Republicans Revive False Miscarriage Statistic, Twist Fauci's Texts About COVID

Key Points:

• Studies consistently show no increased risk of miscarriage or other pregnancy complications associated with COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy, contradicting claims by Republican Senators Rand Paul and Ron Johnson.
• Paul and Johnson released selective texts from Dr. Anthony Fauci suggesting a theoretical concern about fever-related miscarriage risk early in vaccine rollout, but Fauci's public statements aligned with evolving evidence emphasizing vaccine safety and COVID-19 risks in pregnancy.
• The senators resurrected a debunked claim of an 82% miscarriage rate after vaccination, which is based on a miscalculation of CDC data and has been refuted by multiple experts and subsequent studies showing miscarriage rates consistent with expected pregnancy loss rates.
• Health authorities, including the CDC and medical organizations, have recommended COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy since mid-2021, citing accumulating data demonstrating safety and the dangers of COVID-19 infection for pregnant individuals and fetuses.
• Claims by some officials that vaccine safety data on miscarriage remain controversial lack support from current scientific evidence, which continues to affirm no increased miscarriage risk from COVID-19 vaccination.