Fox News host calls for 'Big Brother' to enforce vaccination schedules

(NaturalNews) For some, there isn't much the federal government does well. For others, there isn't much the federal government should be doing at all, save for a few well-defined roles outlined in the Constitution. Others advocate no limits on what the federal government should be able to do in crafting the "ideal" society.

The debate over whether children should be vaccinated, and whether parents should be forced by government to have their children vaccinated, has seen political opposites become allies, and small-government advocates become champions of federal power.

For example, there isn't much positive coverage of right-leaning Fox News by the left-leaning The Huffington Post, but when it comes to a couple of its top program hosts coming down on the side of government when it comes to vaccinations, the coverage is pretty positive (which is to say, it isn't negative).

Vaccines should be government-mandated

From HuffPo:

Megyn Kelly and Bill O'Reilly agree: Parents should vaccinate their children.

During a discussion on "The O'Reilly Factor" Monday night, Kelly and O'Reilly tackled the controversial issue, focusing in on politicians, like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), who have recently suggested that parents should have "some measure of choice" when it comes to vaccinating their children.

The conversation turned personal, however, when O'Reilly bluntly asked Kelly if she opposed mandatory vaccinations for children.

"No," Kelly responded. "And I want to say, on the record, I have three children under the age of six. I've vaccinated all of them, on time, as the doctor prescribed."

That's pretty straight news coverage; no cheap shots at Kelly, O'Reilly or Fox News in general.

But the deeper issue here is that a pair of hosts who are generally skeptical of government interventions and government programs have taken a decidedly pro-government position when it comes to vaccinations. In other words, they appear to be saying that Uncle Sam should be in the business of forcing all parents to vaccinate their kids, despite religious, safety or other objections parents may have.

"This is going to be a big issue for these politicians going forward, because it's about Big Brother," added Kelly, in reference to recent statements by Republican Gov. Christie and GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, in which they stated that parents ought to have a say over vaccinating their own kids. "But on the other hand, some things do require some involvement of Big Brother."

Kelly also said that she had sympathy for parents who have been given "bad information years ago" regarding the efficacy and safety of vaccines, but that science has proven in recent years that they are safe and, as such, should be administered to children without question.

The rest of the mainstream media has followed suit, in the wake of a measles outbreak that began in California. This report worked on scaring people into getting MMR vaccines for their children, claiming the outbreak is "targeting those who haven't been immunized." The report also quotes a doctor from Sinai Hospital who blames the outbreak on "parents... not getting their children vaccinated."

Outbreaks have occurred among vaccinated school populations

And this report from Britain's Guardian newspaper has blamed the outbreak on "the anti-vaccination movement," which it says "single-handedly revived an entirely preventable disease," even though there have been other outbreaks of measles and other diseases prior to the current one.

During their segment, O'Reilly attempted to say once that anyone who has been vaccinated won't get measles. But even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has documented cases where vaccinated children have contracted measles. Another CDC-documented case is here.

For her part, Kelly said that even vaccinated kids could still get measles -- which sort of defies the logic of having Uncle Sam force them on parents and children under threat of jail, or worse.

Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtontimes.com

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com

http://www.theguardian.com

http://www.cdc.gov