Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg’s campaign said in a report published Tuesday that exemptions from vaccines should be allowed if there’s “no public health crisis.”
“The law of the land for more than a century has been that states may enforce mandatory vaccination for public safety to prevent the spread of a dangerous disease. Pete does support some exceptions, except during a public health emergency to prevent an outbreak,” a spokesperson for the South Bend, Indiana, mayor told BuzzFeed News.
“These exemptions include medical exemptions in all cases (as in cases where it is unsafe for the individual to get vaccinated), and personal/religious exemptions if states can maintain local herd immunity and there is no public health crisis,” the spokesperson continued.
The campaign then walked back that opinion with a “clarifying statement” on Wednesday after BuzzFeed’s article had been published.
“Pete believes vaccines are safe and effective and are necessary to maintaining public health. There is no evidence that vaccines are unsafe, and he believes children should be immunized to protect their health. He is aware that in most states the law provides for some kinds of exemptions. He believes only medical exemptions should be allowed,” the spokesperson said.
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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