With controversy around vaccines, the Tri-Cities need civil discussion | Opinion

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, support for vaccines has become less stable, more polarized. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. at the federal level has cancelled all mRNA research and modified children’s vaccine schedules.

Questions about the causes of vaccine injury persist, especially regarding autism or myocarditis. We read about a resurgence of measles in Texas, Florida and elsewhere. Canada has lost its measles-free status; the U.S. seems not far behind.

Vaccine policies raise a host of issues: from the approval process to herd immunity; from gene therapy to implied consent; from adjuvants to mandates and more.

So how can we determine the best course of action with vaccinations? Where do we draw the line between significant benefits and unacceptable risk? Moreover, how can we, the public, recognize the difference between solid science and misinformation?

The Columbia Basin Badger Club invites you to take a step into the world of vaccines at noon on Dec. 11.

This program will be different. Often questions about the safety and efficacy of vaccines go unanswered because they’re raised within their own circle. This program will give you the unusual opportunity to hear from both perspectives in the same venue. Speakers will have the opportunity to ask one another questions, and the audience can ask speakers questions.

Half of civil discourse is listening — listening to the reality of the other side. While listening can be a small, tentative step into new territory, listening can also result in a giant leap toward understanding.

In the spirit of inquiry and a more collaborative approach, we have assembled a panel of four experts with differing views, and asked them to help us understand the benefits, risks and science of both traditional and mRNA (Covid) vaccines. Speakers include:

• Dr. Steven Krager, health officer for Benton-Franklin, Cowlitz, Mason, and Walla Walla counties
• Christina Parks, Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology
• Nicolas Hulscher, MPH, epidemiologist and administrator for the McCullough Foundation
• Dr. Helen Y. Chu, MPH, professor of medicine and epidemiology, University of Washington, with prior service on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The Badger Club invites you join a program of listening, reflecting and asking questions — of civil discourse — that no doubt will broaden and deepen our understanding of vaccines.

You can register for this event at columbiabasinbadgers.com to receive a confirmation and links to join the hour-long Zoom forum and an optional half-hour “Table Talk” open-mic session to further the discussion afterward. Cost is $10 for nonmembers while club members can join for free.

The Columbia Basin Badger Club is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that promotes civil discourse by providing public forums on important issues of the day.