Chris Christie clarifies vaccine stance: 'No question' kids should get measles vaccine
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Monday lent some support to the anti-vaccine movement, saying that it should be a "choice" for parents whether to inoculate their children.
"You know it's much more important what you think as a parent than what you think as a public official," Christie said. "And that's what we do. But I also understand that parents need to have some measure of choice in things as well, so that's the balance that the government has to decide."
The remark comes amid a measles outbreak in the U.S. In an interview that aired Sunday, President Obama urged all parents to vaccinate their children.
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UPDATE: Christie's office on Monday issued a press release clarifying the governor's stance on vaccines:
"To be clear: The governor believes vaccines are an important public health protection and with diseases like measles there is no question kids should be vaccinated."
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Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.
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