Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin in 2014. Bevin said this week that he didn't believe the government should require chickenpox vaccines. By Eli Rosenberg Eli Rosenberg General assignment reporter covering national and breaking news Email Bio Follow March 20 at 10:59 PM Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin turned heads this week after saying on a radio show that he had intentionally tried to get his children infected with chickenpox and that he didn’t support the state’s mandatory chickenpox vaccine.
Chickenpox is less deadly in children than adults but public health experts say it’s still important to get vaccinated to prevent a small number of deaths every year and protect others with weaker immune systems.
“Chickenpox can be serious and can lead to severe complications and death, even in healthy children. There is no way to tell in advance how severe your child’s symptoms will be,” the CDC says on its website. “So it is not worth taking the chance of exposing your child to someone with the disease. The best way to protect infants and children against chickenpox is to get them vaccinated.”
What he has no idea about is the long-term effect of what he’s done. I think he should be arrested for endangering the welfare of a minor since I’m sure his children had no choice in whether they were exposed or not. Who is looking for his kids?
Bad idea.
Incredibly Stupied. Guess he wants less kids. 1000s of people die from chicken pox every year.
Arrest him for child abuse. They will all likely experience shingles in their lives, possibly disabling permanent pain. I have been there. shingles
nor does he believe in birth control... His poor poor stay at home wife, I'm guessing.
Kentucky, huh? The same state that elects Mitch McConnell & Rand Paul? 'Nuf said.
Just sick and despicable that a parent would even do this to their children.
Perhaps he will contract the disease and then shingles as well!
Idiot, a vaccine has been created so one does not have to do that, like parents did in the 50's and early 60's.
He has nine kids? 🤔
😂😂😂 really, is anyone surprised? Look at the state
Does he know what natural selection is?
That's what we did when I was younger. I'm 60 now and eligible for my shingles vaccine thank goodness. These 'Americans' are going backwards.
This was a common thing when my kids were little, there was no vaccine yet and it was thought that the younger you got the chicken pox the better-less chance of complications. Of course, now we have a vaccine. Dumbass.
This is actually fairly common in the south....
POTUS How did trump miss appointing this man to his cabinet? Surely he’s qualified to head up HHS in this administration. Just think of the motto “Free Smallpox for All”. Wonder how he feels about measles or mumps?
Child abuse! What a jerk! A form of torture...Let me intentionally inflict you with this possibly debilitating disease.
You know, Gov., some children have died from Chicken Pox. Yours might get lucky. Maybe not. There can be after effects, SHINGLES!
My parents sent me to play with a kid who chicken pox. It's not a big deal.
He doesn't believe in condoms either.
The question is, will his kids get the shingles vaccine later in life? People have said shingles is veryPainful
9 kids? No wonder our planet is suffering.
So years later they can get Shingles...but of course not get the vaccine for that either...smart thinking from Kentucky.
I guess he isn’t a big science guy. Since a vaccine is basically a safer way to introduce the chix pox virus to his children without making them all sick 🦠 How do these non-science aholes keep getting elected?
They can then line up for the Shingles vaccine.. What is wrong with him? If there was the chickenpox vaccine when I was a child I wouldn't be having to get the 2 shingles vaccines that I have received. What an outstanding moron!
Words cannot express how angry this makes me. The sheer stupidity is appalling. My daughter almost died from Chicken pox complications before there ever was a vaccine. You do not know the hell it is to not know if your child is going to live or die. Grow Up!😐
No, often wonder how Geraldo Rivera does it, he must compromise himself daily. My spouse and I have grown our views together over the years on somewhat common ground beginnings.
Which should be classified as child abuse
This GOP Governor is a terrible father
Another idiot in politics.
All yall acting like this isnt bad because it used to be done, they used to treat mental illness with electric shock 'therapy' and lobotomies. Not to mention exorcisms before that. Those methods are outdated and dangerous
Can’t fix stupid.
officerdaddo Keep your children away from me and my babies
Very common practice when I was a child. We didn’t have a vaccine yet and doctors advised our parents to expose us all at once and “get it over with”.
Just another GOP carnival performer to add to the crazy traveling Trump FreakShow!
How do idiots like this get to lead the good people of Kentucky?
Republican voters: you, too, could have ppl like this caring for your family's needs
If you don't vaccinate your children, you should be charged with neglect and child endangerment! Vaccinate your children or lose them!
Now that his lobotomy is done, is there a GoFundMe for getting him a vasectomy?
