Should Mumsnet be removing anti vax thread/info/supporters?

[wishingitwasspring]

Not sure what the legal stance is.

It’s very dangerous some of the stuff they are letting stand on a site that so many pregnant women come to for guidance

No. I am all in favour of the vaccines and am triple jabbed but i care about people being able to discuss here

@Bitofachinwag

Unless of course Mumsnet is suddenly full of scientific experts

That should go both ways then. If only scientific experts are allowed to post anti- vaccination opinions surely you would need to be a scientific experts to write pro- vaccination posts too?

Or you could accept the opinion of scientific/medical experts across the world?

@CherryRedDMs

It’s very dangerous some of the stuff they are letting stand on a site that so many pregnant women come to for guidance

Good point

No they shouldn't. People have had enough freedoms removed.

@DarknessAndLight

I haven’t seen any covid is a hoax posts and I’m sure mners will be able to approach those posts in a robust and intelligent manner. For that reason, maybe they should stand.

No - anti-vaccine misinformation has the potential to coerce people into not being vaccinated (against public health guidance), or giving them awful anxiety because they already have been.

The amount of false claims designed to scare pregnant women from being vaccinated on here is absolutely shocking - it has the potential to cost lives.

It is not as simple as "approaching posts in a robust and sensible manner"

Facebook, twitter, reddit etc have all taken hard stances on not hosting health misinformation because it is harmful & MN should do the same. And don't even get me started on the anti-Semitic posts that keep getting repeated.

I am also not convinced that all these anti-vaccine threads & posts are coming from genuine posters

No censorship. People should be able to make up their own minds. And there’s a big difference between being anti vax and anti forcing people via mandate or otherwise.

@JaneJeffer

No they shouldn't. People have had enough freedoms removed.

With freedom comes responsibility.

I think lies and misinformation should be removed.

I am very interested to know your stance on vaccines.

What credible and reliable information do you feel you have read which has lead you to choose to be vaccinated?

Misinformation should be removed.
Opinions should be allowed to stand.

@Farrowblue

I am very interested to know your stance on vaccines.

What credible and reliable information do you feel you have read which has lead you to choose to be vaccinated?

After almost 40 years working in the nhs as a health professional I have enough experience and knowledge of medicine, research, risks, and research to be comfortable with the opinions of those whose area of expertise makes their opinions ok with me.

Misinformation yes, alternative opinions no.

People should be allowed to express their opinion .... but anti-vaxxers are not expressing an opinion; they are peddling deliberate misinformation that could have very serious consequences for vulnerable individuals, and will extend the years that we will all have to continue grappling with this virus.

MNHQ should delete any such threads.

@Farrowblue

I am very interested to know your stance on vaccines.

What credible and reliable information do you feel you have read which has lead you to choose to be vaccinated?

The average person can't realistically pore through trial data and decide if the vaccines are safe and effective though?

The fact that they've been approved by our regulatory bodies, alongside all other countries, should be enough to help most people make an informed decison. If that isn't enough to sway you - the fact that 99.99% of scientists & clinicians recommend them for the general population should be enough.

You cannot be an expert in everything, even though some people seem to think that a quick websearch makes them such.

They did remove the disgusting thread I reported earlier suggesting the unvaccinated should not get hospital treatment.

Discussion around it, no. Misinformation, yes, but the same should stand for vaccinations in general ie if someone posts pro vaccine stuff that's inaccurate. I guess it's hard to monitor though.

Like @leafyygreens I trust the regulatory infrastructure in general to make appropriate decisions. So does everyone else on most issues — the average person probably doesn’t realise how many things are regulated and decided for them in order to keep them safe.

What is the name for someone who doesn't want this vaccine? It's not 'antivaxxer' if they've had most or all the regular vaccines.

Of course not.

1. It will just play into their hands - silenced again etc.

1. Freedom of speech (aka to be an idiot) is still important.

1. Censoring people is a slippery slope. You might agree today for this one but next week it could easily be something else, that you don't agree with and can do fuck all about. So best not even starting imo.

Maybe a warning sign about misinformation etc or links to health organisations where people can read for themselves,
Might be better. If they still then decide to believe in the opposite then that is their choice.

That’s interesting, I have found it incredibly easy and terribly informative to read through trails and copious amounts of data, making an informed decision about ones life should be a priority, relying upon as you said ‘ regulatory bodies’ to inform you is not a wise idea, I would be intrigued to read the data for this statement ‘ the fact that 99.99% of scientists & clinicians’

I have a feeling MN is becoming a "safe space" for anti-vaxxers in the same why it was controversially associated with being anti-trans. If you look at the questions about not complying with lockdown rules, about 80% of responses were no. That's a bonkers ratio compared to real life where the vast majority of people are fully vaccinated and will still follow lockdown rules if required.

Will they also be deleting the rubbish that some of the vaccinated spout on a daily basis? Either that or the Tory pr crew have accounts here.

Of course there's no need for censorship. People have a right to say and believe what they wish.

@CherryRedDMs

Like *@leafyygreens* I trust the regulatory infrastructure in general to make appropriate decisions. So does everyone else on most issues — the average person probably doesn’t realise how many things are regulated and decided for them in order to keep them safe.

What ‘regulatory infrastructure’ are you referring to?