Suzie Pollock
Suzie Pollock | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Missouri House of Representatives from the 123rd district | |
| In office 2019–2023 | |
| Preceded by | Diane Franklin |
| Succeeded by | Lisa Thomas (redistricting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michigan, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Darrell Pollock |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Elizabethtown Community and Technical College (AA) Spencerian College (GrCert) |
Suzie Pollock is an American politician who served as a member of the Missouri House of Representatives from the 123rd district. A member of the Republican Party, she was elected in 2018 and assumed office in 2019.[1]
Early life and education
[edit]Pollock was born in Michigan and raised in Kentucky. She earned an associate degree from Elizabethtown Community and Technical College and a certificate from Spencerian College.
Career
[edit]Pollock is a cardiovascular invasive specialist.[2] She was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 2018 and re-elected in 2020.[3]
Anti-vaccine activity
[edit]While in the House, Pollock promoted anti-vaccination legislation.[4] During the COVID-19 pandemic in Missouri, Pollock was one of a number of Republican state lawmakers who promoted and amplified misinformation about COVID-19 and the COVID-19 vaccine. She promoted claims, promoted by right-wing media outlets, that the vaccines approved for use in the U.S. had "been rushed" and had questionable efficacy.[4] In late 2020, Pollock introduced a bill to bar discrimination against persons who chose not to be vaccination against COVID-19.[4]
In the 2021 legislative session, Pollock sponsored a measure to expand school vaccination opt-outs, allowing more children to enter school without being vaccinated against infectious diseases, such as polio, measles, and mumps.[4] Pollock had introduced a similar bill in 2020, but it did not advance.[2][5] Pollock's bill would have eliminated vaccine requirements for private school students, and would also make it easier to obtain exemptions from vaccine requirements to attend public schools and universities.[2][5] During the legislative debate, Pollock said, "We need to rein in our schools and our health departments."[5] The Missouri State Medical Association and the Missouri chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics opposed the bill due to the supposed risks it presented to public health.[2][5] The House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee passed the bill 10–6, but it was defeated in April 2021 on the House floor on a 79–67 vote.[4][6]
Personal life
[edit]Pollock's husband, Darrell Pollock, served in the Missouri House of Representatives from 2005 to 2013. Pollock and her husband live in Lebanon, Missouri and have two children. They also have 9 great- nieces and nephews 6 nieces Amaiya, Alivia, Kaylee, Stella, and Lilly. Their nephew's names are Matthew, Houston, and Stetson.
References
[edit]- ^ "Suzie Pollock". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
- ^ a b c d Missouri lawmakers consider bill to relax immunization rules, Associated Press (March 9, 2021).
- ^ "MO-Winners". Associated Press News. 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
- ^ a b c d e Jeremy Kohler, GOP Legislators in Missouri Oppose Vaccine Efforts as State Becomes COVID Hotspot, ProPublica (July 21, 2021).
- ^ a b c d Kurt Erickson, Missouri House debates anti-vaccination rules as COVID-19 cases tumble, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (March 9, 2021).
- ^ Maria Benevento, Move to loosen vaccine rules for students fails in Missouri House, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (April 28, 2021).