No, it’s not just Hollywood. It’s Colorado, too. We are anti-vaccination crazy here. Colorado has the lowest vaccination rate in the nation. There are schools in our state where the majority of students are not vaccinated. We had a whooping cough outbreak in recent years that looks now like a cautionary preview of coming attractions. Measles is eyeing our state and licking its chops. Polio is giggling. Meantime, in the legislature, lawmakers have decided to do the opposite of address the problem. They have introduced a “parent’s rights” bill aimed at pushing back against overbearing state incursions on liberty that include vaccination requirements.
Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel considered the issue and asked doctors to make a public service announcement. They obliged. The result is frank, exasperated, profane, funny-sad.