Newsmax host suggests vaccines are 'against nature' because some diseases are 'supposed to wipe out' people

As officials look for ways to boost the United States' COVID-19 vaccination pace, one Newsmax host suggested to viewers that vaccines are "against nature" because they help fight diseases that are "supposed to" wipe people out.
Host Rob Schmitt during a segment on the conservative channel suggested, after acknowledging he's "not a doctor," that vaccination "in a weird way is just generally kind of going against nature," as reported by Media Matters for America.
"If there is some disease out there, maybe there's just an ebb and flow to life where something's supposed to wipe out a certain amount of people, and that's just kind of the way evolution goes," Schmitt said. "Vaccines kind of stand in the way of that."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The comments came moments after Schmitt insisted he's "not an anti-vaxxer," and he went on to proclaim he "can't comprehend" why people at low risk for COVID-19 would get vaccinated, even though health officials have stressed this as necessary to reach herd immunity and prevent the virus from spreading.
Numerous right-wing commentators have also recently been pushing talking points against vaccination. And at the Conservative Political Action Conference, attendees recently cheered on the idea of Americans not getting vaccinated, something Dr. Anthony Fauci called "horrifying" and "frightening."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kids
Speed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sick
speed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last year
speed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
-
Trump seeks to cut drug prices via executive order
speed read The president's order tells pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices, but it will likely be thrown out by the courts
-
RFK Jr. visits Texas as 2nd child dies from measles
Speed Read An outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease continues to grow following a decade of no recorded US measles deaths
-
Shingles vaccine cuts dementia risk, study finds
Speed Read Getting vaccinated appears to significantly reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia
-
Measles outbreak spreads, as does RFK Jr.'s influence
Speed Read The outbreak centered in Texas has grown to at least three states and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is promoting unproven treatments
-
RFK Jr. offers alternative remedies as measles spreads
Speed Read Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes unsupported claims about containing the spread as vaccine skepticism grows