Horrifically, JD Vance’s relatives won’t vaccinate their sick child
Just when you thought you’d seen the very worst of what America has to offer, something else comes along. Jeneen Deal, a woman who is related to vice president JD Vance via marriage, will not vaccinate her sick child and has thus put her life at severe risk.
The 12-year-old child is named Adaline, and she was adopted from China. Her parents knew at the time that her heart health was weak: she suffers from Ebstein’s anomaly and Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome. Now, she’s deteriorated to the point where she needs a heart transplant, but the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital cannot give her one. She is not vaccinated against COVID-19 and flu because her parents chose their religion over their daughter, and so the hospital feared there might be a bad outcome if she was given a new heart.
“I thought, wow. So, it’s not about the kid. It’s not about saving her life,” Deal said to The Cincinnati Enquirer. If you felt a flash of incoherent rage at that, you’re not alone. Deal has endangered her child’s life, and now she’s looking to cast herself in the role of political martyr while an innocent child suffers.
Deal says she did not vaccinate her child because “the Holy Spirit put it on our hearts.” She seemingly did not consider her child’s thoughts on the matter. She believes Adaline won’t get COVID-19 if she has her new heart. “We’ll take it as we can if it happens,” she told The Enquirer. “But I know I cannot put this [vaccine] in her body knowing what we know and how we feel about it.”
In case you’re wondering if JD Vance has commented about this, n0, he hasn’t yet. But Ohio Rep. Jennifer Gross is currently co-sponsoring legislation that will “prevent discrimination against religious liberty” and allow unvaccinated children to get a transplant. The result of this will eventually be sicker children and wasted transplants.
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital has released a statement about the matter. Unlike Deal and her family, they understand the medical science behind vaccinations and heart transplants. “Our responsibility is to ensure that every donated organ is used in a way that maximizes successful outcomes for children in need,” they said. “Because children who receive a transplant will be immunosuppressed for the rest of their life, vaccines play a critical role in preventing or reducing the risk of life-threatening infections, especially in the first year. These decisions involve discussion between our providers and the patient’s family.”
In this case, the patient’s family has let down their daughter in every conceivable way. This whole thing is frankly a sad and completely avoidable story that may very well end with the loss of a 12-year-old child. If you have children, hug them a little closer tonight.
This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.
