GOP doc dispenses sketchy medical advice

TOPEKA » Roger Marshall won’t let people forget he’s a doctor, putting “Doc” in the letterhead of his U.S. Senate office’s news releases. But when he talks about COVID-19 vaccines, some doctors and experts say the Kansas Republican sounds far more like a politician than a physician.

He’s made statements about vaccines and immunity that defy both medical consensus and official U.S. government guidance. He’s aggressively fighting President Joe Biden’s vaccine requirements, arguing they’ll infringe on people’s liberties and wreck the economy. He’s acknowledged experimenting on himself with an unproven treatment for warding off COVID-19.

Marshall’s positions are pushing the first-term senator and obstetrician closer to the medical fringe.

Critics say the lawmakers’ statements are dangerous and unethical, and that Marshall’s medical degree confers a perception of expertise that carries weight with constituents and other members of Congress.