Personal rights over public Health: Anti-vaccine rhetoric in the Texas Legislature
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an observed increase in anti-vaccine sentiment linked with requirements for the vaccines. But how did these ideas impact the politics of vaccines? In this paper, the authors analyze witness statements from the 2021 Texas Legislative Session during vaccine-rela...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-06-01
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| Series: | Vaccine: X |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259013622400041X |
| _version_ | 1797277289210183680 |
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| author | Kirstin R.W. Matthews Rekha Lakshmanan Neha Kalakuntla Neha Tallapragada |
| author_facet | Kirstin R.W. Matthews Rekha Lakshmanan Neha Kalakuntla Neha Tallapragada |
| author_sort | Kirstin R.W. Matthews |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an observed increase in anti-vaccine sentiment linked with requirements for the vaccines. But how did these ideas impact the politics of vaccines? In this paper, the authors analyze witness statements from the 2021 Texas Legislative Session during vaccine-related hearings. Specifically, the research focused on five hearings for bills that related to vaccine requirements or vaccine transparency laws filed during the 2021Texas Legislative Session and witnesses who opposed these measures. From the 128 witnesses cataloged and analyzed, we found 84 witnesses opposed to vaccines. Medical freedom and the right to opt-out of a medical procedure as well as concerns about vaccine safety and effectiveness were most frequently used by witnesses to justify their stance against vaccine requirements or vaccines. While some witnesses were opposed to all vaccines, most focused their objections on the COVID-19 vaccine specifically. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:46:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-754df639ff07450aa5321037bb43de2f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2590-1362 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:46:31Z |
| publishDate | 2024-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Vaccine: X |
| spelling | doaj.art-754df639ff07450aa5321037bb43de2f2024-03-05T04:30:47ZengElsevierVaccine: X2590-13622024-06-0118100468Personal rights over public Health: Anti-vaccine rhetoric in the Texas LegislatureKirstin R.W. Matthews0Rekha Lakshmanan1Neha Kalakuntla2Neha Tallapragada3Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, MS-40, Houston, TX 77478, USA; Corresponding author at: 6100 Main Street, MS-40, Houston, TX 77005, USABaker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, MS-40, Houston, TX 77478, USA; The Immunization Partnership, PO Box 346, Houston, TX 77001, USABaker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, MS-40, Houston, TX 77478, USABaker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, MS-40, Houston, TX 77478, USADuring the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an observed increase in anti-vaccine sentiment linked with requirements for the vaccines. But how did these ideas impact the politics of vaccines? In this paper, the authors analyze witness statements from the 2021 Texas Legislative Session during vaccine-related hearings. Specifically, the research focused on five hearings for bills that related to vaccine requirements or vaccine transparency laws filed during the 2021Texas Legislative Session and witnesses who opposed these measures. From the 128 witnesses cataloged and analyzed, we found 84 witnesses opposed to vaccines. Medical freedom and the right to opt-out of a medical procedure as well as concerns about vaccine safety and effectiveness were most frequently used by witnesses to justify their stance against vaccine requirements or vaccines. While some witnesses were opposed to all vaccines, most focused their objections on the COVID-19 vaccine specifically.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259013622400041XVaccine policyAnti-vaccineVaccine hesitantTexasMedical freedom |
| spellingShingle | Kirstin R.W. Matthews Rekha Lakshmanan Neha Kalakuntla Neha Tallapragada Personal rights over public Health: Anti-vaccine rhetoric in the Texas Legislature Vaccine: X Vaccine policy Anti-vaccine Vaccine hesitant Texas Medical freedom |
| title | Personal rights over public Health: Anti-vaccine rhetoric in the Texas Legislature |
| title_full | Personal rights over public Health: Anti-vaccine rhetoric in the Texas Legislature |
| title_fullStr | Personal rights over public Health: Anti-vaccine rhetoric in the Texas Legislature |
| title_full_unstemmed | Personal rights over public Health: Anti-vaccine rhetoric in the Texas Legislature |
| title_short | Personal rights over public Health: Anti-vaccine rhetoric in the Texas Legislature |
| title_sort | personal rights over public health anti vaccine rhetoric in the texas legislature |
| topic | Vaccine policy Anti-vaccine Vaccine hesitant Texas Medical freedom |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259013622400041X |
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