In my corner of the world, it feels like 2020 all over again, experiencing the push and pull between losing someone I love due to medical misinformation, all while holding respect for free speech.

The tension between combating medical misinformation and protecting free speech represents one of the most challenging dilemmas of our age. On one side lies the very real danger of false health claims that can cost lives. On the other side, there is a fundamental democratic principle that has historically protected unpopular truths from suppression.

The stakes of walking this tightrope are undeniably high. We have witnessed how vaccine misinformation can fuel disease outbreaks, how false cancer cure claims can lead desperate patients away from effective treatments, and how pandemic conspiracy theories can undermine public health responses. Yet freedom of speech remains crucial to our democratic republic.

While upholding one of our country's core rights can feel theoretical, the human cost of medical misinformation isn't that abstract. It is measured in concrete, preventable deaths and suffering.

One of those deaths was my friend. Out of respect for his grieving family, I will call him "John."

John was diagnosed with prostate cancer just over a year ago. Instead of listening to his oncologists and following their treatment plan, John chose to take Ivermectin for his cancer and ended up succumbing to........

© Arkansas Online