It’s Not About Vaccines. It’s About Power.

I thought a lot about this one.

There’s one theory I keep coming back to, and it feels truer every time I trace the threads: there’s a significant overlap between Republican women and conservative Christians, and it has created a dangerous feedback loop—one that not only sustains itself but grows stronger with every passing year.

Conservative Christian women often find themselves trapped between wanting to be “rebellious” (rejecting “mainstream” society) and wanting to remain “righteous” (faithful to their religious or traditional values). Antivax sentiment hits the sweet spot perfectly. It feels rebellious without actually threatening their sense of belonging to a conservative moral order. And because these women do community incredibly well—through churches, homeschool networks, and women’s groups—the messaging becomes self-replicating.

But it’s crucial to go deeper.