Vaccine Refusal Puts Officer's Career on the Line

[Guest guest]

Vaccine Refusal Puts Officer's Career on the Line

Stephan Archer

February 10, 2000

Everyone in the military knows you don't refuse to obey an order, but

that's just what Maj. Sonnie Bates has done.

The United States Air Force officer risks a possible court-martial

for refusing to be inoculated with a controversial vaccine for

anthrax. Bates has put his career of more than 13 years on the line

to avoid an inoculation that 2.4 million U.S. armed forces personnel

have been ordered to receive.

Bates told NewsMax.com he wouldn't think twice about taking the

anthrax vaccine if the nation were at war, but with the nation free

from the worries of war, the officer has decided to challenge what he

considers to be an unlawful order.

Ever since his 7-year-old son Seth came down with autism, Bates and

his wife have been wary about vaccines. Born without any signs of the

ailment, the child became autistic soon after the vaccines he

received at 18 months. But refusing to get inoculated for the anthrax

vaccine was a decision he made only after some very recent events

last year.

Read more here:

http://www.newsmax.com/articles/print.shtml?a=2000/2/10/62258