GOP doctor faces backlash for questionable advice on COVID-19 vaccines and immunity

Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) may be a practicing physician, but some medical experts and doctors argue that his questionable advice on COVID-19 appears to be more politicized than backed by scientific facts.

According to The Associated Press, the Republican lawmaker has a history of making questionable statements about vaccines and immunity that do not align with any medical advice or guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Marshall has also been a very vocal critic of President Joe Biden's aggressive vaccine mandates to expedite getting individuals vaccinated. According to Marshall, Biden's initiative may infringe on Americans' civil liberties. During a recent interview, he also expressed concerns about the mandate having a potential impact on the United States' economy.

"Without even touching on the constitutionality of a federal mandate, I want people to realize the impact it's going to have on the economy," Marshall said during a recent interview.

To make matters worse, he, who happens to be COVID vaccinated, has also acknowledged "experimenting on himself with an unproven treatment for warding off the coronavirus."

Now, critics are expressing concern about the dangers of his words and advice.

Per The Associated Press:

"Critics say the lawmakers' statements are dangerous and unethical, and that Marshall's medical degree confers a perception of expertise that carries weight with constituents and other members of Congress."

Dr. Leanna Wen, an emergency physician and former Baltimore health Commissioner, recently pushed back against Marshall's claims as she highlighted the effectiveness of vaccine mandates.

“Vaccination is what we have because the price of getting immunity through natural infection is much too high," Wen said.

Arthur Caplan, the founder of New York University's medical ethics division who also heads a vaccination ethics program, also weighed in with his concerns about Marshall's remarks.

"He has an enormous role to play here because he's a doctor and a senator," said Caplan. "He bears a very powerful responsibility to get it right."

Dr. Beth Oller, a family physician practicing in northwest Kansas, offered a more blatant rebuke of Marshall saying, "He should just be ashamed of himself."