Jessica Valenti
The Measles Moms
Why women are leading the anti-vaxx movement
Over the last year, Americans have seen some of the worst measles outbreaks in decades. The once-eradicated disease is now endangering the health and lives of people from New York to Washington, where the governor recently declared a state of emergency.
This rise in preventable diseases, like measles and whooping cough, has put a renewed focus on the anti-vaccination movement; the World Health Organization even named “vaccine hesitancy” as one of the top 10 threats to global health. What’s less discussed, though, is who decides not to vaccinate; understanding that would provide clues about how they may be persuaded to change their minds.
The leaders of the anti-vaccination movement — both at home and on the national stage — are women. (Specifically, women in affluent areas.) They’re disproportionately the family members who make medical decisions about kids, they’re the most active in chat rooms, and they’re the most recognizable public faces of the anti-vaccination movement.
First, there was Jenny McCarthy, who claimed that a vaccine gave her son autism, becoming a spokesperson for an anti-vaccination group. Then there were “mommy blogs” by women who wanted their children exempt from vaccination mandates. Just…
