Published March 16, 2026
During COVID-19, physicians who questioned official mandates on lockdowns, school closures, and vaccines faced censorship and professional retaliation — silencing scientific debate at the moment it mattered most. As a result, trust in doctors and hospitals fell from 72% in 2019 to 40% by 2024.
The connection is direct: when government mandates displace physician judgment and informed consent, public trust erodes. Rebuilding it requires restoring the primacy of doctor-patient decision-making and the freedom to follow evidence over directives.
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The opinions expressed in this video are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hoover Institution or Stanford University.
© 2026 by the Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University.
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