The FOX News smear is clear and somewhat ironic, given the talking points their personalities use. In reality, FOX News’ rival networks also have financial interests; they’re not necessarily motivated by a pure desire to better inform the public. If they were, half their analysis wouldn’t make it on air to begin with. And FOX News anchors and analysts have, in fact, been pretty clearly pro-vaccine.

Offering analysis on why some government mandates are wrong hardly puts the public at risk. It’s a principled position that everyone should hold, regardless of political ideology. That the party of “my body, my choice” suddenly says the opposite is bizarre.

Pointing to actual side effects, which can be deadly for some, shouldn’t lead to vaccine hesitancy, either. It should lead to Americans being better able to make informed decisions and identify the rare serious side effects in order to know when to seek medical assistance. Ignoring a side effect simply because you think it’s expected can sometimes have deadly consequences.