Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, publicly split with President Donald Trump regarding the MMR vaccine during the Sunday, Aug. 23, edition of “Face the Nation” hosted by Margaret Brennan. Oz, a former television host and political candidate, was pressed by Brennan to clarify comments Trump made earlier in August labeling the MMR vaccine—which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella—as “quite lethal.”
The Interview and Parental Rights
When asked to clarify the President’s assertions, Oz initially stated, “We want patients to get the treatments that their doctors are recommending to them, but we also want parents to have the autonomy to decide what their kids receive.” After Brennan noted that separating the vaccine components could extend the immunization process over a decade, Oz confirmed, “The MMR vaccine is not a lethal vaccine.” He framed the issue as one of parental rights, a recurring theme from the Department of Health and Human Services.
Context of the Controversy
- Earlier in August, Trump signed an executive order on vaccines, telling White House reporters that “together there could be a possibility [the MMR vaccine is] quite lethal and separately, it looks like they are not at all lethal, but just very effective.”
- Medical experts maintain the MMR vaccine is safe in its current form, and research does not support Trump’s claims that dividing the immunizations provides health benefits.
- On Aug. 16, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, told CNN’s Jake Tapper that Trump’s assertions were “potentially tragic” and “wrong on so many levels.”
- The scrutiny surrounding these health policies has intensified with the November midterms just over two months away, drawing criticism from both medical professionals and Republican lawmakers like Cassidy.