Where Does Jill Stein Stand On Vaccination? 2016 Green Party Candidate Attempts To Clarify Her Policy
Green Party candidate Jill Stein’s 2016 election campaign has been plagued by one issue and that’s her stance on vaccination. The candidate, who has picked up the support of disenfranchised Bernie Sanders voters, has been forced to continuously rebut claims that she’s anti-vaccination. With that in mind, Jill Stein now appears to have made an attempt to clarify her policy when it comes to vaccination, and a number of other issues that she’s faced out on the campaign trail.
According to Gizmodo, Jill Stein, in all likelihood, supports vaccination. However, her somewhat indecisive stance on the issue is most probably a bid by the candidate to secure the votes of those with real anti-vaccination beliefs. So where does Jill Stein stand on vaccination, and what’s her policy going into the 2016 election?
Jill Stein attempts to clarify her beliefs on vaccines, amongst other things https://t.co/ik4QhkfUhS pic.twitter.com/WbrrVmBkP3
— Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) August 26, 2016
In a meeting with the Washington Post editorial board, Stein once again made some form of an attempt to clarify her stance on vaccination. However, she again managed to stay on both sides of the argument by saying:
“Vaccinations are a critical part of our health infrastructure and we badly need them, so I think what I have raised questions about is just influence peddling in the FDA. Right now there’s a lot of distrust for government agencies and for government in general. That’s another reason to stop the revolving door, for example, between Monsanto lobbyists who then wind up as heads of major departments…”
Whilst Stein initially appears to be in support of vaccines, she continues to peddle that distrust towards the FDA, which is gaining her considerable support amongst the anti-vaccine base. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that Stein has maintained her line throughout her campaign so far. It’s pretty clear that the Green Party candidate’s plan is to play to both the pro-vaccination and anti-vaccination bases by publically supporting the use of vaccination but doing so with a hint of caution towards the FDA.
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According to the Washington Post, Jill Stein also used the interview as an opportunity to clarify her stance on a number of issues. When asked if she could handle the presidency, Stein wittily replied by saying “I don’t believe that it is rocket science.”
At the same time, Stein continued to lambast her Democratic and Republican rivals, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, saying “We’ll have two fossil fuel-funded candidates who are continuing to fan the flames of the burning planet.”
Unsurprisingly for a left leaning candidate like Jill Stein, she urged voters not to rely on the media for election information, saying “Don’t rely on big media for this, get in touch with the Green Party.” That’s a position that will likely appease supporters of Bernie Sanders, who were distrustful of the media throughout his primary campaign.
EXCLUSIVE Jill Stein op-ed: "In praise of Wikileaks" https://t.co/2EPFgOwfwg pic.twitter.com/jnZudTTXj5
— The Hill (@thehill) August 23, 2016
It’s an almost certain that third party candidate Jill Stein won’t be able to pick up enough support to make it to the White House this November. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean her candidacy won’t impact the outcome of the election. In recent weeks, Stein has managed to secure a spot on the ballot in a number of key swing states, giving her the ability to take votes away from Hillary Clinton or even Donald Trump and ultimately, decide the fate of this election.
Will Jill Stein provide a decisive stance on vaccination before voters head to the polls this November? That remains to be seen.
[Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images]
