Fox News Digital spoke to Louisiana Surgeon General Dr. Ralph Abraham about his recent move to end statewide mass vaccination programs in an effort to improve patients' informed consent. (Fox News Digital)
Following the announcement of the new directive, a group of Louisiana medical associations accused Abraham of politicizing vaccines. However, Abraham countered that these criticisms were unfounded.
"People say, 'Well, you're putting politics into medicine.' No. Politics was in medicine from the get-go, starting with COVID," Abraham said. "My job and my role and my desire is to depoliticize medicine. And the way you do that is to get that patient and that doctor on a one-on-one."
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. talks with Sen. Bill Cassidy following his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey Jr.)
But Abraham said his critics were "cherry-picking what they want to fuss about."
"If you look at the overall picture that we presented – if they argue with just good common sense, and if they argue with wanting to get that patient-doctor relationship back to where it's supposed to be, then, you know, they're just not debating in a very fair and logical manner."
A former member of Congress and supporter of newly confirmed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Abraham said he was "in no form or fashion" anti-vaccine. He added that as a family medicine physician he "always" recommends childhood immunizations, and called the Tetanus vaccine "life-saving."
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"There are some vaccines that are good for most people. There are some vaccines that are good for some people. There are some vaccines that are good for a few people. And there are some vaccines that are good for no one," Abraham said.
A healthcare worker prepares a dose of the monkeypox vaccine at a pop-up vaccination clinic in Los Angeles on Aug. 9, 2022. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
When asked about how he would respond to critics who would call his and Kennedy's skeptical views on vaccines anti-science, Abraham said, "I would love to debate them."
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"I have science on my side that shows that these things that they are saying work certainly do not work [the way they claim]," Abraham said. "This statement we came out with – that LDH has done – it has certainly promoted conversation about these issues. That's a good thing."
Abraham told Fox News Digital that the move will not impact vaccine distribution in the state and the Louisiana Department of Health will still provide them as they have in the past. He also said the move will help clear up limited resources.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/louisiana-surgeon-general-depoliticize-medicine-statewide-mass-vaccinations