OSHKOSH – On Monday, Fox News published an op-ed by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Dr. Pierre Kory exposing California legislation that if signed into law would allow the Medical Board of California to revoke a doctor’s license to practice medicine for expressing an opinion contradictory to "contemporary scientific consensus."

After two years of flip-flopping “scientific consensus” around COVID-19, Sen. Johnson and Dr. Kory argue that “society should be encouraging people to come forward with promising new ideas, not threatening to strip their livelihood.”

The full op-ed can be found here and excerpts are below.

“President Joe Biden may have declared the pandemic ‘over,’ but someone needs to tell the state of California. A bill sitting on Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk would levy career-ending penalties on doctors deemed guilty of spreading so-called ‘misinformation’ related to COVID-19. If enacted, this law has the potential to destroy the medical profession and stifle innovation from coast to coast.

“The bill in question, AB 2098, would allow the Medical Board of California to revoke a doctor’s license to practice medicine in the state for expressing an opinion ‘contradicted by contemporary scientific consensus contrary to the standard of care.’ The problem is that ‘contemporary scientific consensus’ has fluctuated wildly over the past two years.

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“By enacting a law that forces medicals professionals to follow ‘contemporary scientific consensus,’ California is effectively saying it has all the answers in the world. Nothing could be further from the truth. While we in the United States are vaccinating toddlers, Denmark has restricted anyone under 30 from receiving the Moderna vaccine and no longer recommends COVID-19 vaccination to low-risk individuals under 50. If a well-meaning Californian did not want to subject themselves or their child to an mRNA vaccine, they would face an unpleasant choice between falling for ‘misinformation’ or moving to Denmark.

“Medical knowledge never stops evolving. It is constantly shaped by emerging data and trends. No single doctor – or politician – has a monopoly on good ideas. Society should be encouraging people to come forward with promising new ideas, not threatening to strip their livelihood.

“In 1983, Senator Johnson’s infant daughter had corrective surgery at the age of eight months for a serious congenital heart defect. Her life was saved because doctors had the ability to improve open-heart surgical techniques and procedures by practicing medicine. The California law would severely limit future medical advancements like this.

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“What happens in California does not stay in California. Newsom can kill this terrible bill and prevent a hostile takeover of medicine by oppressive government censors. Let’s hope he does the right thing.”

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