The Fifth Big Lie of Vaccinology

Why Kane County Deserves Truth, Not Slogans

For years, residents of Kane County have been told—often without nuance, evidence, or transparency—that vaccines are universally “safe and effective.” The phrase appears everywhere: on federal websites, in state health directives, in school communications, and in county-level public health messaging. It is repeated so frequently that many assume it is a scientific conclusion rather than what it actually is: a marketing slogan.

A recent analysis by physician and writer Dr. Clayton J. Baker, published in the Brownstone Journal, exposes how deeply this slogan has been embedded into public health communication. His argument is simple but profound: declaring all vaccines “safe and effective” as a class is not science—it is propaganda. And for communities like Kane County, the consequences of this messaging strategy are real.

When Marketing Replaces Medicine

Dr. Baker traces how advertising language—catchy, repetitive, emotionally reassuring—has merged with government health directives. Just as cereal companies once convinced Americans that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” federal agencies have convinced the public that all vaccines, regardless of technology, manufacturer, or safety record, fall under a single blanket label.

This is not how science works. This is how marketing works.

Yet Kane County residents have been on the receiving end of this messaging for years, especially during the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Local health departments were instructed to promote the shots as “safe and effective” even as:

• multiple vaccine products were rushed to market
• two major COVID vaccines (Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca) were later withdrawn
• VAERS recorded tens of thousands of serious adverse events
• effectiveness waned rapidly, requiring repeated boosters

Despite these realities, the slogan persisted—and still does.

Why This Matters for Kane County Families

1. Informed Consent Requires Honest Information

Parents in Kane County cannot make informed decisions when risks are minimized or dismissed. The phrase “safe and effective” shuts down discussion, discourages questions, and pressures families into compliance rather than empowering them with facts.

2. Schools Rely on State and Federal Messaging

When the Illinois Department of Public Health and CDC use slogan-based language, Kane County schools adopt it automatically. This affects:

• exemption processes
• school nurse communications
• parent notifications
• district-level health policies

Families deserve more than slogans when making decisions about their children’s health.

3. Public Trust Is Eroded by Oversimplification

Kane County residents are not anti-science. They are anti-propaganda. When government agencies repeat a phrase so relentlessly that it becomes dogma, trust collapses. Transparency—not repetition—is what rebuilds confidence.

A Pattern of Withheld or Oversimplified Information

Dr. Baker highlights a long list of vaccines that were once approved but later withdrawn due to safety or efficacy concerns:

• Swine flu vaccine
• Rotashield (rotavirus)
• Oral polio vaccine
• Lyme vaccine
• Killed measles vaccine
• Plasma-derived hepatitis B vaccine
• Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine
• AstraZeneca COVID vaccine

Each of these products was once declared “safe and effective.” Each was later removed from the market.

Kane County residents have every right to question whether today’s messaging is any more reliable than yesterday’s.

The Local Path Forward: Transparency, Not Taglines

Kane County is at a crossroads. Residents are increasingly demanding honesty from public institutions, especially after years of shifting narratives, withheld data, and pressure campaigns. The recent success in getting the Illinois Certificate of Religious Exemption posted publicly shows that local advocacy works—and that transparency is both possible and necessary.

To move forward responsibly, Kane County should:

• Retire slogan-based messaging and replace it with clear, evidence-based communication
• Acknowledge risks openly rather than minimizing them
• Respect parental autonomy in all school and health decisions
• Provide full access to exemption information without barriers
• Encourage open dialogue rather than stigmatizing questions

Public health should be rooted in trust, not repetition.



Conclusion: Kane County Deserves Better

The “Fifth Big Lie of Vaccinology”—the blanket claim that all vaccines are inherently “safe and effective”—has shaped national messaging for decades. But Kane County does not have to accept this narrative uncritically. Our community deserves transparency, honesty, and respect for individual choice.

Science is not a slogan. Informed consent is not optional. And Kane County families are smart enough to handle the truth.

If our local institutions want to rebuild trust, the first step is simple: stop repeating marketing language and start speaking plainly

The Fifth Big Lie of Vaccinology ⋆ Brownstone Institute Clayton J. Baker, MD