Ohio Advocates for Medical Freedom

Ohio Advocates for Medical Freedom (OAMF) is one of the main anti-vaccination organizations in Ohio. A non-profit group, it frequently lobbies politicians to favor legislative action designed to weaken Ohio's vaccination coverage.

Ohio Advocates for Medical Freedom
President
Stephanie Stock[1][2]
Websiteohioamf.org
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Legislative work

OAMF intervenes to oppose legislative measures that promote vaccine coverage in the state or education about immunization, and to support those that make it easier for people to forego vaccination.[3] The group testified in favor of a 2021 Ohio senate bill creating a bicameral committee to examine public health measures from Ohio Department of Health and the Governor before they are implemented. The legislation was opposed by Governor Mike DeWine and by several of the state's health authorities, arguing that it would impede their ability to react quickly to new information about the COVID-19 epidemic.[4] During the 2018–2019 measles outbreaks in some regions of the United States, the group's president, Stephanie Stock, opposed restricting vaccination exemptions, insisting "the biggest percentage complication with measles is diarrhea". The disease ranks among the most contagious and it kills one or two children out of 1,000 affected.[5][6] Arguments against vaccination are contradicted by overwhelming scientific consensus about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.[7][8][9][10]

OAMF is the driving force behind attempts to put anti-vaccination language into Ohio's constitution. In June 2022, the Ohio Ballot Board approved the wording of a constitutional amendment that would, if adopted, prevent public and private institutions from requiring vaccinations as a condition of employment or other reasons. If the measure, called "Medical Right to Refuse", is supported by a petition of at least 443,000 Ohio Ohioans, it will be included on the ballot as a referendum in an upcoming statewide election.[11][12][13][14]

OAMF's Facebook page served as the main fundraising instrument for a lawsuit asking the court to rescind the measures taken by the State to prevent the spread of COVID-19, such as mask-wearing. The lawsuit, filed in November by a group called Ohio Stand Up, repeats the usual misinformation associated with the pandemic, including that the number of deaths have been inflated by public health authorities.[15]

Public outreach activities

Like other similar groups, OAMF objects to being labelled "anti-vaccine", preferring the euphemism "medical freedom".[1][2] The group has campaigned to weaken school immunization requirements,[1] and opposed the obligation for hospital employees to get vaccinated against the flu.[16]

In 2017, their members planned to distribute anti-vaccination messages printed on cards with Halloween candy, raising objections from the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.[17]

YouTube pulled some of their videos in February 2021 as part of the social media platform's efforts to curb the dissemination of misinformation related to COVID-19, but the group's account remained active.[18]

References
  1. Zuckerman, Jake (February 5, 2021). "Ohio House Speaker defends naming anti-vaccine rep as Health Chairman". Ohio Capital Journal. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  2. Pulliam, Susan; McKay, Betsy; Maher, Kris (February 2, 2021). "Vaccine Skeptics Join Forces With Antimask Advocates". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  3. "About OhioAMF". Ohio Advocates for Medical Freedom. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  4. Keck, Patrick (February 18, 2021). "Sen. Johnson's oversight bill passes". Portsmouth Daily Times. Archived from the original on February 18, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  5. Harris-Taylor, Marlene (February 18, 2019). "Washington Measles Outbreak Has Some Questioning Ohio's Vaccine Opt-Out". WOSU radio. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  6. "Measles". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). April 24, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  7. "Communicating science-based messages on vaccines". Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 95 (10): 670–71. October 2017. doi:10.2471/BLT.17.021017. PMC 5689193. PMID 29147039.
  8. "Why do some people oppose vaccination?". Vox. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  9. Ceccarelli L. "Defending science: How the art of rhetoric can help". The Conversation. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  10. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "Vaccines.gov". Vaccines.gov. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  11. Zuckerman, Jake (July 6, 2022). "Activists want anti-vaccine amendment in Ohio Constitution". Ohio Capital Journal. Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  12. Ingles, Jo (June 6, 2022). "Vaccine mandate opponents are taking another shot at ending certain requirements". WOUB (NPR). Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  13. "Proposed Ohio amendment would limit vaccine mandates". The Ironton Tribune. Associated Press. July 11, 2022. Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  14. Wu, Titus (June 24, 2022). "Anti-vaccine mandate groups want to put 'medical right to refuse' into Ohio's constitution". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  15. Zuckerman, Jake (November 30, 2020). "Ohio's Anti-Vaxxers Shift Aim Toward COVID-19 Laws". Patch. Archived from the original on February 19, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  16. Siegel, Jim (September 13, 2017). "State Rep. Hagan supports eliminating flu vaccine requirements". Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on September 10, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  17. "Ohio group to distribute anti-vax cards with kids' Halloween candy". WKRC. October 21, 2019. Archived from the original on December 8, 2019. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  18. Amiri, Farnoush (February 19, 2021). "YouTube removes Ohio committee video, citing misinformation". Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
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