“When does the red flag go up?” he asked. Newcomb pointed to changing guidance from the CDC - like different mask recommendations and the need for a booster shot - as a vector of mistrust, causing people to doubt the medical establishment more broadly. Informed Choice Iowa leaders did not respond to requests for comment.Īnthony Newcomb, an Informed Choice Iowa group member who traveled from Cedar Rapids to the conference, said he had observed several people who support vaccination, including some who received their COVID-19 vaccine, “starting to wake up to the fact that they’ve been duped.” “If anything, the COVID-19 situation has alerted many people to issues with our current scientific methods and conflicts of interest,” Swan wrote. Swan said that hesitation around the COVID-19 vaccine has led some new group members to question vaccines more broadly. Big tree has been banned from Facebook and YouTube for spreading disinformation. ![]() The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that vaccines do not cause autism.Īnother conference guest was Del Bigtree, producer of a film that links autism and vaccines and the host of an anti-vaccination web show. Thomas allegedly encouraged parents not to vaccinate their children against some diseases, promoting unfounded claims that vaccines cause autism. Paul Thomas, an Oregon pediatrician who had his license suspended last year for pushing an alternative vaccination schedule. This month’s Informed Choice Iowa conference, called “STAND: A Battle For Our Bodies,” included speakers like Dr. Within Facebook pages and in private events, the groups promote a broader skepticism about the safety of vaccines against COVID-19 and other diseases. Event leaders focus on issues of government overreach, warning of tyranny and socialism, and they emphasize the importance of allowing individuals to choose whether to get a vaccine. ![]() Protests against mask and vaccine mandates have become commonplace in Iowa over the past year. She said members have been concerned about federal vaccine rules, which some employers started to implement before courts intervened. ![]() “We saw massive growth, especially on the heels of the announcement of vaccine passports to fly … Literally within four weeks of that announcement, we had 120,000 new people taking action on our platform,” said Leah Wilson, executive director and co-founder of the national Stand for Health Freedom group. National groups are seeing similar patterns. “And so then we had a lot more people want to join.” They’re going to start mandating for everyone,” Hartpence said. “And then as it grew, it became apparent that this was not going to stop at health care facilities. You will begin to receive our Daily News updates. Add your contacts. A backup page, Iowans for Medical Freedom 2, has over 500 members. Now, Iowans for Medical Freedom - which Hartpence emphasized was not anti-vaccine, but just anti-mandate - is a private Facebook group with 2,400 members. Kari Hartpence, a nurse in the Des Moines area, started a group in June for health care workers who did not approve of vaccine mandates. Iowans for Informed Consent is over a decade old, but Swan said the group has done more events and encouraged more people to connect with legislators in the past year than it had previously. “There has not only been growth in IFIC, but with other groups as well over the last 2 years as people continue to seek answers,” Swan wrote in an email to the Iowa Capital Dispatch. Sonya Swan, leader of Iowans for Informed Consent, said the pandemic caused “a heightened sense of urgency and a growth in partnerships with other organizations.” Other groups organizing against COVID-19 vaccine mandates have seen similar growth. “We had to make a smaller stage this year because we had so many more tables we needed to fit in,” Johnson said, panning the camera to show a packed ballroom at the Holiday Inn in Des Moines. 13 event in Des Moines, drew about 700 attendees, Vice President Brei Johnson said in a Facebook video, including many visitors from out of state. “That is a very beautiful and encouraging thing.” “We were not this vast three years ago when we started,” said leader Lindsay Maher at the group’s annual conference.
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