A Green Party candidate receiving widespread media attention is a new concept and takes some getting used to. With all of the attention also comes the rhetoric that attempts to twist statements made by the candidate into something false. This past week, there have been many articles that have across asserted that Jill Stein is opposed to vaccinations. When asked about her stance, Jill Stein has always clearly said that she supports vaccines. She stated in an interview with the Washington Post “I think there’s no question that vaccines have been absolutely critical in ridding us of the scourge of many diseases — smallpox, polio, etc. So vaccines are an invaluable medication.”
However, some have taken Stein’s concerns about corporate influence within the FDA and CDC as pandering to the anti-vaccine crowd. Stein’s views about corporate influence in government are consistent with her positions, and this is no exception. When she answers questions about vaccinations, her stance that vaccines are essential to healthcare is so clear that it is strange that some would interpret her concerns about the industry’s influence in politics as anti-vaccine. This however, has been the case. One example is a Slate article that said Stein “watered down” her statement because she made a minor change in the wording of a tweet five minutes after it was posted.
On the other hand, the rumor debunking website Snopes calls claims that Stein is against vaccination are false. Stein has taken to Twitter over the past four days to set the record straight. Here are her tweets on the subject:
By R. Jones