Sherri Tenpenny has had her Sydney and Melbourne shows cancelled after sustained backlash Photo: Facebook
- Doctors want to bar anti-vaccination campaigner Sherri Tenpenny
- Anti-vaccination extremist’s right to visit Australia is question facing government
Prominent US anti-vaccination campaigner Sherri Tenpenny has had her Sydney and Melbourne shows cancelled after widespread community backlash.
The world is watching what Australia is doing. If more venues pull out it does not bode well for Australia’s international image.
The Kareela Golf Club, in Sydney’s south, cancelled Dr Tenpenny’s show on Wednesday after it found her subject matter to be “too controversial”.
The decision comes after Melbourne’s Bay View Eden hotel also cancelled her seminar following a protest by doctors at the venues decision to host the controversial speaker. The shows were to take place in March.
Prominent anti-vaccine campaigner, Stephanie Messenger, the organiser of the Birth Baby and Beyond tour said the decision sets a “very dangerous precedent”.
“It is very sad that that they have given into bullying. They don’t believe in freedom of speech. Parents have a right to know all sides of the debate,” Ms Messenger said.
Pressure has also been mounting on Immigration Minister Peter Dutton to deny Dr Tenpenny a visa on the grounds that “her beliefs are a very real threat to society”, according to one of several petitions started by pro-vaccination groups.
A spokesman for the minister would not rule out revoking Dr Tenpenny’s visa.
“The minister is taking advice on this matter and will make further comment when appropriate,” the spokesman said.
A Melbourne surgeon and spokesman for pro-vaccination group Stop the AVN, John Cunningham, told Fairfax Media the government should not allow Dr Tenpenny into the country.
“Sherri is one of the highest-profile anti-vaccine liars in the USA, and we should be sending a strong message to these loons that in Australia we rely on facts, science, and rational and considered opinion by people with expertise,” Dr Cunningham said.
The director of the National Centre for Immunisation Research, Dr Peter McIntyre, said the debate surrounding immunisation “should stick to the facts”.
“We need to keep it at the level of what the science is. The implication from anti-vaccine groups is that the medical professional has been pulling the wool over the eyes of the public. That is simply not the case. If there are any downsides to vaccinations, there are mechanisms in place to handle them appropriately. The benefits hugely outweigh any risks associated with vaccination.”
Dr Tenpenny has been a vocal anti-vaccination advocate for 15 years. She is a trained emergency physician and osteopath and is the author of controversial anti-vaccine bible Say No to Vaccines.
Dennis Skinner, the general manager of The Kareela golf club in Sydney’s south told the ABC that the club decided to cancel the show on Wednesday.
“The club as a venue, we don’t have a position for or against this, we just decided the subject matter was too controversial for us to be involved in,” said Mr Skinner.
Patrons of the club where divided about the decision.
“I’m very impressed Kareela Golf Club stood up for public health and refused to host Sherri Tenpenny,” Rhianna Miles wrote on Facebook.
“Unfortunately, you will always be remembered as ‘the venue’ that blocked freedom of speech,” wrote another patron, Trev Simons.
The hashtag #StopTenpenny has also spread across social media, generating sustained pressure on the venues associated with the tour.
Immigration Min. @PeterDutton_MP #StopTenpenny from spreading her unfounded message on Australian shores via @The_Parenthood — Jessica Lowe (@GreenBazaarAu) January 7, 2015
@DrRachie @smh #stoptenpenny is not stopping free speech. It’s protecting evidenced based public health measures & vulnerable parents.
— Helen Schultz (@drHelenschultz) January 7, 2015
@DrRachie @smh #stoptenpenny is not stopping free speech. It’s protecting evidenced based public health measures & vulnerable parents.
Venues in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Adelaide that will also be hosting Dr Tenpenny’s tour have been contacted for comment.
Tour organiser Ms Messenger said the world’s eyes were on Australia.
“The world is watching what Australia is doing. If more venues pull out it does not bode well for Australia’s international image.”