Behind Marjorie Taylor Greene's latest Covid misinformation stunt
HIPAA doesn’t prevent you from sharing any information regarding your own health. Marjorie Taylor Greene should probably know that.
By Jessica Levinson, MSNBC Opinion Columnist
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., was temporarily kicked off Twitter this week (again) for violating its policy regarding posts containing misinformation about Covid-19. It turns out that posting lies and deceptions about a raging pandemic can really irk a social media giant.
Not one to shy away from media attention, during her 12-hour Twitter timeout, Greene decided to hold a press conference in her congressional office, during which she (either purposefully or ignorantly) misstated the law when a reporter asked her, "Have you yourself gotten vaccinated?"
Life is full of complicated questions. This is not one of them. Greene knows full well if she’s received a vaccination.
Greene responded to the reporter by (falsely) stating: "Your first question is a violation of my HIPAA rights. You see with HIPAA rights, we don't have to reveal our medical records, and that also includes our vaccine records."
It’s worth exploring why one of our elected lawmakers either doesn’t understand or blatantly lies about a federal law — especially one we are all going to be talking quite a bit about over the coming months as we navigate whether or not we will have to reveal our Covid-19 vaccination status.
Greene’s misstatement about what is covered under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, commonly known as HIPAA, lays bare some misconceptions about our privacy rights regarding vaccination status. (She made similar comments about her vaccination status back in May when she was asked about her refusal to wear a mask on the floor of the House of Representatives.)
In her posts that got her kicked off Twitter, Greene claimed that Covid-19 is only a threat for older people and obese people. The tweets were very much keeping with Greene’s general approach to scientific information regarding the pandemic: She has been a vocal and leading opponent of things that actually keep us safe from Covid-19, like masks and vaccines.
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It’s worth exploring why one of our elected lawmakers either doesn’t understand or blatantly lies about a federal law.