I’ve been reporting on the anti-vaccination movement in Idaho for the past decade, most recently for ProPublica. I wrote about people who immigrated to Idaho as self-proclaimed “refugees” from states that require vaccinations in schools. After the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, I wrote about Idaho’s low COVID-19 vaccination rates and how it subsequently led to deaths and the near collapse of hospitals.
As a journalist, the debate over vaccine policy and the rationale behind the anti-vaccination movement is interesting to me, even though the weight of reporting on what can sometimes be a life-or-death matter is a job that is interesting to me. But I’m more than just a journalist. I’m an Idahoan with a family, including young children in school.
This week, while wearing both identities, I published an article about how Idaho would become the first state in the nation to ban mandatory vaccines. The Idaho Health Care Freedom Act makes it illegal to require nearly everyone to receive vaccines, tests, or other “medical interventions.” The law’s author, Leslie Manoukian, was a financial executive turned homeopathic practitioner and leader of the “health freedom” movement.
Watch Leslie Manoukian and allies celebrate the Idaho Health Care Freedom Act
I first heard Manokian’s name in the mid-2010s, when she was part of a group pushing for changes to Idaho’s school immunization laws, regulations, and more. She went on to found the Health Freedom Defense Fund, which has filed several lawsuits over vaccine and mask mandates during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. She said she feels left out, living in one of the few communities in Idaho that has wholeheartedly embraced COVID-19 precautions.
In our interview and follow-up call, Manokian spoke about her position on vaccines, what the role of public health should be, and her longstanding desire to pass the Idaho Health Care Freedom Act.
Our conversation came against the backdrop of a national measles outbreak on a scale unlike anything the United States has seen in decades.
One of the big changes from the Idaho Medical Freedom Act is how schools and daycares can respond if measles arrives. The law makes it illegal to send an unvaccinated child home as long as they are “healthy.” This is important in the case of measles, which can spread over several days before an infected person realizes they are sick.
As someone who lives here, I can’t help but think so. My family is vaccinated, but what if a student at my child’s school is not vaccinated for some reason? What will parents do if measles starts to spread? What will happen to my friends who have children who are too young to be vaccinated and still need to attend daycare? Are new laws preventing you from choosing what you think is best for your child?
I put that question to Manoukian’s ally Mary Holland. Mary Holland is the CEO of Children’s Health Defense, a national organization that has become one of the biggest opponents of childhood vaccines.
Holland said parents in Idaho who want to give their children a learning environment with a “herd immunity” level of measles vaccination could start a private “association” rather than a school, just as parents who don’t like vaccines have done to avoid mandates in states like California and New York. Schools cannot require vaccinations.
Her answer emphasized that this law is not just about policy. It upends what we have considered the norm for generations: that if we are to be part of a community, we must help protect others in the community. The idea behind the Idaho Medical Freedom Act not only rejects that norm when it comes to vaccines, it makes it illegal.
A week after my interview with Manokian, the duality of being a reporter covering vaccine policy and being a parent of school-age children became clear again. I was standing outside my child’s school chatting with the school nurse. She is responsible for many things, especially keeping track of school vaccination rates, preventing infectious disease outbreaks, and determining whether children are sick enough to go to school. While we were talking, my cell phone rang with a call from Manokian, trying to continue the conversation about the upcoming story.
My goal as a journalist is to ensure accurate and fair reporting. We wanted to include Manokian’s voice because she has a huge influence on public health regulations in Idaho. Therefore, while I endeavored to faithfully explain her beliefs and how she arrived at them, I was also obligated to detail the extensive scientific evidence to the contrary.
During our discussion, Manokian said his biggest goal is to ensure that no matter what, people are not forced to do something they don’t believe is right. She also believes that vaccines are dangerous and infectious diseases are beneficial. (That risk-benefit calculation is not supported by overwhelming evidence, or even by the research this movement relies on.)
As an Idahoan, I pay close attention to what’s going on around me so I can make informed decisions. My job as a journalist is to help readers understand the thinking behind changes in public policy and where those ideas come from.
As I reported this week, Manokian isn’t just eyeing Idaho. She intends to apply this law to other states and believes it can be a model for this country. I’ll keep an eye on that too.
You can read my full article for yourself, including an interview with Manokian, here.
