Mike Huckabee in The New York Times

On Health Care: Vaccines don't cause autism; I get vaccinated myself

The vaccine question surfaced in the 2012 Republican primary when rivals of Rick Perry, then the Texas governor, pounced on him for issuing an executive order requiring sixth-grade girls to be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus--the first regulation of its kind in the country. One of his opponents, Michele Bachmann, a congresswoman in Minnesota, went as far as saying the vaccine could cause "mental retardation," a claim with no scientific merit. But in a sign of the issue's political weight, Perry apologized for the mandate.

Asked about the measles vaccine controversy, a spokesman for Perry affirmed his commitment to "protecting life" and pointed to efforts by his administration to increase immunization rates.

Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor who is considering a run for president, has noted that the link between autism and vaccines was discredited. As governor, he received his flu shot at the State Capitol and encouraged all Arkansans to get vaccinated.

Source: N.Y. Times 2015 coverage of 2016 presidential hopefuls Feb 3, 2015

The above quotations are from Media coverage of political races in The New York Times. Click here for other excerpts from Media coverage of political races in The New York Times. Click here for other excerpts by Mike Huckabee. Click here for a profile of Mike Huckabee.
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Page last updated: May 20, 2019