Brian Snyder/Reuters
Rand Paul told conservative talk-radio host Laura Ingraham on Monday that he’s “not anti-vaccine at all” but that he believed “most of them ought to be voluntary.” Paul, who has a medical degree from Duke and continues to practice as an ophthalmologist, said he was “annoyed” about the number of vaccinations doctors wanted his children to get when they were born.
“[The doctors] wanted them to take a hepatitis B [vaccine] in the neonatal nursery. And it’s like, that’s a sexually transmitted disease, or a blood-borne disease, and I didn’t like them getting 10 vaccines at once. So I actually delayed my kids’ vaccines, and had them staggered over time,” Paul told Ingraham. “There are times in which there can be some rules, but for the most part it ought to be voluntary.”
Later, on CNBC, Paul repeated his stance, saying that he didn't understand what was so controversial about "resorting to freedom." He added: "I have heard of many tragic cases of walking, talking normal children who wound up with profound mental disorders after vaccines. I'm not arguing vaccines are a bad idea, I think they're a good thing. But I think the parents should have some input."