Sens. Cruz, Rubio Weigh In on Whether Kids Should Be Vaccinated
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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a potential 2016 contender, said on Tuesday that he believes children should be vaccinated and whether vaccinations should be mandatory should be left to the states.
“On the question of whether kids should be vaccinated, the answer is obvious, and there’s widespread agreement: of course they should. We vaccinate both our girls, and encourage all parents to do the same,” Cruz said in a statement provided by his office.
“I’m a constitutionalist. This question has historically been decided at the state level. And most states choose to do what the state of Texas does which is to mandate vaccines for children to prevent the outbreak of infectious diseases,” he said.
Cruz defended New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who’s come under fire in a recent days over his comments on vaccinations.
“Nobody reasonably thinks Chris Christie is opposed to vaccinating kids other than a bunch of reporters who want to write headlines,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sen. Marco Rubio also weighed in on the issue Tuesday, saying all children should be vaccinated and that it should be mandatory except for cases where the child is immune suppressed.
“All children in America should be vaccinated,” Rubio, R-Fla., told reporters following a hearing on Cuba Tuesday.
Rubio also noted that science shows vaccinations have not led to autism — but he did not make direct reference to Sen. Rand Paul., who on Monday said vaccines may lead to “mental disorders.”
“There is absolutely no medical science or data whatsoever that links those vaccinations to onset of autism or anything of that nature,” Rubio said. “By the way, if enough people are not vaccinated, you put at risk infants that are three months of age and younger and have not yet been vaccinated and you put at risk immune suppressed children who are not able to get those vaccinations.”
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