Actress Jessica Biel has insisted that she is not against vaccinations, after catching a backlash for campaigning with prominent anti-vax figure Robert K Kennedy Jr.
Kennedy is the leader of the notorious Children’s Health Defence group. Founded in 2016, the body opposes vaccines, fluoride in water and WiFi.
They claim that “toxins” contained within these things can cause autism, ADHD and even cancer. The group has been blamed for contributing to the rise of ‘vaccine hesitancy’ in the US.
This week, Jessica Biel appeared with Kennedy to speak out against a California bill that would close certain loopholes around vaccination.
After facing heavy criticism, she clarified her stance on Instagram, saying:
“This week I went to Sacramento to talk to legislators in California about a proposed bill. 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.”
Biel claims that her “concern” with the bill is over medical exemptions, and says that limiting these would affect families whose children have certain medical conditions.
California’s SB276 was written by state senator Richard Pan, and aims to tighten the laws around exemptions, requiring them to be approved by the Department of Public Health.
Currently, a doctor’s note is all that’s required for a child to attend school unvaccinated in California.
Pan says that this allows “unscrupulous” physicians to issue “fake” medical exemptions, thereby contributing to a looming public health crisis.
He said that with the passage of the bill, children who “truly need” medical exemptions will receive them, and that “community immunity” will not be compromised.
Jessica Biel is married to Justin Timberlake, and they have one child.
