Texas Republican Says Vaccines Are 'Sorcery,' Claims 'Parental Rights' Are More Important Than Scien

[Eugene]

Source: Newsweek

TEXAS REPUBLICAN SAYS VACCINES ARE ‘SORCERY,’ CLAIMS ‘PARENTAL RIGHTS’ ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN SCIENCE

BY DAVID BRENNAN ON 5/8/19 AT 8:07 AM EDT

An anti-vaxxer Texas lawmaker is facing criticism for attacking a prominent vaccinologist and branding inoculations “sorcery.”

Republican Rep. Jonathan Stickland—who left the hardline conservative Freedom Caucus last week—began a Twitter spat with Peter Hotez, a professor at the Baylor College of Medicine, on Tuesday, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Hotez had been lamenting an increase in vaccine exemptions, which he said put children “in harm's way for the financial gain of special and outside interest groups.” But Stickland accused Hotez of hypocrisy and suggested that parental rights to reject vaccinations were paramount.

“You are bought and paid for by the biggest special interest in politics,” Stickland wrote to Hotez. “Do our state a favor and mind your own business. Parental rights mean more to us than your self enriching ‘science.’”

Hotez rejected the assertion. “I don't take a dime from the vaccine industry,” he wrote. “I develop neglected disease vaccines for the world's poorest people. And as a Texas pediatrician-scientist it is most certainly my business.” Hotez also said that such an outlandish accusation was “impressive, from a member of the Texas House of Representatives.”

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Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/anti-vaxx-texas-republicans-sorcery-jonathan-stickland-parental-rights-1418960

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Related: Texas lawmaker calls vaccines 'sorcery,' verbally attacks prominent advocate (Houston Chronicle)

[irisblue]

1. "Some peopke say Jonathan Strickland was dropped on his head...."

Anti Vaxxers suck

[unblock]

2. frustrating coverage. it gives nothing to convince anyone who isn't already convinced.

most of us who are sane look at this story and go, wow, another cookoo nutcase.

but they're giving voice to their objections to vaccines and not really hammering it home as to how messed up the objections are.

you have to read to the bottom to find the epidemiological effects, and most of it is "he said/he said" equal time crap.

such stories really need to prominently say, early on, that anti-vax crap is "widely discredited" or a "fringe theory" or "refusing to vaccinate your kid exposes even vaccinated children to possibly fatal risks".

[Vinca]

3. Someone needs to contract the measles.

[tanyev]

4. And don't get him started on that crazy round earth theory!

[SWBTATTReg]

5. What is this? Is there an initiation process whereas those who are joining the republican...

party contend with each other on how dumb they are, compared to other people joining too. Those declared to be the dumbest gets to run for office!

It's funny, rep. Stickland should be asked about vaccines for a primary TX export, cattle. Let's see his answer then on the importance of vaccines in impacting TX ranchers and their herds.

There should really be a litmus test on whether one should be allowed to run for office or not. There is a reasonable expectation of some intelligence in an office as well as having competence in running such an office.

[kysrsoze]

6. Great. Then they can exercise their right to home-school.

Fuck them.

[Initech]

7. I'm now convinced these morons won't be satisfied until they've successfully brought back the plague

[demmiblue]

8. Oy!