Anti-vaccine ideology doesn't belong in public office 

Vaccinations have long been required for participation in some settings. Children in public schools are required to be vaccinated against common childhood diseases, and have been for decades. It's worth noting that the Supreme Court ruled that students who didn't get vaccinated against the highly contagious disease smallpox could be denied acceptance into public and private schools.

Health and medical scholars have described vaccination as one of the top 10 achievements of public health in the 20th century. Yet, opposition to vaccination has existed as long as vaccination itself. Critics of vaccination have taken various positions, including opposition to the smallpox vaccine.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, the anti-vaccine movement shifted its focus and became politically aligned with the far right. Worse, the image of government forcibly vaccinating Americans at gunpoint has become the stuff of fevered conspiracy theories.

Now, anti-vaxxers have become active in government. Locally, in Morro Bay, we have a candidate for mayor, Carla Wixom; two council candidates, Sarah Robison and Zara Landrum; and a candidate for our local school board, Loren Leidinger, who when asked did not answer the question, "Do you believe in vaccinations against diseases (COVID) and are you vaccinated?" This is troubling as, if elected, they could influence our government's ability to react to future viruses.

Do we want people who refuse to respond to scientific proof that vaccinations save lives (not just theirs but huge populations) running our government?

Lynda Merill

Morro Bay