Tennessee GOP Senator Hosts Summit of Vaccine-Skeptical Doctors

Photo: Senator Janice Bowling, (R) Tullahoma

Photo Credit: Senator Janice Bowling / Facebook

Published August 20, 2021

The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –

On Wednesday, August 18, a summit of vaccine skeptical doctors was hosted in Tennessee’s Cordell Hull legislative office building. The event was organized by the Republican Senator from Tullahoma, Tennessee, Janice Bowling.

Adam Kleinheider, a spokesman for Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally, said the room on the eighth floor had been reserved “for an informational gathering featuring Dr. Ryan Cole.”

McNally was one of 16 Senate Republicans who signed an opinion piece and open letter that was published in The Tennessean, encouraging people to get the vaccine. The letter and op-ed claimed each of the vaccines had been tested and were safe. 

While Bowling was in attendance at the summit, she did have to leave early in order to attend a Government Operations subcommittee meeting in the same building. According to Kleinheider, it is free for any Senator to rent a meeting room in the building, and they can invite whoever they want. 

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Dr. Cole was a key speaker and helped to lead the event. He was seen earlier this year in a viral video that showed him speaking about the possible dangers of the Covid-19 vaccine. Other vaccine-skeptic doctors were in attendance, many of which have gained large followings over the past year. 

Dr. Robert Malone has been seen on TV and radio programs urging younger people not to get vaccinated because of how little is known about the vaccines. Covid-19 vaccines have been authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and have not yet received full approval. 

Another doctor, Peter McCullough, was not able to attend but did have a video conference to address the summit. During a Texas state Senate committee hearing earlier this year, McCullough said those under 50 did not need to get vaccinated.

“People under 50 who fundamentally have no health risks, there’s no scientific rationale for them to ever become vaccinated,” the cardiologist said at the time. 

Even though Bowling was not at the summit for long, she has expressed her concerns about the Covid-19 vaccines since early 2021. In March, she sponsored a bill that would keep any state or local authorities from mandating a vaccine. It also allowed for vaccine exemption on the basis of religious grounds or any concerns over effectiveness. 

Bowling said Tennesseans have the “God-given” right to choose “what goes on in their bodies.”

Other Tennesseans have also spoken out against the vaccine for the past year, including Gary Humble, who leads the group Tennessee Stands. He showed his support for Bowling’s religious exemption bill in March, and questioned the authority to deem Covid an “epidemic.”

During a rally in March, he said current law “doesn’t say who gets to determine what an epidemic is or when the threat of an epidemic is coming.”

He added, “I don’t care how deadly you perceive Covid to be. All I care about is that government is restricted to only the authority that it has through our constitution.”

About the Author:

Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative  ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career.  Most recently, he served as Deputy Directory for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others.  He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History.  Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com