Practicing medicine in the US as a physician, or as an advanced practitioner, has become a never-ending learning curve. With medicine continuously evolving, new regulatory measures being implemented, the pressure of practicing in a litigious society, and the interaction with health insurance companies becoming more complex, has reduced the appeal to become a provider for me. A recent case that has furthered challenged the appeal to pursue medicine involves two physicians losing their medical licenses due to questioning aspects of the current childhood vaccine schedule (Nevradakis, 2025 & Thomas, Stoller, & Stand for Health Freedom, 2025).
Dr. Stoller (practiced in California) and Dr. Thomas (practiced in Oregon) are two physicians that expressed concern that the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has not conducted sufficient long-term studies on the effects of the recommended childhood vaccines. The current childhood vaccine schedule recommends on average 50-65 doses between birth and age 18 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2025). With their skepticism, they signed off on numerous vaccine exemptions for families that also shared their concerns (Nevradakis, 2025). The state medical boards of California and Oregon have revoked their medical licenses indefinitely for "Committing gross negligence in handling vaccine exemptions", "Unprofessional conduct", and "Making false or misleading statements about the efficacy of vaccines" (Medical Board of California, 2021 & Oregon Medical Board, 2020). Both physicians argued that their professional judgement should permit them to recommend against parts of the vaccine schedule that they perceive as lacking sufficient research, while also emphasizing that parents and patients should retain the right to medical autonomy.
While this case brings numerous issues to light about regulatory oversight, public health mandates, and physician autonomy, The main question that I would like to expand on is, To what extent is it appropriate for the state, regulatory bodies, and the federal government to discipline providers who question the established medical recommendations?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025, February 6). Child and adolescent immunization schedule by age. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/imz-schedules/child-adolescent-age.html
Medical Board of California. (2021, February 9). Decision and order (AAAHL210216183459888) [PDF]. https://www2.mbc.ca.gov/BreezePDL/document.aspx?path=%5CDIDOCS%5C20210209%5CDMRAAAHL23%5C&did=AAAHL210216183459888.DID
Nevradakis, M. (2025, August 18). CDC hit with lawsuit over failure to test cumulative effect of 72-dose childhood vaccine schedule. Children’s Health Defense. https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/lawsuit-against-cdc-failure-test-cumulative-effect-72-dose-childhood-vaccine-schedule/
Oregon Medical Board. (2020, December 4). Order of emergency suspension – Paul Norman Thomas, M.D. [PDF]. Oregon Health Authority. https://omb.oregon.gov/clients/ormb/OrderDocuments/e579dd35-7e1b-471f-a69a-3a800317ed4c.pdf
Thomas, P., Stoller, K. P., & Stand for Health Freedom. (2025, August 15). Complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief [PDF]. United States District Court, District of Columbia. https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/primepublishers.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/9d/59dc988f-08be-5327-8c05-b1b5278826ed/68a51ab69a783.pdf.pdf
This post really highlights the difficult balance between protecting public health and respecting a physician's professional judgment. It makes me wonder where the line should be drawn between safeguarding patients from misinformation and allowing doctors to question guidelines when evidence is still developing. If medical science depends on open injury, how do we ensure that regulatory action doesn't unintentionally discourage thoughtful debate?
ReplyDeleteHi Sydney! Thank you for responding to my blog post.
DeleteI agree, how CAN we promote open inquiry if people are being punished for raising questions/concerns?! It is definitely a difficult area to navigate. Do you think this is a main issue facing medical professionals today, be silent or lose your medical license? Do you think all the different positions on vaccines pose a hinderance on preventing diseases?
I love the clickbait title to this. I remember when I was 5 years old, I cried on my mother's lap as a nurse was administering a vaccination. I hated vaccinations but now, it isn't too bad. From a microbiology/immunology standpoint, it is known that passive immunity is where a mother would breast feed her child and, her immunity/antibodies would be past down to the child. Shouldn't that already be enough for the child then?
ReplyDeleteThere is a CDC index (https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines-children/reasons/index.html) that gives information to why children should get their vaccinations. The bolded point that is trying to come across is, "It is always better to prevent a disease than to treat one after it occurs" (CDC, 2024). So as a physician are we wanting to respect their choices (autonomy) or are we trying to protect them from the possible outcomes that may effect them (maleficence)?
Hi Rachel! Haha I knew the title would hook people in!
DeleteI agree that it would be better for people to be protected against a disease than try to heal people with said disease. However, the concern that the two physicians brought up was that they don't know the long term affects of having the childhood vaccines due to no research being done. So now, do you think it is better to prevent a disease while also risking a possible disorder down the line? Do you think it is appropriate for physicians to question the status quo?
I like how you highlighted both sides in this post. From the doctors’ perspective, they are qualified enough to make decisions that they believe are the best for their patients. Their patients are also wishing to be exempt. However, the CDC ultimately makes the decisions regarding vaccines in the medical world. This brings up the common ethical issue of vaccines. Is it ethical to mandate vaccines to keep everyone healthy, or is mandating vaccines crossing the line? It may depend on the circumstances, such as how common the disease is, how deadly it can be, how fast it can spread, and also how much research has gone into creating a safe, effective vaccine.
ReplyDeleteHi Lauren! Thank you for your response. I also have those questions, especially post the COVID-19 pandemic. I have to admit that I was not a fan of the nationwide mandate for the covid vaccine simply because I thought it was created too fast and did not have the proper research to ensure it was safe. If another pandemic would occur, what do you think the right path would be, vaccine mandate or shared decision making between a patient and their physician?
