To: Sen. Rand Paul (KY-2)
Senator Rand Paul, MD: As a doctor, you need to stop putting politics above sound medical practic...
As a doctor, your first duty is to do no harm. Your double talk about measles vaccinations (designed to appeal to the Koch brothers and other right-wing fringe supporters) is resulting in American children unnecessarily being infected with measles.
Science and responsible doctors say that vaccination is necessary to stop the spread of measles. You said that “vaccinations should be optional.” You need to retract that statement.
Your linking vaccines with autism and other mental disorders is based on a research paper published in 1998 which was later proven to be totally fraudulent, and retracted. As a doctor, you know the facts, yet you have chosen to ignore the science in pandering to the right-wing fringe. You need to retract your statement linking vaccination with autism and other mental disorders.
Your statement that “Parents own the children” says that children are their parents' property and encourages parents to resist vaccination. Children are not property; they are separate human beings, and the need for education and vaccinations have taken precedence over parental discretion for over one hundred fifty years in America. You need to retract the statement that “Parents own the children.”
Stop speaking out of both sides of your mouth and taking contradictory actions. Your recent fanfare about getting a booster shot yourself does not take away the harm from your earlier, politicized statements. The only way to counteract your irresponsible statements is for you to retract them.
We demand that you act like a responsible doctor and retract your incorrect, unscientific statements that are resulting in American children unnecessarily getting infected with measles.
Science and responsible doctors say that vaccination is necessary to stop the spread of measles. You said that “vaccinations should be optional.” You need to retract that statement.
Your linking vaccines with autism and other mental disorders is based on a research paper published in 1998 which was later proven to be totally fraudulent, and retracted. As a doctor, you know the facts, yet you have chosen to ignore the science in pandering to the right-wing fringe. You need to retract your statement linking vaccination with autism and other mental disorders.
Your statement that “Parents own the children” says that children are their parents' property and encourages parents to resist vaccination. Children are not property; they are separate human beings, and the need for education and vaccinations have taken precedence over parental discretion for over one hundred fifty years in America. You need to retract the statement that “Parents own the children.”
Stop speaking out of both sides of your mouth and taking contradictory actions. Your recent fanfare about getting a booster shot yourself does not take away the harm from your earlier, politicized statements. The only way to counteract your irresponsible statements is for you to retract them.
We demand that you act like a responsible doctor and retract your incorrect, unscientific statements that are resulting in American children unnecessarily getting infected with measles.
Why is this important?
Since Senator Rand Paul is also a doctor, he has a duty to be extra careful in his statements about medical matters such as vaccination against measles.
He has been irresponsible in putting politics above sound medical practice, and talked out of both sides of his mouth about vaccination against measles, trying to appear to say the right thing, while at the same time making unscientific statements designed to appeal to his right-wing fringe supporters.
While all of the harm his statements have done cannot be reversed, the damage can be reduced by his retracting his incorrect, unscientific statements.
He has been irresponsible in putting politics above sound medical practice, and talked out of both sides of his mouth about vaccination against measles, trying to appear to say the right thing, while at the same time making unscientific statements designed to appeal to his right-wing fringe supporters.
While all of the harm his statements have done cannot be reversed, the damage can be reduced by his retracting his incorrect, unscientific statements.