents ought to make sure their children are vaccinated.”
Scott Walker encourages parents to vaccinate, saying “My wife and I send out a card to all newborns, in conjunction with Hallmark, to encourage people to get vaccinated.” He stops short of saying which state sanctions or services should depend upon vaccination status, of course.
Ben Carson: “Certain communicable diseases have been largely eradicated by immunization policies in this country and we should not allow those diseases to return by foregoing safe immunization programs, for philosophical, religious or other reasons when we have the means to eradicate them.”
Mike Huckabee takes a surprisingly pro-science stand, “Public health policy of the state should be based on the overwhelming reality that immunizations protect children from things we thought we had eradicated, like measles and whooping cough.”
Ted Cruz: “Most states include an exception clause for good faith religious convictions, and that’s an appropriate judgment for the states to make. But on the question of whether kids should be vaccinated, the answer is obvious and there’s widespread agreement: Of course they should.”
Marco Rubio: “Absolutely, all children in America should be vaccinated. There is absolutely no medical science or data whatsoever that links those vaccinations to onset of autism or anything of that nature.”
Best answer of the lot, in my view. One might hope that Rubio gets the opportunity to explain this to Trump at one of the upcoming GOP debates.
Rand Paul claims to have “heard of many tragic cases of walking, talking, normal children who wound up with profound mental disorders after vaccines.” He later walked these comments back somewhat when asked to provide evidence for his alarmist and baseless claims.
John Kasich: “You have to get vaccinations. This is not a choice…. Kids are going to go to school. I want to make sure that they get vaccinated for those basic things that protect all of us.”
Chris Christie took a bold stand in 2009 in favor of the pseudo-scientific connection between vaccines and autism:
“I have met with families affected by autism from across the state and have been struck by their incredible grace and courage. Many of these families have expressed their concern over New Jersey’s highest-in-the-nation vaccine mandates. I stand with them now, and will stand with them as their governor in their fight for greater parental involvement in vaccination decisions that affect their children.”
In more recent times, Christie has apparently flipped on this issue, saying “I would err on the side of protecting public health through vaccine unless that vaccine has proven to be harmful to the public.”
Carly Fiorina seems to have split the baby in the vaccine debate, saying that some vaccines should be compulsory and others should not be.
“When you have highly communicable diseases where we have a vaccine that’s proven, like measles or mumps, then I think a parent can make that choice, but then I think the school district is well within their rights to say your child then cannot attend public school. So a parent has to make that trade-off. I think when we’re talking about some of these more esoteric immunizations, then I think absolutely a parent should have a choice and a school district shouldn’t be able to say, ‘Sorry, your kid can’t come to school for a disease that’s not communicable, not contagious, and where there really isn’t any proof that (vaccinations) are necessary at this point.'”
Fiorina did not specify which particular immunizations are being used against non-communicable diseases.
After reviewing the GOP field on three distinct and unrelated scientific questions, I found it puzzling that most candidates seem to have no problem affirming the science behind vaccinations, given all the nonsense and waffling we get when asking them about evolution or climate change. What makes vaccines different, other than the fact that there are well-monied corporate interests involved?
Oh, wait.
Maybe that’s really the answer: More lobbyists. Now we just need to find some way to commoditize and mass-produce global cooling. What could possibly go wrong?
