anti-vax
Activists want anti-vaccine amendment in Ohio Constitution
State politicians advanced an effort Tuesday to place anti-vaccination language onto a general election ballot, which would leave the fate of vaccine mandates in Ohio in voters’ hands. If passed, Ohio would become the only state in the nation with an explicit ban of vaccine mandates in its constitution. It would mark a major step […]
Report calls on medical boards to go after COVID “disinformation doctors;” Ohio’s has not
In June, Sherri Tenpenny, a state-licensed doctor of osteopathic medicine and notorious COVID-19 disinformer, baselessly claimed in a televised, government meeting that COVID-19 vaccines “magnetize” recipients and “interface” with cell towers. The comment wasn’t an aberration from Tenpenny, who has in the past described vaccines as a tool of “depopulation.” The Ohio State Medical Board, […]
Ohio House restarts efforts to ban vaccine mandates; Dem calls it ‘pandering’
It’s déjà vu all over again, but with longer hearings this time. An Ohio House committee is meeting twice this week to take a scheduled 14 hours of testimony on legislation to ban vaccine mandates — the eighth and ninth such legislative hearings, now occurring under a second House committee. An initial, expansive version of […]
Analysis: Collision looms in Ohio’s vaccination debate as more mandates stack up
In a sudden and unmistakable shift, Ohio’s vaccine debate transcended from the abstract to concrete. An inevitable collision looms. Even before the pandemic, some Ohio Republican lawmakers have sought to limit the ability of businesses — especially hospitals — to require vaccination from employees. This year, lawmakers have held repeated hearings on legislation to ban […]
Misinfo thrives at Spanish-speaking vaccination site; health workers are fighting back
LORAIN — Wanda knows she’s lucky to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Her three adult-aged children in the Dominican Republic haven’t yet had the chance — there are too few doses for too many people to go around. In the United States and Ohio in particular, the inverse is true: There’s an abundance of vaccines and […]
Ohio House hurriedly passes anti-vaccination amendment into spending bill
In a move that caught even supportive lawmakers by surprise, the Ohio House on Thursday quickly amended a sweeping, anti-vaccination provision into an unrelated piece of legislation and passed it. The legislation prohibits a public or private entity from: The House passed the legislation after more than 600,000 Americans — including more than 20,000 Ohioans […]
GOP governor and lawmakers clash over vaccine policy
Through PSAs, press appearances with doctors, and even launching an unheard of $1 million lottery for immunized residents, GOP Gov. Mike DeWine wants to persuade Ohioans to choose to get vaccinated against COVID-19. He said the facts on vaccines, which are credited with saving millions of lives and eradicating smallpox from the face of the […]
House GOP takes aim at vaccine mandates from schools, employers, hospitals
Sponsor compares requesting proof of vaccination to Holocaust With demand for the COVID-19 vaccine in a recent slump, Ohio Republicans launched a pre-emptive strike Tuesday that would preclude a wide range of schools, businesses, and employers from mandating vaccinations. Rep. Jennifer Gross, R-West Chester, presented House Bill 248, the “Enact Vaccine Choice and Anti-Discrimination Act” […]
Among Ohio lawmakers, anti-vaccine views run deep
During an April video conference of one of Ohio’s prominent anti-vaccine political groups, members expressed their worries about what the legislative response to a looming COVID-19 vaccine might look like. However, they took solace in a powerful ally. The chairman of the Ohio House Health committee, Rep. Scott Lipps, R-Franklin, told members he would be […]