Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) admitted during an interview with a local radio show that instead of getting his kids vaccinated for the chickenpox virus, he sent all nine of them to the home of a neighbor, whose kids already had the virus.
“Every single one of my kids had the chickenpox,” Bevin said in an interview with Kentucky’s WKCT, according to the local Courier Journal. “They got the chickenpox on purpose because we found a neighbor that had it and I went and made sure every one of my kids was exposed to it, and they got it. They had it as children. They were miserable for a few days, and they all turned out fine.”
The method of exposing children to the virus instead of vaccinating them is a staple of the anti-vaxxer movement. Experts warn the method is unsafe and say that the vaccine makes individuals less likely to get shingles later in life.
“And I think, why are we forcing kids to get it?” Bevin said. “If you are worried about your child getting chickenpox or whatever else, vaccinate your child … But for some people, and for some parents, for some reason they choose otherwise. This is America. The federal government should not be forcing this upon people. They just shouldn’t.”
