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  • 2016-07-28 (xsd:date)
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  • Is Green Party Candidate Jill Stein 'Anti-Vaccine'? (en)
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  • Scenes of dissent and disunity at the July 2016 Democratic National Convention raised the profile of Green Party candidate Dr. Jill Stein, considered a secondary choice by some supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders. While Stein's campaign made inroads with disgruntled progressives, a counterpoint repeatedly emerged: According to some opinion pieces and rumors, Dr. Stein (an internist with 17 years of field experience) opposes the use of vaccines. The rumor stemmed from an 11 May 2016 Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) hosted by Stein, in which she fielded questions from site users, during which she was asked What is your campaign's official stance on vaccines and homeopathic medicine? Stein responded at length, but she mostly offered her views on the medical-industrial complex rather than addressing the subject of vaccinations and homeopathic medicine. She praised vaccines' huge contribution to public health while tacitly criticizing mandatory vaccination policies and U.S. regulatory agencies: (It is true that the Green Party [not Dr. Stein herself] once included homeopathic and alternative medicine prominently in their platform, but that stance was officially dialed back in April 2016.) We contacted Dr. Jill Stein's campaign for clarification on her position regarding vaccinations, and while we did not receive an immediate response, Stein shared our article and tweeted to proclaim that of course I support vaccinations: On 30 July 2016, we received a response to our query from Press Director Meleiza Figueroa, who provided a statement from Dr. Stein to clarify her stance on vaccines: Nonetheless, David Weigel noted in the Washington Post that Dr. Stein's statements echo language used by vaccination opponents, and that her call for vaccines to be tested and regulated by parties that do not have a financial interest in them may be misplaced: Dr. Stein's stated position is that she supports vaccinations and acknowledges that we have a real compelling need for vaccinations, so it's not true to say that she is on record as holding an anti-vaccination political position. However, her somewhat equivocal statements surrounding that issue allow for a fair bit of leeway and interpretation — many others who proclaim to support vaccinations in concept effectively undercut their positions by raising objections to the vaccination process or the vaccination industry. (en)
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