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 Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

, she was elected in 2018 and assumed office in 2019.

Early life and education

Pollock was born in Michigan and raised in Kentucky. She earned an associate degree from

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College Elizabethtown Community and Technical College (ECTC) is a community college in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. It is one of 16 two-year, open-admissions colleges of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS). History It was formed b ...

and a certificate from

Spencerian College Spencerian College was a private, for-profit career college in Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1892 as the Spencerian Commercial School, a private for-profit business school, by Enos ...

Career

Pollock is a cardiovascular invasive specialist.Missouri lawmakers consider bill to relax immunization rules
Associated Press (March 9, 2021). She was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 2018 and re-elected in 2020.

Anti-vaccine activity

While in the House, Pollock promoted anti-vaccination legislation.Jeremy Kohler
GOP Legislators in Missouri Oppose Vaccine Efforts as State Becomes COVID Hotspot
''ProPublica'' (July 21, 2021). 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 False information, including intentional disinformation and conspiracy theories, about the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic and the origin, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease has been spread through social media, text messagin ...

and the

COVID-19 vaccine A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, an e ...

. 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. In late 2020, Pollock introduced a bill to bar discrimination against persons who chose not to be vaccination against COVID-19. 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 Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than , cough, ...

, and

mumps MUMPS ("Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Multi-Programming System"), or M, is an imperative, high-level programming language with an integrated transaction processing key–value database. It was originally developed at Massachusetts Gener ...

. Pollock had introduced a similar bill in 2020, but it did not advance.Kurt Erickson
Missouri House debates anti-vaccination rules as COVID-19 cases tumble
''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' (March 9, 2021). 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. During the legislative debate, Pollock said, "We need to rein in our schools and our health departments." The Missouri State Medical Association and the Missouri chapter of the

American Academy of Pediatrics The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is an American professional association of pediatricians, headquartered in Itasca, Illinois. It maintains its Department of Federal Affairs office in Washington, D.C. Background The Academy was founded ...

opposed the bill due to the supposed risks it presented to public health. 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.Maria Benevento
Move to loosen vaccine rules for students fails in Missouri House
''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' (April 28, 2021).

Personal life

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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollock, Suzie Republican Party members of the Missouri House of Representatives 21st-century American legislators People from Michigan People from Kentucky People from Lebanon, Missouri Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Women state legislators in Missouri 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century Missouri politicians