Don’t bully me on vaccine: Cartwright

The ARL Commission will make a final call on flu vaccinations but for the moment confusion reigns.

Bryce Cartwright trains with the Titans on the Gold Coast

Gold Coast forward Bryce Cartwright has hit out at critics of his stance on vaccinations as it emerged as many as three Canberra players had missed training on Wednesday over an issue that is fast dividing the game.

Cartwright has become the face of the vaccination debate, his wife Shanelle taking to social media early on Wednesday to defend her husband’s stance. Cartwright himself followed up on Wednesday night with a compelling articulation of his position, having earlier been the subject of comment from the highest office in the land.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison was among those to suggest players shouldn’t be allowed to play unless they received a flu shot. The ARL Commission will make a final decision on their position on Thursday and it could be that players who refuse flu shots are banned for the season.

That won’t just impact on Cartwright. Canberra pair Sia Soliola and Josh Papalii missed training in the nation’s capital on Wednesday, apparently because they refused to sign a waiver.

Cartwright insisted he wouldn’t be bullied into making a decision that had the potential to impact on the health of himself and his family.

“Not once have I said I am anti-vaccinations,” he wrote on social media.

“I’ve never claimed to be a doctor or a medical professional and I have never told anyone what they should or shouldn’t do in regards to vaccinations.

“I stand for the freedom to choose what goes into our bodies, I am pro-choice, pro-informed consent and pro-medical freedom.

“I have nothing against people who choose to vaccinate … so to label me an “anti-vaxxer” is spreading misinformation.

“The flu shot is not mandatory in the NRL at the moment. Players have been offered a waiver to sign if we don’t want it.

“Giving us the ultimatum of get the shot or be stood down is coercion, and leaking private medical information, well that’s illegal.

“As for me being the first and apparently only one declining the shot is bullshit and far from the truth.

“These are our bodies and we decide what goes in them. I know people in my industry with vaccine injured children and the herd NEVER stuck around for them.

“I won’t be bullied into making decisions that could impact my health and the health of my family.”

Speaking on Sydney radio station 2GB earlier in the day, Prime Minister Morrison said: “When I was Social Services Minister I started the ‘no jab, no play’ rule into the childcare facilities.

“And I think the same rule applies there. No jab, no play.”

That prompted a backlash from Cartwright’s teammates, most prominently Dale Copley. Copley took umbrage at the Prime Ministers comments, questioning whether he had forgotten which political party he represented.

“The rules we’re under is he (Cartwright) was able to sign a waiver and still play,” Copley said.

“While that’s the position of the NRL, I think he has every right to do that.

“There’s no way I’d be forcing someone to get an injection they don’t want to get.

“That’s completely up to him. It’s certainly an issue that’s pretty divisive in the community and there’s a fair few political things attached to that. I’d certainly throw my support behind Bryce.

“ScoMo’s (Morrison) got his political parties maybe a bit mixed up there. The Coalition’s the ones that are supposed to try and fight for our freedom.”

“I’ve always been a supporter politically of freedom of choice and not encroaching on personal liberty, so I’m more than happy for Bryce to make his own decision in that regard.”

Cartwright’s wife Shanelle took to social media to support her husband.

“People have the freedom to say what they like, just like we have the freedom to choose which medical procedures we undergo, but ultimately the proof is in the pudding,” she wrote. “Our kids are a picture of health. They’ve never had an ear infection, never had a chest infection or bronchitis, they have no neuro-developmental disorders or auto-immune disorders and are rarely ever sick. They’ve never had a round of antibiotics or any other pharmaceutical drug for that matter (yes, including Panadol).

“As parents we do our best with what we know, for some, health comes in a needle and it works for them. So if it’s not clear, we’re not anti anything. We stand for medical freedom and the right to choose. Anyway, that’s my piece.”

The issue is likely to get resolved on Thursday as the commission prepares to discuss their stance around both vaccination and their treatment of Mother’s Day.

The biosecurity rules were expected to be eased to allow players to visit their mothers, although a final decision will rest in the hands of the commission.

It is understood the NRL’s biosecurity experts in tandem with management have prepared a response for the commission to consider.