Gotta admit this vaccine vs anti vax thing is getting interesting I'll just wait over here with my hypothetical kids and see the final outcome 👀
Vaccinate or Leave
Another science denier !
Antivaxers should be prosecuted for child endangerment.
Nine kids? He really needs to keep his willy in his pants.
Can we just rename the GOP to the Pox Party.
...and why wasn’t he arrested for child abuse? He doesn’t still have custody, right?
9 kids. There’s your sign
The fitting end to this story would be if this idiot got chicken pox from his kids. News flash- you can have chicken pox in childhood and get again as an adult. It happened to me (pre vaccine) and take my word for it. Horrific.
At this point Mexico might just pay for that wall.
This is why the people of Kentucky have an image problem of being toothless barefoot and pregnant and plagued with people on drugs
My lord, I know not what to say. Kentucky is under fire. I have no idea how we survive with the three amigos: McConnell, Paul, and Bevin
These anti science folks are a threat to the rest of us.
LOL!! So, Dem anti vaccine peeps are ok though... is beyond tabloid... Is there such a thing?
coton_luver Kentucky is one backward state for sure.
.. Remind Us.. Not To Put Him In Charge .. Of... Anything... 😳.. 🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜
coton_luver Hardly a credit to his state
It's actually safer
At least the kids got out of the house. Sadly it was to meet other dumb people like their parents.
Idiot. I had an uncle who had shingles. He felt like he was being burned in half at the torso. & all the others they’ll infect, possibly immune compromised,his own? At 24 my bro was in hospital 3wks,nearly died. Dictator of Kentucky taking power from other offices.
CHILD ABUSE!!
Isn’t this called “child endangerment” when a woman does it?
We need laws to protect intelligent Americans from these people, laws with severe punishments/fines...
~Does he know that once you've had Chicken Pox, you have a 1 in 3 chance of getting Shingles as an adult? I've had both. He's an idiot.
Why does he have nine kids?
Yup! Good man!
Who is going to explain that both are essentially the same ?
Thats just nasty.
Conspiracy theorists, doubters, deniers of all sorts have become so main stream that now makes them actually dangerous for a substantial number of people.
Will Bevins be exposing his children to polio too? He will probably be dead when his children are likely to develop shingles from their exposure to chickenpox. Hopefully the children will get the shingles vaccine and avoid the painful consequences of Papa Bevin’s bad parenting.
What a God Damned Moron. Ask him why we have to pay taxes to a government to protect us if we all have guns. Why a Department of Defense, CDC, FBI, ICE, IRS, etc, etc, et !
Back in my day before vaccinations there were actually pox parties. Just get it and get it over with back then. I literally had only 1 or 2 pox marks on my arm and that as it. My sister had them in her throat and all over which was really scary.
They will really appreciate him when they get shingles in a few decades.
That is child abuse.
America is dumbing down. LockHimUp
Oh nice, so he gave them future shingles on purpose.
I’m sure his daughters will appreciate the scars.
So when is he going to be charged with child abuse?
Not to mention a future party date for the Shingles
Ah, child abuse.
Child abuser.
That’s his business.
Dipshit doesn’t care that on rare occasions, it can kill. Amazing!
Because science.
DESPICABLE
Impeach this sucker
Apparently he has no idea what’s in chicken pox vaccine.
Lol 😂. Seriously though, I see the arguments for the vaccine. Shingles is no joke for older people. Hopefully I never get it.
So life is just one big SouthPark episode.
That is not what he said. What he said was stupid, but this wasn’t what he said. This is why your publication is fake news. Report the news, don’t bullshit the public.
How do people this stupid thrive in public life. Get elected to Gov, no less. Kentucky MattBevin
I vaccinated all my children. They vaccinated all of theirs. I keep my vaccinations up to date. One thing I didn't pass on is having my children baptised. I made the right choice.
How do these anti-science conservatives ever find the courage to get into an airplane? Do they think magic is keeping it up in the air?
So this guy exposed his own kids to chicken pox on purpose? Isnt that some type of crime with respect to negligence or child abuse?
hey governor your geniousness is showing. lol worst dad ever
Gravity is a myth he says!
it's a pox on your chicken house i am just a poor boy though my story's seldom told i have squandered my resistance for anti vaxxers full of mumbles, such are promises all lies and jests still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest
The average middle-class person would be arrested for this
The Hold My Beer Party.
Judgement in the basement. Sense 0.
He’s a moron for not vaccinating his kid, but at least he exposed them to it early.
Darwin will strike back.
CPS where you at?