Candace Cameron Bure says she's not anti-vax but 'pro-medical freedom'

Candace Cameron Bure says she's not against vaccines.

The Hallmark actress is in favor of several other things: "pro-medical freedom," "pro-informed consent," "pro-immune system," "pro-early intervention" and "pro-sunlight, exercise, real food, & vitamins."

On Friday, she shared a meme that said as much with her five million followers. She captioned it, "This. This is not about what I am against. This is what I am FOR. Read and understand the distinction. This mama is holding the line and standing up for freedom. This should not separate us. We can have different opinions and still respect and love one another. Be bigger than that!"

Bure, the mother of three adult children, ignited an intense debate with the repost. Some of the 356,000-plus likes she received for the sentiment — as of Friday afternoon — came from recognizable names, such as her Full House dad Bob Saget and fellow Hallmark stars Lacey Chabert, Danica McKellar, Katharine McPhee and Alexa PenaVega. Supporters cheered her on in the comments.

But for all the love she received, many of the commenters were critical, though not all mean. People asked Bure, sometimes sarcastically, if she took the same stance on abortion and gave women the freedom to choose what was best for their bodies. They told stories about their own loved ones who died from COVID-19 and lamented how none of the items listed in Bure's post could have saved them.

What was happening on Bure's Instagram account is playing out all across the country. As of Friday, more than 700,000 Americans had died of the coronavirus and about two-thirds of Americans were fully vaccinated, according to the New York Times. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has determined that the shots are "safe and effective," yet the issue remains divisive and, often, politicized. President Joe Biden again on Thursday pleaded with citizens to roll up their shirt sleeves.

"We're headed in the right direction, but we still have a long way to go," Biden said during a speech in the Chicago suburb of Elk Grove, Ill. "We have a plan. We have the tools. We just have to finish the job. Finish the job. So for God's sake, for your own sake, for the sake of your families, get vaccinated."

Bure herself declined to share her vaccine status in an expired Instagram Stories post, according to Page Six. But she's been open in the past about her opposition to vaccine mandates.

In July, another Bure post gained a lot of attention for a different reason. It was a TikTok, set to Lana Del Ray's "Jealous Girl," in which she held up the Bible, captioned "When they don't know the power of the Holy Spirit." She later apologized and removed the video. "I was using a very specific clip from TikTok and applying it to the power of the Holy Spirit, which is incredible," she said at the time. "And so many of you thought that I was trying to be seductive, which clearly means I'm not a very good actress because I was trying to be strong, not sexy or seductive."