Hearing over Michigan bill to ban vaccine, mask mandates filled with misinformation, conspiracy theories, outright lies
LANSING, Mich. – For weeks, there have been protests over vaccine mandates for employees.
A lot of employees said they’re feeling pressured or intimidated to get a shot they don’t want, but a lot of those reasons are based on faulty and potentially dangerous conspiracies.
Those conspiracies were on display Thursday in Lansing as lawmakers listened to testimony about House Bill 4471, which would prevent employers from mandating vaccines, masks or even asking about vaccination status. The hearing quickly devolved into an unfounded and often completely false conspiracy about the vaccine itself.
Among the speakers were several known anti-vaccine doctors, including Dr. Christina Parks a Ph.D. who pushes debunked theories about vaccines causing autism and the benefits of hydroxichlorquine; Dr. James Neuenschwander who was disciplined in 2015 by the state medical board for negligence; and Dr. Moehanid Talia – who accused Dr. Anthony Fauci of funding and profiting from the spread of outbreaks dating back to the early 2000s.
While the testimony was questioned by some lawmakers, many stayed silent.
House Bill 4471 is opposed by seven major business and health groups. Only one sent a representative to speak – the Detroit Chamber of Commerce, which called the bill “government overreach.”
The statement was met with jeers from the anti-vax crowd.
https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/michigan/2021/08/20/hearing-over-michigan-bill-to-ban-vaccine-mask-mandates-filled-with-misinformation-conspiracy-theories-outright-lies/