Breaking down Jessica Biel’s views on vaccinations

Since late 2015, Jessica Biel has held some (more than) questionable ideas about vaccines, but now there’s a new issue in the mix.

Jessica Biel has a lengthy history with alleged anti-vaxxer ideology, comments, and now legislature. Though, to be clear, she claims her recent support for vaccine exemptions has good intentions. From her previous claims that she doesn’t want to vaccinate her kids to conflicting accusations on where her ideology falls today, we’re breaking down the history of Jessica Biel and her views on vaccinations.

Biel isn’t the only celebrity who has either subtly or overtly labeled themselves as an anti-vaxxer to any extent. She’s front and center as of late though due to her recent opposition towards California bill (S.B. 276), which would null religion and personal exemptions for immunization.

Before we tiptoe into why Biel has lobbied against a bill that aims to prevent already preventable viruses in school children and beyond, let’s chat about her past a bit.

Biel’s past comments on vaccinations

The first claims about Biel’s anti-vaxxer ideology first popped up around 2015. Though not directly from Biel or Justin Timberlake, a source told InTouch Weekly that Biel did not want to vaccinate their son.

The Daily Beast adds that after these initial claims, Biel hasn’t commented on vaccinations at all. Save for disabled activists (anti-vaxxer ideologies can have have ties to ableism), nearly everyone forgot about Biel and her debacle with vaccines, until now.

Her stance today

After rallying behind  Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in his opposition to the S.B. 276 bill, Biel garnered more attention to her ideology and intentions regarding the unfortunate anti-vaxxer movement. (Because, seriously, no good comes from outbreaks of preventable diseases.)

Taking to Instagram last week, Biel clarified her viewpoint on S.B. 276 and immunization, stating:

"“I am not against vaccinations — I support children getting vaccinations and I also support families having the right to make educated medical decisions for their children alongside their physicians. My concern with #SB276 is solely regarding medical exemptions.”"

While Biel is still under public scrutiny for her past comments on immunization and her actual leaning as of today, it’s more troubling that her Instagram captain exaggerates and contorts the S.B. 276 bill.

By using her pseudo-personal story about her friends’ circumstance, Biel tacts on some moderate fearmongering tactics. Through her wording, Biel makes it seem as though there are no medical or disability exemptions from the bill and children who cannot receive certain vaccines will be forced to get them. That is not the case.

Previously, California has been one of four states (West Virginia, Maine, and Mississippi are the other three) that doesn’t allow parents to opt out of vaccinating their children due to personal or religious beliefs. However, it has allowed doctors to excuse a child from being vaccinated if there is a medical reason to do so. Under this new bill, doctors cannot authorize exemptions on their own,. Instead, a case must be approved by state health officials to do so.

Because of her wording and how it misconstrues the terminology in the bill, her celebrity-status platform could prompt the public to oppose the bill. When outbreaks of preventable viruses are bubbling up throughout North America, this can be especially troubling.

Kennedy’s impact on Biel and S.B. 276

On their own, Biel’s comments and lengthy Insta captains are questionable. However, her affiliation with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. regarding S.B. 276 (or really anything related to immunization) can debase any of Biel well-meaning intentions.

We won’t dwell too much on Kennedy’s own history with being an anti-vaxxer because that would warrant an even lengthier article. Nonetheless, we do have a few highlights from his conquest against vaccines that make us question the dystopian we live in:

• He’s a chairman of the Children’s Health Defense, which relies on disproven conspiracy theories that vaccines cause or contribute to anything from autism to arthritis. On its own, this is a deeply ableist take, but considering the news regarding violence against autistic people, it makes the CHD’s rhetoric even more harmful.
• He penned an entire Rolling Stone article (built on faulty assertations) about how vaccines cause autism (which they don’t).

We could go on, but even just these two bullet points showcase the harmful side of Kennedy’s anti-vaccine propaganda. Biel’s proximity to a person who opposes the S.B. 276 bill for more harmful reasons deteriorates some of Biel’s good faith in her own vaccine-related claims.

According to a legislative staff member who spoke with Jezebel, Biel and Kennedy discussed the adverse impacts of vaccines. So, it would appear that proximity isn’t the only thing the duo share. According to reports, they also share the same anti-vaxxer stance.

Granted, the need for vaccines shouldn’t be a debate at all.

Immunization is not a matter of differing opinions opinion

First off, there is no opinion when it comes to vaccination. Immunization is necessary for public health. While patients have control over their medical rights, anti-vaccination and even delayed vaccinations are a public health and safety risk and endanger lives beyond any specific person who refused to get vaccinated.

The New York Times notes that California already has a measles problem (as do an increasing number of other states). Despite what Kennedy claims, the growing measles problem and the growing number of medically exempted immunization cases could be related.

Additionally, executive director of Vaccinate California Leah Russin tells Daily Beast that the bill will not prevent children who are immunocompromised or are taking immunosuppressant medication from accessing the medical exemption that they need.

At the same time, the bill will dual as a safety precaution to help students who are medically exempt remain protected from measles and other viruses.

Given that there are other groups and public figures who are actively opposing S.B. 276, Jessica Biel’s support to the opposition could be troubling because she’s indirectly using her large platform to harm disabled people.

After all, vaccines are meant to not only protect the people who receive them, they also help people with autoimmune conditions through herd immunity.