Actor Denies Anti-Vaxxer Stance Following Lending His Voice To Contentious Covid Feature
The "Taken" star has lent his voice to a recent film that casts doubt on the safety of immunizations and praises one-time health official RFK Jr.
The Film's Provocative Foundation
Titled "Plague of Corruption," the film is adapted from a popular book published by Judy Mikovits, who gained notoriety during the health crisis for claims that Covid was a result of a bad strain of the influenza shot.
The book's collaborator, Kent Heckenlively, has penned books with conspiracy-prone figure the Infowars host. Heckenlively wrote online celebrating Neeson's involvement in the film.
An Unequivocal Statement
Representatives for the actor have provided a response strongly denying claims that he supports anti-vaccine views.
"We all understand that unethical practices might be present within the medical sector, but that should never be confused with being against vaccines," the response explains. "Neeson never has been, and cannot be described as, anti-vax. His extensive work with Unicef reinforces his long-held support for worldwide vaccination initiatives."
It added that the actor had no hand in the film's editorial content and that questions about its content are best addressed to the creators.
Major Claims Featured in the Feature
As presented, the script provided by Neeson features several controversial claims:
- It claims that pro-immunization voices have called for "blind obedience" to government bodies.
- It posits that "research has become dangerously politicized."
- Kennedy is featured claiming, "The core flaw with vaccines is that they simply are not properly vetted."
- It takes aim at pandemic restrictions, saying they caused mental anguish that cost thousands of lives.
- On the topic of pandemic shots, it mentions a perspective that they were "rushed to market" and seen as "hazardous tests."
Previous Controversy and Ongoing Debates
The film includes a 2004 BBC documentary about clinical trials on children, which was afterwards the focus of a formal apology by the corporation for editorial breaches.
In recent weeks, RFK Jr instructed the CDC to alter its longstanding position that there is no connection between vaccines and autism. This supposed link is repeated in the documentary, despite a new report from the global health body stating no evidence has been found.
A Past Position of Endorsement
Differing from the film's narrative, Neeson has formerly shown strong support for vaccines in his capacity as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador.
In 2022, he described vaccines as "a remarkable triumph," adding that "The debate about vaccines in the past few years has lost sight of how much benefit they have done... It is perhaps one of the biggest shared accomplishments in our history."
"Plague of Corruption" ends with Neeson's narration stating, "This marks not the conclusion of our journey. Rather, it is the dawn of a fresh chapter."
