Presidential candidates split on mandatory vaccines

Catalina Camia | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Hillary Clinton jabs Christie, Paul with vaccine tweet Hillary Clinton voiced her support for vaccinations tweeting "The earth is round, the sky is blue, and "#vaccineswork." Chris Christie and Rand Paul also both recently joined the debate, saying parents should have input when it comes to vaccines.

WASHINGTON — Three potential GOP presidential candidates disagreed with rivals Chris Christie and Rand Paul, asserting unequivocally Tuesday that parents should vaccinate their children against measles and other infectious diseases.

The comments Tuesday by Ted Cruz, Bobby Jindal and Marco Rubio highlight the uproar over childhood vaccinations as a measles outbreak that has sickened more than 100 people continues to grow. The debate over mandatory vaccinations and parental discretion is now a flash point in the 2016 presidential race.

"There is a lot of fear mongering out there on this," said Jindal, Louisiana's governor and a former health official in the George W. Bush administration. "It is irresponsible for leaders to undermine the public's confidence in vaccinations that have been tested and proven to protect public health. Science supports them and they keep our children safe."

Christie stoked the controversy when he said Monday that "parents need to have some measure of choice" on vaccinations. The New Jersey governor tried to walk back his remarks with a statement that stressed he believes "there is no question kids should be vaccinated."

Paul, a Kentucky senator known for his libertarian thinking, said in radio and TV interviews that he believes most vaccinations should be "voluntary." But he drew widespread criticism for a CNBC interview Monday in which he said he had heard of children who developed "profound mental disorders after vaccines."

In a statement Tuesday, Paul said he "did not say vaccines cause disorders, just that they were temporally related." The senator emphasized his belief that vaccines are safe by inviting a New York Times reporter to watch as he received a booster shot for hepatitis A, following his vaccination last year when he traveled to Guatemala. Paul shared the photo on Twitter.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical experts have said there is no scientific evidence linking the measles vaccine with autism.

"It is incumbent on public officials to speak from the facts when shaping public perception and policy," said Dr. Errol Alden, CEO and executive director of the American Academy of Pediatrics, as he urged them to use "credible, science-based sources of information."

Cruz, a Texas senator, said "of course" children should be vaccinated. Rubio, his colleague from Florida, said "absolutely" when asked.

"There is absolutely no medical science or data whatsoever that links those vaccinations to onset of autism or anything of that nature," Rubio said.

Cruz, Jindal and Rubio seem to be on the same side as President Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton when it comes to childhood vaccinations. Obama urged parents to immunize their children. Clinton, meanwhile, jabbed at the GOP naysayers with a post on Twitter stating the "science is clear, the earth is round" and vaccines work.

Cruz blamed the news media for the outcry. "Nobody reasonably thinks Chris Christie is opposed to vaccinating kids, other than a bunch of reporters who want to write headlines," he said.

Public opinion polls show the divide on mandatory childhood vaccinations is more about age than political beliefs. Overall, 68% of adults say such immunizations should be required while 30% say the decision should be up to parents, according to a Pew Research Center report released last week.

Pew also found that 41% of 18-to-29 year olds support parental choice on vaccines, while only 20% of adults over 65 share this view.

All 50 states have legislation requiring certain vaccinations for students. All but two states — West Virginia and Mississippi — grant exemptions based on religious beliefs, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Twenty states allow for philosophical exemptions "because of personal, moral or other beliefs."

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