{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/9/sen-johnson-and-dr-pierre-kory-for-fox-news-california-gov-newsom-must-not-declare-war-on-doctors-over-so-called-medical-misinformation", "Sen. Johnson and Dr. Pierre Kory for Fox News: California Gov. Newsom Must Not Declare War on Doctors Over So-Called Medical \u2018Misinformation\u2019", "2022-09-26", "2022", "2022-09", "Republican", "Senate", "WI", "Ron Johnson", "J000293", "www.ronjohnson.senate.gov", "ronjohnson", "https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "OSHKOSH \u2013 On Monday, Fox News published an op-ed by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Dr. Pierre Kory exposing California legislation that if signed into law would allow the Medical Board of California to revoke a doctor\u2019s license to practice medicine for expressing an opinion contradictory to \"contemporary scientific consensus.\"\n\nAfter two years of flip-flopping \u201cscientific consensus\u201d around COVID-19, Sen. Johnson and Dr. Kory argue that \u201csociety should be encouraging people to come forward with promising new ideas, not threatening to strip their livelihood.\u201d\n\nThe full op-ed can be found here and excerpts are below.\n\n\u201cPresident Joe Biden may have declared the pandemic \u2018over,\u2019 but someone needs to tell the state of California. A bill sitting on Governor Gavin Newsom\u2019s desk would levy career-ending penalties on doctors deemed guilty of spreading so-called \u2018misinformation\u2019 related to COVID-19. If enacted, this law has the potential to destroy the medical profession and stifle innovation from coast to coast.\n\n\u201cThe bill in question, AB 2098, would allow the Medical Board of California to revoke a doctor\u2019s license to practice medicine in the state for expressing an opinion \u2018contradicted by contemporary scientific consensus contrary to the standard of care.\u2019 The problem is that \u2018contemporary scientific consensus\u2019 has fluctuated wildly over the past two years.\n\n\u2026\n\n\u201cBy enacting a law that forces medicals professionals to follow \u2018contemporary scientific consensus,\u2019 California is effectively saying it has all the answers in the world. Nothing could be further from the truth. While we in the United States are vaccinating toddlers, Denmark has restricted anyone under 30 from receiving the Moderna vaccine and no longer recommends COVID-19 vaccination to low-risk individuals under 50. If a well-meaning Californian did not want to subject themselves or their child to an mRNA vaccine, they would face an unpleasant choice between falling for \u2018misinformation\u2019 or moving to Denmark.\n\n\u201cMedical knowledge never stops evolving. It is constantly shaped by emerging data and trends. No single doctor \u2013 or politician \u2013 has a monopoly on good ideas. Society should be encouraging people to come forward with promising new ideas, not threatening to strip their livelihood.\n\n\u201cIn 1983, Senator Johnson\u2019s infant daughter had corrective surgery at the age of eight months for a serious congenital heart defect. Her life was saved because doctors had the ability to improve open-heart surgical techniques and procedures by practicing medicine. The California law would severely limit future medical advancements like this.\n\n\u2026\n\n\u201cWhat happens in California does not stay in California. Newsom can kill this terrible bill and prevent a hostile takeover of medicine by oppressive government censors. Let\u2019s hope he does the right thing.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T03:08:33Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/9/sen-johnson-and-dr-pierre-kory-for-fox-news-california-gov-newsom-must-not-declare-war-on-doctors-over-so-called-medical-misinformation"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.5372880045324564, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}