Republicans against mRNA techonology--why?

Probably because they are luddites who don’t believe in science. But more likely because they have millions invested in methods and systems that only treat symptoms endlessly instead of cures for the diseases that plague us.

They are free to refuse mRNA-based cancer treatments then, I guess.

What katlady said plus a good dosage of stupidity at its finest.

Because they think that cheeto is more intelligent than people who have studied science and performed research for decades.

They are free to decline mRNA treatments if they so choose, but they should not be legislating without actual hard evidence that there is something wrong with this techbology that was developed long ago.

This is the real answer. With heavy emphasis on the "dosage of stupidity". 

Because MAGA Fox News-"educated" voters are fearful of it and this "looks like" the Republicans are looking out for them.
It's just catering to a suspicious uneducated audience.

If they could show definitely that the technology can save Meemaw from her cancer, that would be different. The whole clan would clamor for it. But they're also scared of Big Pharma, Big Medicine, Big Research, and everything that's not Big Business run by Big Billionaires, apparently.

I watched an old British show called the Indian Doctor. It took place in an English village around the 60s I’m guessing. There was an epidemic, don’t remember what disease but they were trying to get people vaccinated and everyone had the same distrust and fear and arguments as with the covid vax. The show was made around the 2010 way before covid.

I think that ir is both; the first one for Fox viewers, and the second for conservative business people and Rs in Congress. And this is why I hate these people. They could just shut their pie holes and avoid the vaccines. But instead they feel a need to control the rest of us. They are pathetic.

I think the modern anti-vax movement really gained steam in the early 2000s with the now-disproven MMR<>autism link research. The original Wakefield study was published in 1998 and not retracted until 2010. My son was born in 2008 and there was LOTS of talk in the TTC, infertility, pregnancy and new mom communities about not vaccinating or delaying/spreading out vaccines at that time. And those weren't fringe nutjobs, they were more or less normal women, probably skewing white and relatively affluent.

But as we all know (and valid studies have shown!), once people hear something and accept it as truth, it's VERY VERY difficult for a lot of people to change their minds. No matter how many times it's shared that there is no link between MMR and autism and that study was critically flawed and its conclusions not true... many people still believe it.

The anti-science discourse of the right makes it worse, and the fact that most people don't have any experience with vaccine-preventable diseases (BECAUSE VACCINES WORK) so don't find them scary enough to take steps to prevent... it all combines into a perfect storm for public health disasters.

Stupid is a harsh word. But there is some ignorance in the fear around the HPV and the mRNA vaccines. People think that because they were just hearing about with the Covid vaccines, that means it’s new technology that hasn’t been studied enough. It’s been in the works in one form or another since the 1960s. It isn’t new. It has been studied enough. But we have a faction in this country that has done an excellent job casting doubt on the experts. I can’t understand why vaccines get the brunt of the distrust. But a new weight loss med comes out and everyone wants it. I didn’t hear anyone complaining that vaping was too new. People are influenced to doubt the wrong things.

I’m exhibit A of Laurie’s first paragraph.

The HPV vax was fresh out when my kid became eligible. As someone who trusted doctor’s and the meds they prescribed, I was in questioning mode because I had been harmed by one of their meds that would help…endometriosis/Lupron. It wasn’t until 12 years after it was given to me that Fibromyalgia hit the side effects list for this med. What I remember is the media pushing the HPV vax. People saying you didn’t care about your child’s welfare if you opted out of the vax. My kid was vaxed on time for every one of the childhood vaccines. Vax that had years and decades of track record. I had no desire for my kid to be used as a guinea pig for the HPV vax. At this point, this vax is being offered to people up to 45 years old.

As for the COVID vax, I remember the science being explained. It was made clear how long the mRNA had been studied. It wasn’t new science, the strain being protected against was new. Jay was old enough to decide if he would take the C19 vax. We did discuss it. People were dying. I am immune compromised. We had to worry about Mom and Dad. So, we all got the vax. Jay also took the flu vax for a few years during that period of time.

Maybe the science of the HPV was discussed. I can’t remember ever hearing it. I was taught to trust doctors to my detriment. Unfortunately, I had little reason to trust the PCP Jay was seeing at the time, since that relationship was new. The HPV vax wasn’t a never. It was a not at this time.

It drives me crazy hearing someone say at least I'm not/they aren't smoking cigarettes.  That makes as much sense as saying that someone doing cocaine is okay because at least its not heroin.