How we beat anti-vaccination bills in North Dakota
Misinformation spreads faster than prairie fire, often with as much destruction. Right now, state legislatures nationwide are debating bills based on erroneous beliefs that would strip away public health protections. Calls to increase vaccine exemptions in schools and daycare centers, for example, have contributed to measles outbreaks in Texas and elsewhere.
But opponents of these bills should not give up. We saw firsthand how deliberate listening and unlikely alliances could mitigate some of the most harmful consequences of disinformation.
In North Dakota, this approach contributed to a coalition of health advocates, conservative ranchers, local faith leaders, business executives, and community organizers defeating nine anti-vaccine bills over the past three years, while amending the few that passed to avoid negatively impacting community wellness. These bills proposed expanding exemptions, reducing mandates, and, in one instance, even criminalizing health professionals administering vaccines. We didn’t defeat them by shouting across the aisle but by sitting down and listening.
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