Jim Carrey on Vaccine Law: California Gov a 'Corporate Fascist'

A hotly contested California vaccine law, which requires nearly all public schoolchildren to be vaccinated, propelled actor Jim Carrey to speak out in protest this week, calling Gov. Jerry Brown a “corporate fascist."

Carrey and his former girlfriend, actress and model Jenny McCarthy, became anti-vaccine activists after McCarthy’s son was diagnosed with autism in 2005 in a case they believe was caused by a vaccination, according to NBC Chicago. Carrey advocates specifically for the elimination of neurotoxins and mercury from children’s vaccines.

Brown, on the other hand, expressed his support for the vaccine law, saying that “The science is clear that vaccines dramatically protect children against a number of infectious and dangerous diseases,” according to The Associated Press. “While it's true that no medical intervention is without risk, the evidence shows that immunization powerfully benefits and protects the community.”

In a series of tweets following the Tuesday law-signing, Carrey vehemently opposed the law and criticized Brown for his endorsement of it:

California Gov says yes to poisoning more children with mercury and aluminum in manditory vaccines. This corporate fascist must be stopped.

— Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) July 1, 2015

Carrey later clarified that he is “pro-vaccine” but adamantly “anti-neurotoxin” as he urged his Twitter followers to check out the website for the 2014 documentary “Trace Amounts: Autism, Mercury, and the Hidden Truth” if they “really care about the kids.” He also tweeted that “the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] can't solve a problem they helped start. It's too risky to admit they have been wrong about mercury/thimerasol. They are corrupt.”

Although the CDC maintains that there is no causal link between vaccines and autism after the theory was discredited, Carrey stood by his guns and has refused to back down since, according to The Washington Post.

The new California law is designed to raise the immunization rates in under-vaccinated portions of the state, according to the AP, and it comes into effect after the measles outbreak scare that originated in Disneyland sickened more than 100 people across the U.S. and Mexico. The law requires children to receive measles, pertussis, and influenza vaccinations.

California now joins West Virginia and Mississippi as the only states that do not allow personal-belief exemption from vaccinations, although medical exemptions for children with serious medical issues, as well as those who are homeschooled, are still allowed.

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