In the latest installment of Last Week Tonight, John Oliver discussed the rise of vaccine skeptics in America and the dangerous pieces of misinformation that have contributed to the anti-vaccine movement.
“Despite their success, small groups are both skeptical and vocal about vaccines—which is nothing new,” Oliver said. “But these days their voice has been amplified by the human megaphone that is the president of the United States.”
He then played a clip of then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump supporting alternative vaccination schedules that spread out the periods between required inoculations. Despite the obvious reasons why one should avoid taking medical advice from President Trump, Oliver noted that the alternative schedule idea has gained popularity as some kind of compromise between science and skeptical parents.
“The problem is that it’s the middle ground between sense and nonsense,” he continued. “It’s like saying, ’It would be crazy to eat that entire bar of soap, so I’ll just eat half of it.'”
