Hallmark cards for new mothers list recommended vaccinations, including for measles, and are sent out by several of the New Jersey governor’s counterparts

New Jersey governor Chris Christie’s administration does not participate in a national program embraced by several of his potential rivals for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination that advises new parents to vaccinate their young children against measles and other diseases.

Governors and senior health officials from 28 states send signed cards to new mothers congratulating them on giving birth and providing them with a detachable checklist of immunisations that their infants should obtain before they are two years old. Christie is not among them, according to the New Jersey department of health.

“One of your most important roles as a parent is to make sure your baby is immunised,” says the message in a recent version of the card. “Keeping your little one healthy means starting immunisations by two months of age.” The advice and checklist are reviewed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).



The card lists recommended vaccinations, including the combined shot against measles, mumps and rubella that some campaigners continue to link to cases of autism in children, despite this claim’s having being repeatedly and comprehensively debunked by medical researchers.

The current version of a Louisiana greeting card sent out by Republican governor Bobby Jindal and his wife. Photograph: Louisiana department of health and hospitals

Detail from the back of a Louisiana greeting card sent out to new mothers by Republican governor Bobby Jindal and his wife. Photograph: Louisiana department of health and hospitals

The CDC said this week that 102 cases of measles were diagnosed in the US in January. This is twice the average rate of new cases in 2014, which ended with a 20-year high of more than 600 cases. Christie was criticised after saying during a visit to London that “parents need to have some measure of choice” over vaccinating their children.

Governors whose states distribute the signed vaccination cards include Scott Walker of Wisconsin, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Mike Pence of Indiana, all of whom are viewed as potential opponents of Christie’s for the Republican presidential nomination. Former governors Rick Perry of Texas, Jeb Bush of Florida and Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, who are also considered likely candidates, all sent out the cards during their tenures.

New Jersey participated in the program under former Republican governors such as Christie Whitman and Donald DiFrancesco. Yet Donna Leusner, the communications director for Christie’s department of health, said the state had not taken part under the administrations of Christie or his predecessor Jon Corzine, a Democrat.

Kevin Roberts, a spokesman for Christie, said in an email that he was “not familiar with the program”. Roberts did not respond to further questions about why Christie did not participate.

The cards are supplied to states for free by Hallmark, the greetings card company, as part of a program called For America’s Babies, which has been running for 20 years. A message printed on the back of the cards states that the company is “committed to encouraging childhood immunisations”. Organisers have estimated that 20 million children received the cards during the first decade of the program.

Hallmark declined to provide a list of states currently participating or to give any further information about the program. However, the number of states taking part appears to have declined from 39 to 28 since 2005, amid criticism of the program from anti-vaccination campaigners.

Christina England of vactruth.com described the card as “the most dangerous greeting your child may ever receive”. Condemning the program as “sinister”, England wrote: “Are you going to let them trick you into vaccinating your child, without doing any research, just because they sent you a card?” The card has been described as “vaccine propaganda” on the official website of David Icke, the popular conspiracy theorist.

An older edition of the card recommending immunisations, sent by Governor Mike Huckabee and his wife, Janet, to new mothers in Arkansas around 1998. Photograph: Arkansas department of health

Linda Odell, a spokeswoman for Hallmark, said: “The number of states participating varies from year to year and different states come into, drop out of, or come back into the program over time, for reasons known only to them.”

Amy Reel, a spokeswoman for the Indiana department of health, said the state had sent 52,565 cards since Pence’s administration joined the program last year. “Many states have seen an increase in infant immunisation rates after participating in this program,” said Reel. “We are very thankful for the governor’s continued support”

The program operated in Florida under Bush, who served as governor from 1999 to 2007, but was halted under his successor, Charlie Crist, according to Tiffany Cowie, a spokeswoman for the Florida department of health. Cowie said that the program had been restarted under Governor Rick Scott, a Republican, in January 2013.

Carrie Williams, a spokeswoman for the Texas department of state health services, said in an email that the state “has participated in the program since at least 2005”. Perry, who has said that he is considering a second run for the Republican nomination, was Texas governor from 2000 until last month.



Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, signed and sent the cards for approximately two years of his decade in power, according to a spokeswoman for the state department of health. She said that Huckabee halted the program after delays in the processing of data led to “a few” mothers being sent cards after their newborn babies had died. “These instances caused undue grief and anxiety for the parents,” said the spokeswoman.

Spokesmen for Ohio governor John Kasich, also considered a possible presidential contender, and his state’s health department did not respond to questions about whether Ohio participated in the program.