DeleteThis is a fantastic article, Makoa! I think this issue is something that we as future healthcare professionals should be concerned with. If law makers (with no medical background) are put in charge of creating medical guidelines, trained clinicians are bound to have issues! The people put in charge of regulating vaccine mandates should have a solid medical education, otherwise, it could be deadly to so many patients around the country.
ReplyDeleteHi Izzy, thank you for taking the time to read and respond to my blog post! Yes, I agree with the dangers of allowing non-medical professionals to make medical recommendations/mandates for the general population. Physicians do not go through years of schooling to just be told how to practice medicine from a regulatory body. A family doctor should have the right to recommend vaccines on a case by case basis. Do you think the public mistrust of the CDC and FDA is justified?
DeleteIzzy I think this is a great point! Insurance companies are notorious for things like this, too. Why are non-medical professionals denying procedures to patients that are recommended by physicians? It causes a lot of headache for both patients and providers trying to help. Additionally, I think it causes many patients to ignore their health problems because of the cost associated with getting help when insurance denies them. Insurance companies have set protocols for steps to "qualify" for coverage, but that really takes away from the personalization of care and providers' competence of caring for individuals. Not to mention, these protocols are constantly changing, leaving providers with even more things to keep up with.
DeleteMakoa!!! I love the title because I often ask myself the same question when I see current providers jumping through hoops and facing backlash for challenging current medical guidelines and practices. In one of the articles, it highlights how, after Dr. Thomas published a study finding vaccinated children had significantly higher rates of chronic illness, and Dr. Stoller used genetic markers to identify at-risk children, their licenses were suspended. To me, these findings should not be a basis for punishment, but rather spark further research based on genetic markers or specific illnesses to yield more informed results. Medical professionals have the right to question current practices for better patient outcomes. Pediatricians and Family Medicine doctors constantly deal with families who have concerns about vaccines. If doctors bring these questions to the scientific community through research, and are suspended, what does that tell us about the autonomy of medical practitioners and the years they spent in academia? I believe that the extent of suspending licensing should be based on whether or not a practitioner is putting a patient’s life at risk and not based on the scientific findings that contradicts current views.
ReplyDeleteHi JoJo! Thank you for responding!! I could not have agreed more with your response. I believe if the physician is not purposefully trying to harm the patient, then their medical view or concerns should not be grounds to have their license taken away. Do you think if the general population starts to hear more and more about physicians getting their medical licenses taken away for questioning vaccines, it would cause more people to not take the vaccine? And if so, what do you think the next step would be to help heal the damage between people and vaccines?
DeleteThis is an amazing post! I am happy to see that it has generated discourse in the comments. It eases the fear of having these difficult discussions, and having doubts in pursuing a career in healthcare. I know that I too have had doubts especially in recent years with the changing political climate. The first time I had heard of the vaccine mistrust was with Jenny McCarthy and her campaign that vaccinations are the cause of Autism. Despite the "evidence" being disproved, and the doctor who made the claims having his license to practice in all major countries revoked, the belief had already taken root and continued to grow. The topic of abortion has been a hot button topic since the overturn of Roe vs. Wade (1973). The lines have been blurred to the point that providers no longer know their scope of practice for fear of criminal prosecution and losing their license. It has led to thousands of devastating injuries & death to women who needed a previously routine procedure. It has made me fear the quality of healthcare that I will be able to provide. How can I swear to uphold medical ethics- Justice, Non-Maleficence, Beneficence, Autonomy- when the system in place is so flawed? Healthcare should be exclusively between the provider and their patient; the violation of this standard has caused mass burn-out in providers, and flooding out of the profession. My question is, How do we fix this? How do providers regain the trust of patients, and take back the freedom to provide care as we see fit?
ReplyDeleteThank you Sophia! That was the whole point. I believe if there is not proper discussion of the "controversial" topics, then thats how misinformation, fear, and anxiety grows. With vaccines being a hot subject right now, I believe there needs to be a mending between medical professionals with patients. I have heard TOO many stories of patients being shamed for not getting vaccinated or even questioning getting vaccinated. Patients need to be educated on what vaccines do and how they actually help. Just telling them to get them because they prevent diseases is not enough. I believe we can fix the mistrust between physicians and patients by having more intentional doctors visits. Longer appointments, intentional conversations, and better bedside manner. What do you think?
DeleteI think this is a really interesting discussion post and a topic we as future providers should be discussing. The reality is, medicine is ever evolving mainly due to individuals proposing questions and questioning current recommendations/science. I believe we would not have made as many 'discoveries' in medicine if being curious and questioning was so frowned upon. It is disappointing to see that individuals who provide reasonable questions/concerns were punished for it rather than met with agreed desire to continue researching and confirming that this is the proper vaccine schedule or if a new one should be introduced. Speaking to your title, situations like this make me question my future as a physician and if I will have the autonomy I desired, or if medicine will continue to become more and more regulated by governing bodies that may not exactly understand what is happening/how medicine is practiced (similar to Sophia's point regarding abortion care). However, I do feel a duty to become a provider who is willing to push boundaries and remain curious to help provide the best care for my patients and further medicine as a whole, even through ways that may 'stir the pot'.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your response Makena. I too want to be a physician that fights against the flow. We need more bold physicians to stand up and speak their mind when something does not make sense or seems wrong. We need physicians willing to speak against insurance companies and have them listen to the medical professionals (not the other way around). "Stirring the pot" is exactly what is needed right now in the medical field and I can't wait to see what you do as a physician in the future.
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