JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – By now you’ve heard a lot about COVID and the fight against disinformation. It happens at the national, state and local level.

And now there is also a debate over vaccine mandates.

The Medical Licensing Board is making it clear that it is not trying to limit anyone’s freedom of speech. But some state doctors say they feel threatened by the council’s latest policy.

Dr. John Witcher recently launched the Mississippi Against Mandates group.

“What we are seeing are adverse events from these COVID vaccinations with our patients. And so we are more and more alarmed, ”he said. “And we just want to be able to talk about these unwanted events that we see and not be silenced.”

Dr Wesley Granger quickly joined us.

“In my 32 years of practicing medicine, I have never seen such a high rate of sudden heart attacks, strokes, neurological problems and patients who never had a problem or risk factors associated with this. And so I just felt like I had to do something more, ”he said.

Witcher believes his notice board may have prompted the Medical Licensing Board to adopt a policy of medical misinformation or disinformation that refers to doctors at risk of losing their license or suspending it if they generate. or spread misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine.

But the board says doctors have the right to share their beliefs.

“We would rather if if they would take to social media and do things like that, they would separate their personal opinions and beliefs from their professional opinions and beliefs,” he said. “Now if it turns out they’re the same, that’s where we would come in, is when they voice their opinions as a professional. They put on the white jacket, the code of legitimacy. Then we would expect them to be held to a higher standard at this point. “

The executive director of the board, Dr Kenneth Cleveland, notes that they are not referring to doctors with unpopular views, but rather a really blatant statement like “no one should ever take a vaccine”.

“But if it is a defensible statement, if there is an element of truth in what they say … then it would not be a situation where we go to a hearing”, he said. Explain.

They are complaints-driven organizations. So someone could file a complaint before an investigation begins.

Meanwhile, Witcher says he To been notified of a complaint filed against him.

“I was approached by an investigator. And he said he just wanted you to know that, you know, they opened an investigation on me. I said you haven’t crossed the line yet. But you get closer.

Secretary of State Michael Watson sent a letter to the board this week questioning the lack of a policy trigger.

The executive director of the council says they have a meeting scheduled.

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