GOP Senators Release 2021 Fauci Texts Regarding mRNA COVID Shots and Pregnancy

A short text message chain involving Dr. Anthony Fauci sent from his government phone in early 2021 revealed he thought mRNA COVID-19 vaccines could have "theoretically" been "associated with miscarriage" in the first trimester of pregnancy.

The Details: The messages were released by Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) on Monday. Johnson's office said the phone had over 34,000 messages and 522 voicemails. In the exchange with Fauci were Doctors Vivek Murthy and Rochelle Walensky, the former US Surgeon General and CDC Director, respectively.

Key Exchange: Murthy asked on January 25, "For pregnant women considering getting the vaccine, are you aware of any data or theoretical reason why vaccinating early vs late in pregnancy would be preferred?"

After a reply from Walensky, Fauci wrote, "There are no data or theoretical reason to believe that vaccinating early versus later in pregnancy would be preferred… There is this misperception out there that we need to deal with that mRNA somehow can 'get into your genes'. When the misperception gets extended to an early developing fetus, the anxiety heightens." He added, I asked around a bit more and another issue came up that you need to be aware of. Since many people have significant cytokines storm and fever after the 2nd dose, this theoretically could be associated with miscarriage in the 1st trimester."

Later in the chat, Fauci said, "A large number (more than 10,000) pregnant women have been vaccinated. No issues have arisen. The FDA and the ACIP andid the the ACOG are all permissive for pregnant women to have a choice."

Previously: Several outlets across the spectrum that covered the story noted that days later in 2021, the Food and Drug Administration had found "thus far, no red flags about… pregnant women."

How The Media Covered It: The story was widely covered by major outlets from the right, though several major outlets from the left and center covered the story also. Outlets from the right generally framed Fauci's texts as an admission of risk or "concerns," and often noted his "no red flags" comment days later in headlines. Brittany Bernstein of National Review (Lean Right bias) split from this framing and published an analysis headlined, "No, Fauci's Texts Are Not Proof of a Conspiracy to Hide Vaccine Risks to Pregnant Women." From the center, Forbes and The Hill framed headlines around the release of the texts. Several outlets from the left noted the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine in headlines.

Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Support our mission. Suggest an improvement to this summary.