GOP Rep Falsely Claims 82% of Women Vaccinated in First Two Trimesters Miscarried

Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI) pushed the unfounded claim on Fox Business Tuesday that 82% of women who received a COVID-19 vaccine during their first or second trimester suffered a miscarriage.

The Michigan congresswoman’s comments come as newly released texts from Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, and Dr. Vivek Murthy have renewed scrutiny of early discussions about the COVID-19 vaccines and pregnancy. The January 2021 messages show the three discussing theoretical concerns about miscarriage while safety data remained limited, though Fauci also noted that more than 10,000 pregnant women had already been vaccinated and that “no issues have arisen.” Subsequent research found no increased risk of miscarriage associated with COVID-19 vaccination, and the CDC later recommended vaccination during pregnancy.

Speaking with Fox News contributor Jason Chaffetz, in for Fox Business host Elizabeth MacDonald, on Tuesday’s edition of The Evening Edit, McClain said:

It’s disgusting, and it’s criminal — in my opinion. As a mother, I can’t imagine being pregnant, listening to the man in charge straight up lie to the American people. You try so hard to get pregnant, and then you listen to him — oh! In fact, I think he actually said that there was never a risk to pregnancy. Never a risk. When in fact, The New England Journal of Medicine said 82% who got the vaccine in their first or second trimester had a miscarriage. I mean, that is criminal, and it’s disgusting, and this man should be held accountable for it.

Yet in reality, the 82% figure stems from a long-debunked misreading of the data. The study cited by McClain reported a 12.6% miscarriage rate among participants with completed pregnancies, consistent with expected rates. The 82% figure was reached by excluding 700 women who gave birth after being vaccinated in their third trimester while still counting early pregnancy losses — a calculation the data did not support.

Watch the clip above via Fox Business.

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