Another day, another false claim going viral on the internet. But this time, it’s largely conservatives falling for it — and it’s a matter of life and death.On Monday, a pair of Republican senators released documents revealing that Dr. Anthony Fauci had privately raised hypothetical concerns about whether the COVID-19 vaccine could pose a risk to pregnant women. This release sparked widespread conversation about whether Fauci’s public statements about the COVID-19 vaccine lined up with his private concerns. But aside from that legitimate debate, another document included in this release went viral and spread a totally false claim to millions of people.The primary purveyor of this false claim was NewsNation host and conservative journalist Katie Pavlich, who posted on X that went on to receive more than 5 million views, “The mandated and doctor recommended COVID-19 shot for pregnant women was effectively an abortion shot according to new documents just released by Senators Johnson and Paul.” (Emphasis added.)
The mandated and doctor recommended COVID-19 shot for pregnant women was effectively an abortion shot according to new documents just released by Senators Johnson and Paul. “The authors claimed a miscarriage rate of 12.6%, but the raw data revealed an 82% miscarriage rate in… https://t.co/cSHWIEUkwK pic.twitter.com/OZHqUnKyAX— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) August 10, 2026
