Tennessee Republicans' war against childhood vaccinations reached a new level on Tuesday after The Tennessean reported that the state's health department "will halt all adolescent vaccine outreach – not just for coronavirus, but all diseases – amid pressure from Republican state lawmakers."
The halt to child vaccine programs comes just one day after Tennessee's top vaccine official was fired for what she claimed were her efforts to promote COVID-19 vaccinations for teenagers.
That firing came weeks after Republican Tennessee State Rep. Scott Cepicky held a public hearing in which he attacked the department for making fliers encouraging "impressionable" teens to get vaccinated.
The latest move, as reported by Tennessean, will shut down all vaccination drives in public schools and will stop sending "postcards or other notices reminding teenagers to get their second dose of the coronavirus vaccines."
The revelations about Tennessee going full anti-vax drew horrified reactions -- check some out below.
Utter insanity. For perspective: This story breaks on Nathan Bedford Forrest day, which our GOP legislature refuses… https://t.co/cTHzwBfwE9— Radley Balko (@Radley Balko) 1626204976.0
This is an act of evil. https://t.co/3VonyfezVj— Gabriel Malor (@Gabriel Malor) 1626204887.0
Enjoy diphtheria, morons! https://t.co/m3OTR1fAaw— Roy Edroso (@Roy Edroso) 1626205315.0
An entire party has become anti-science now. They will let American's die. https://t.co/Oe8ahpajSW— Fred Wellman (@Fred Wellman) 1626204747.0
Reading, writing, and arithmetic, *AND* measles, mumps, and rubella https://t.co/DJtu5uc0P2— Charles PM (@Charles PM) 1626205709.0
The next decade in America is gonna be so gut wrenchingly damn stupid to live through https://t.co/jsztOPmHiA— nate bowling (collecting vaccines like Thanos) (@nate bowling (collecting vaccines like Thanos)) 1626205759.0
The stupidest country https://t.co/ZWSW9UByZL— Zito (@Zito) 1626205132.0
This certainly sounds very bad and very dumb. https://t.co/HBbbEyqUT6— James Pethokoukis (@James Pethokoukis) 1626205163.0
Absolute lunacy. https://t.co/hXPmvkRxUQ— Jon Ralston (@Jon Ralston) 1626205157.0
