NRL star Frank Winterstein’s wife Taylor slammed for spreading vaccination safety fears

The wife of NRL star Frank Winterstein, who has proudly declared she does not vaccinate her children, is charging $200 a head for people to attend workshops to be “informed” about the jabs.

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THE wife of an NRL star, who has proudly declared she does not vaccinate her children, is charging $200 a head for people to attend her workshops to be “informed” about the lifesaving jabs.

Mum-of-two Taylor Winterstein, wife of Manly Sea Eagles forward Frank Winterstein, claims vaccines cause allergies and parents are being “bullied” by GPs who “pressure” them to give their children vaccinations.

On Sunday night, Manly and the NRL declined to comment as medical experts and the government slammed the mother-of-two for her “absolutely irresponsible” messaging.

Manly Sea Eagle Frank Winterstein with wife Taylor and son Ziggy. Picture: Mark Evans

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Mrs Winterstein is the second NRL wife to criticise vaccination after pregnant Shanelle Cartwright, the wife of Gold Coast Titan Bryce Cartwright, announced last month she would not vaccinate her child.

The $200 “Making Informed Choices” workshops are scheduled for Australian cities as well as Samoa and New Zealand. The invitation reads: “The benefits of vaccines are constantly over exaggerated and the risk of an adverse reaction severely down played by politicians, journalists and GP’s.”

Taylor Winterstein’s flyer for the workshops. Picture: Instagram

Mrs Winterstein claimed on Sunday she had “never once said not to vaccinate”.

“If anything I am an ex-vaxxer and I stand for informed consent, freedom of choice and vaccine injury awareness,” she told The Daily Telegraph.

But she also claimed the jabs were not safe and said neither of her young children had been vaccinated.

“Vaccines are not safe and effective for everyone, a ‘one size fits all’ schedule does not fit all bio-individual children and where there is risk there must always be choice,” she said.

An Instagram post by Mrs Winterstein.

She also claimed that rigorous testing of vaccinations had not been done in Australia.

Mrs Winterstein’s titles herself as a Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and a “self-education advocate”. She also claimed many mothers in the NRL hold the same views.

“The amount of NRL players and their partners who consciously choose NOT to vaccinate would seriously surprise you,” she wrote on Instagram last month.

“I know for a FACT there are MANY high profile, ‘influencers’ on social media among the sport and wellness industry, who do not vaccinate their children but won’t publicly share their beliefs.”

Mrs Winterstein with her children. Picture: Instagram

Australian Medical Association NSW president Dr Kean-Seng Lim rubbished Mrs Winterstein’s claims, saying vaccinations were one of the most studied public health interventions.

“There is absolutely conclusive evidence that vaccines work,” he said.

“The risk of serious adverse reaction is extraordinarily small, it’s one in several hundred of thousands, compared to the risk of having a severe illness after actually contracting one of these disease — the risk of the vaccine itself is quiet tiny.”

Dr Lim slammed Mrs Winterstein’s plans to take her tour to Samoa.

“To go to a third world country, to spread this in third world countries, is just irresponsible, this is just absolutely irresponsible,” he said.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said anyone encouraging mums and dads not to vaccinate their children were “completely irresponsible”.

“If you’d seen a child die or have amputations because of a failure to vaccinate you wouldn’t be making such dopey assertions,” he said.

“Thank heavens we didn't have loopy advice years ago when we stamped out polio.

Originally published as NRL star Frank Winterstein’s wife Taylor slammed for spreading vaccination safety fears