After losing her medical license following a series of false claims about COVID-19 vaccines – amongst other bizarre comments – during testimony to state lawmakers, Ohio physician Sherri Tenpenny has reportedly had her license reinstated.
Cast your mind back to June 2021. Conspiracy theories about COVID-19 vaccines were no longer limited to the internet – they’d made their way into state legislature hearings over bills to ban vaccine mandates.
In one such hearing, anti-vaccine activist Dr Sherri Tenpenny – who had previously been dubbed one of the “Disinformation Dozen” by the Center for Countering Digital Hate – testified to the Ohio House Health Committee and proceeded to make a number of unsupported claims about some pretty wild supposed side effects.
“I’m sure you’ve seen the pictures all over the Internet of people who have had these shots and now they’re magnetized,” said Tenpenny during her testimony. “You can put a key on their forehead—it sticks. They can put spoons and forks all over them and they can stick because now we think there is a metal piece to that.”
That claim is false – vaccines cannot make you magnetic. They don’t even contain the ingredients that could generate an electromagnetic field. Apologies if you were hoping to become the next Magneto.
Tenpenny also alleged that COVID vaccines created an “interface” with 5G cell towers – after all, if you’re going to make some wild claims, you might as well add a sprinkle of one of the most classic conspiracy theories in the book.
In addition to her statements about the vaccines, the physician made comments about “some major metropolitan areas liquifying dead bodies and pouring them into the water supply.”
Not only did the testimony go viral, but the state medical board also received 350 complaints. Tenpenny failed to cooperate with the resulting investigation and as a result, her medical license was suspended, alongside receiving a $3,000 fine.
“Dr. Tenpenny, neither you nor any doctor licensed by this board is above the law, and you must comply with the investigation,” said board member Dr. Jonathan Feibel at the time, Cleveland.com reports. “You have not done so, and therefore, until you do, your license will be suspended.”
However, that suspension has now been lifted, as can be seen in official records of professional licensure and as reported by Tenpenny herself, saying she was “thrilled to share” the news. A spokesperson for the medical board told the Statehouse News Bureau that Tenpenny had paid her fine and cooperated with investigations, and the board consequently voted to reinstate her license.
Conspiracy theories about COVID-19 haven’t just been limited to vaccines. In the 4 years since it was declared a pandemic, all sorts of bizarre claims have been floated, from those alleging Bill Gates was to blame to suggestions that drinking cow urine could prevent infection.
