Tennessee controversy shows how anti-vax beliefs are bursting into GOP's mainstream
CNN
Tennessee Republicans' actions this week to halt efforts to inform teenagers about the coronavirus vaccine have showcased how vaccine distrust and misinformation -- increasingly prevalent in right-wing media set on denying President Joe Biden any political victories -- is bursting into the party's mainstream.
Tennessee's top immunization official, Dr. Michelle Fiscus, said she was fired this week after distributing a memo that said some teenagers could be eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine without their parents' consent. The memo was based on a 37-year-old state Supreme Court ruling known as the "mature minor doctrine," which allows health care providers to treat minors age 14 and above without parental consent if the providers decide those teenagers are mature enough. Following Fiscus' firing, the state's Department of Health went a step further, saying it would halt all advertising about vaccines -- not just for Covid-19 -- that was aimed at adolescents.More Related News