WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) falsely claimed Tuesday that 82% of women vaccinated against COVID-19 during their first or second trimester suffered miscarriages, reviving a years-old misinterpretation of an early vaccine-safety study.
Appearing on Fox Business, McClain cited a 2021 New England Journal of Medicine study while accusing Anthony Fauci of misleading pregnant women. But the study did not find an 82% miscarriage rate. Its reported rate among completed pregnancies was about 12.6%, consistent with the expected background rate.
The false 82% figure resulted from excluding hundreds of participants who were still pregnant or who had been vaccinated later in pregnancy while counting early pregnancy losses in the numerator. That calculation was not supported by the study design.
Subsequent research has repeatedly found no increased miscarriage risk associated with COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy. A separate NEJM study found no evidence of increased first-trimester pregnancy loss, while CDC reviews concluded miscarriage rates among vaccinated pregnant women remained within expected ranges.
McClain’s comments followed renewed attention to private 2021 messages among Fauci, Rochelle Walensky and Vivek Murthy discussing theoretical pregnancy risks while data were still limited. Those messages reflected uncertainty early in the rollout, not evidence that vaccines were causing widespread miscarriages.
The accumulated evidence directly contradicts McClain’s 82% claim.
Sources:
Discover more from News Facts Network
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
