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| Formation | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Leader | Simone Gold |
Parent organization | Free Speech Foundation |
| Website | americasfrontlinedoctors |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Conservatism in the United States |
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America's Frontline Doctors (AFLDS) is an American right-wing political organization.[1][2][3] Affiliated with Tea Party Patriots co-founder Jenny Beth Martin and publicly led by Simone Gold, the group is opposed to measures intended to control the COVID-19 pandemic, such as business closures, stay-at-home orders, and vaccination. The group promotes falsehoods about the COVID-19 pandemic and COVID-19 vaccines.
AFLDS made its first public appearance during a media event on July 27, 2020, where they advocated for the use of repurposed drugs such as hydroxychloroquine as treatments for COVID-19. Their statements were made without the support of peer-reviewed evidence or regulatory approval, and the group also alleged that the pharmaceutical industry was intentionally sponsoring studies showing the drugs to be ineffective. Video of the event was distributed via right-wing websites and social media outlets, and also promoted by then-U.S. president Donald Trump and his son.[4][5][6]
In 2021, AFLDS shifted to anti-vaccine activism with the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines; the group made false claims about the vaccines' efficacy and safety, and began to promote paid telehealth consultations with "AFLDS-trained" physicians that would prescribe medications claimed to be COVID-19 treatments. It also filed lawsuits in attempts to block an expansion of the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for one of the vaccines, and to block a proof of vaccination mandate in New York City under a claim that it was inherently discriminatory against African Americans.
- ^ Arek Sarkissian, How a doctor who questioned vaccine safety became DeSantis’ surgeon general pick, Politico (September 29, 2021): "an ultra-right wing group called America's Frontline Doctors"
- ^ Davey Alba, Virus Misinformation Spikes as Delta Cases Surge, New York Times (August 11, 2021): "America's Frontline Doctors — a right-wing group that spread misinformation about the pandemic in the past."
- ^ Ovetta Wiggins and Meagan Flynn, Rep. Andy Harris, a doctor, says he's prescribed ivermectin as a covid-19 treatment: Washington Post (October 19, 2021): "America's Frontline Doctors, a right-wing group founded in 2020 to speak out against the government's efforts to contain the coronavirus."
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