Award-Winning Pro-Vaccine California Pediatrician Appeals to Gov. Newsom to Preserve Doctor-Patient Relationship
Dear Governor Newsom, My name is Dr. Dane Fliedner, and I am a board certified, California-licensed pediatrician in Orange County. In addition to my medical training, I also hold a Master’s Degree in Public Health and at one point in my career was considering a career in Maternal-Child Public Health, interning at the OC Health Department and traveling to Sacramento with the local health officer to learn about the advocacy aspect of public health. I was one of the earliest recipients of Medical Board of California Service awards for my work in an under-served community. Since that time, I have also worked in Pediatric Emergency Medicine and have seen first-hand the devastation that severe bacterial infections can have on small children. I mention all of these things so that you are very clear that I am not against vaccines. I administer them daily in my pediatric practice and my own children are vaccinated and are not vaccine-injured. I know you are receiving many letters, including from physicians, but wanted to share an aspect of SB277 and now SB276/714 that you may not have considered—and that is the fact that these bills have created a climate of fear and anxiety. There are many physicians in practice that have been afraid to speak up for fear of retribution, of being targeted by the state, for public censure and loss of professional respect for speaking up regarding these laws—because that is what we often observe happening from what appears to be vindictive agendas by those in power against anyone who dares speak up.