Marianne Williamson, one of the 20 contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination in the 2020 election, called mandatory-vaccine policies “Orwellian” at an event in New Hampshire late Wednesday. “To me, it’s no different than the abortion debate,” Williamson said of vaccinations, according to NBC News. “The U.S. government doesn’t tell any citizen, in my book, what they have to do with their body or their child.” Vaccine mandates in the United States are too “Draconian” and “Orwellian,” she said. Williamson is set to participate during night two of the Democratic debates later this month. Williamson later said in a statement to The Daily Beast: “Public safety must be carefully balanced with the right of individuals to make their own decisions. I am sorry that I made comments which sounded as though I question the validity of life-saving vaccines. That is not my feeling and I realize that I misspoke.”
