Paul: Most vaccines should be 'voluntary'

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) waded into the debate over vaccinations Monday, telling conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham that he thinks most vaccines should be “voluntary.”

Paul, an ophthamologist and likely 2016 White House hopeful, expressed particular concern over mandatory vaccinations for sexually transmitted diseases. He criticized former Texas Gov. Rick Perry for his executive order mandating that Texas children receive the HPV vaccine. “I’m not anti-vaccine at all,” Paul said, but “I think that’s a personal decision.”


“I was annoyed when my kids were born that they wanted them to take Hepatitis B in the neo-natal nursery, and it’s like, that’s a sexually transmitted disease,” said the Kentucky Republican, adding that he had his kids vaccinations staggered over time so they wouldn’t receive ten injections at once.

The Democratic National Committee immediately circulated an email saying Paul was “kowtowing to the fringe rhetoric of the anti-vaccination movement.”

Paul’s comments came the same day that Republican presidential contender New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said parents should have a “measure of choice” in whether or not their children are vaccinated.

President Barack Obama, in an interview that aired Monday on NBC’s “Today” show, said the science behind vaccinations is “pretty indisputable.”

Vaccination has become a heated subject of debate since a measles outbreak began in mid-December, spreading among communities in which sufficient numbers of parents do not vaccinate their children and the population loses so-called “herd immunity.”

Obama declined to advocate mandatory vaccines outright during the “Today” show interview, though he did offer parents some pretty clear advice: “You should get your kids vaccinated. It’s good for them.”