Dr. Michelle Fiscus Still Promotes COVID-19 Vaccines for Minors in TN

It was recently announced that Michelle Fiscus, former medical director in charge of vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization programs at the TN Department of Health (DOH) agreed to accept $150,000 from the (DOH) in exchange for dropping her defamation lawsuit against the state.

The lawsuit stemmed from incidents occurring in 2021, when the DOH fired Fiscus after it was revealed that she had disseminated an inaccurate email to vaccine providers claiming that minors aged 14 through 17 could be vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine, or any vaccine, without parental knowledge or consent under the “Mature Minor Doctrine.”

Statements made by Fiscus in the mass email were refuted by Rolf Hazlehurst, Senior Staff Attorney for Children’s Health Defense, when the Tennessee General Assembly’s Joint Government Operations Committee summoned Fiscus and the DOH to answer questions in June of 2021.

Hazlehurst followed up his verbal comments in August of 2021 with written testimony, clarifying the law regarding the vaccination of minors in TN.

“The “mature minor doctrine” is a defense in a medical malpractice action. In essence, the TN Dept. of Health is taking a jury instruction in a medical malpractice claim and portraying it as the statewide standard of care for the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine and other immunizations.”

In the 2023 session, the TN General Assembly passed the Mature Minor Clarification Act into law, making it clear to the DOH and vaccine providers that minors in TN require parental or guardian consent.

Although she no longer lives or works in TN, Fiscus still has much influence in the state because of two positions she currently holds in which she actively supports COVID-19 vaccination for children.

1. Chief Medical Officer of the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM). From AIM’s website: “As the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Michelle Fiscus leads AIM’s CDC-funded project to improve COVID-19 vaccination rates in children under 5 years and helps inform AIM’s products, strategies, and policies.”
   • AIM works in collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry through their Corporate Alliance Program which includes Pfizer, Moderna, Merck, Sanofi, CSL Seqirus, GSK, AstraZeneca, VBIVaccines, Novavax, and more.
   • AIM’s Adolescent Immunization Resource Guide states it “was made possible through support from Sanofi Pasteur.” The Guide provides multiple examples of how they worked with state health departments to “target” minors in grades 7 through 12. They state: “Targeting teenagers to receive vaccinations and/or vaccination information in school provides an opportunity to reach a broad swath of teens from all walks of life.”
   • Membership includes the immunization managers in all states and U.S. territories. Tennessee’s current immunization director Caitlin Newhouse is an active member of AIM.
2. Board Member of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Representing Region IV, which includes the state of Tennessee.
   • The AAP has added the COVID-19 vaccine to their recommended pediatric and adolescent schedule.
   • The AAP promotes COVID-19 vaccines to pregnant and nursing women and children as young as 6 months old.
   • The AAP studies and seeks ways to overcome “vaccine hesitancy” rather than acknowledging that vaccination is a medical intervention with for-massive-profit products whose makers are shielded from liability for harm caused by the products.
     • Concerning false statements riddle studies, such as the claim that “Natural immunity is superior to vaccine-derived immunity” and “FDA approval of the [COVID-19] vaccine was given too quickly” are “rumors.”

What AIM and the AAP call “vaccine hesitancy”, we call “medical due diligence.” Both organizations are deeply tied with the medical and pharmaceutical industries, and many of the marketing messages they push have no scientific backing or mislead through omission of critical information. Tragically, their influence infiltrates pediatric offices throughout Tennessee. AAP and pharmaceutical lobbyists haunt the capitol in Nashville during session, and when session is out, they reach legislators through special events and meetings. Most disturbing, the top official in charge of immunizations in TN is a member of AIM, and our DOH often works in partnership with AIM and AAP.

There has never been a more critical time for parents to do their medical due diligence, to read deeply, think critically, and make fully informed decisions based on the facts, not marketing messages or bullying tactics.

As CHD founder Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has said, the only one standing between your child and the pharmaceutical industry is YOU.