After a long 3-h ride from New York City to Albany, we eagerly anticipated exiting the bus and getting started on our annual New York State American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Advocacy Day. We proudly wore pins stating, “We’re here for the kids!,” excited to speak to our legislators about proposed child-health-focused bills. As the bus pulled in front of the building where our meeting was to be held, we heard a quiet roar outside that grew louder as the door of the bus swung open. A large crowd of people holding picket signs were being kept in place by police officers about 5 feet away. People were shouting, “My child, my choice!” and holding signs with the words “Medical freedom” and suggesting that pediatricians were pharmaceutical company representatives. While walking the short distance from the bus to the building, people yelled, “You don’t care about kids! You only care about your pockets!” The roar of “My child, my choice” continued. I wanted to shout back, “I am a pediatrician - of course I care about kids!” Instead, I looked straight ahead and walked as quickly as I could, trying to swallow the lump in my throat and will the tears in my eyes to not stream down my face. It was March 3, 2020, and New York State had recently eliminated the religious exemption for school-required vaccination. We had been told that there may be anti-vaccine protesters, but never would I have imagined that they would be protesting Pediatricians, as we were there to support children.

The politicization of children in public health, health care, and science is not limited to the realm of vaccination. In the early 2000s, coverage for children through the Children’s Health Insurance Program was the focus of contention between Republicans and Democrats engaged in a policy battle over investing in domestic anti-poverty programs and fiscally supporting the war in Iraq, which would have significant implications for the 2008 presidential election.1 Unfortunately, these debates occurred despite clear evidence that children who have health insurance are healthier.2

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