By Barbara Loe Fisher
During the past decade, families in the United Kingdom, Canada and America have witnessed the demonization of brave doctors and parents of vaccine injured children. It has been both sickening and frightening to watch physicians and some journalists engage in a relentless persecution of Dr. Andrew Wakefield, who first published research in 1998 examining the potential association between MMR vaccine and autism. It has become obvious that their goal is to turn him into a horrible warning to any physician who dares to investigate vaccine injury, especially regressive autism. Not satisfied with trying to destroy the doctor, who refuses to recant and defends pursuit of scientific truth, forced vaccination proponents are now acting to kill not only freedom of thought and scientific inquiry but also freedom of speech and informed consent to voluntary use of vaccines.
Exactly what was the sin that British gastroenterologist, Andrew Wakefield, M.D. committed in 1998 that made him a target for persecution? He dared to hypothesize that a subset of children may be vulnerable, for immunological reasons, to developing vaccine strain measles virus infection triggered by MMR vaccination that causes acute and chronic inflammation in the body and can lead to persistent health problems, including a form of inflammatory bowel disease and brain dysfunction manifested by autism. It is hardly a radical hypothesis. Since smallpox vaccine, evidence that vaccines can cause acute and chronic immune-mediated inflammation in the brain and other parts of the body has been well documented in the medical literature (A literature review of evidence is featured in the 2008 book "Vaccines, Autism & Chronic Inflammation: The New Epidemic.")
What has so infuriated the vaccine establishment is that the live vaccine strain viral infection mechanism not only has strong biological plausibility but has been acknowledged by physicians and scientists for decades, particularly with regard to live vaccine strain paralytic polio and death from persistent vaccine strain measles infection. In fact, vaccine strain viral infection has been associated with not only live virus polio and measles vaccine, but also with live BCG, chicken pox and, now, rotavirus vaccine. A late-breaking report at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology discusses the development of live vaccine strain rotavirus infection following rotavirus vaccination in children with immune deficiencies. The human-bovine genetic hybrid vaccine, Rotateq, for which Paul Offit, M.D.is a co-patent holder, caused diarrhea, acidosis, failure to thrive, dehydration and shock in two babies with undiagnosed immune system dysfunction within two months of vaccination. Molecular analysis of rotavirus isolates taken from the babies indicated that the rotavirus vaccine strains mutated.
All of the biological mechanisms involved in vaccine induced neuroimmune dysfunction and the biological high risk factors for suffering vaccine injury and death have not been scientifically investigated, and few methodologically sound vaccine risk studies get funded and published in the medical literature, which makes the attempt by doctors and scientists to block the search for scientific truth and limit the public's right to know and act even more repulsive. On February 26, 2009, bully boy Dr. David Salisbury, the Director of Immunization at the UK Department of Health, threatened The One Click Group, a UK internet based news service founded by Jane Bryant, that he would sue them for publishing facts about MMR vaccine risks unless One Click removes the information he wants censored and apologizes for publishing it without his permission.
On March 7, a British newspaper reported that no longer would duly elected legislators have ultimate responsibility for saying "yes" or "no" to new vaccine mandates but that the power to force vaccine use in Britain would be wielded by unelected physicians and scientists, who are members of the government's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). A day later, another British newspaper reported that many members of the JCVI have financial ties to vaccine manufacturers, including Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi Pasteur and Novartis and that the JVCI has been involved in past attempts to hide evidence that MMR vaccine can cause brain inflammation and permanent brain damage.
On March 12, a reporter writing for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation called for a "legalized type of censorship," a ban on talking about the "vaccine/autism hypothesis" because he pronounced it "the modern equivalent of falsely crying 'fire' in a crowded theatre." Pointing to opinions issued by three individuals working for the U.S. Court of Claims denying federal compensation to MMR vaccine injured autistic children as if he was referring to the tablet Moses inscribed with the Ten Commandments, bully boy Stephen Strauss demanded that legislatures "draft a law or courts should hand down a ruling prohibiting anti-vaccine promoters from claiming that vaccines cause autism."
This rabid foaming at the mouth, which is being exhibited by physicians and journalists promoting forced vaccination, would be comical if it wasn't for the decidedly Stalinist bent to their rants. Bully boys always choose to use fear and intimidation to try to control the thoughts and actions of others and those calling for censorship and punishment for exercising freedom of thought, expression and informed consent to vaccination are no exception.
But educated citizens committed to defending their right to know and freedom to decide, are acting to protect themselves. Following is listing of events in New Jersey and New York which promote vaccine education and freedom to choose:
Merck Write-In Campaign: Sponsored by the New Jersey Coalition for Vaccination Choice (NJCVC ), an Action Alert that was also published by Age of Autism, urges vaccine maker Merck to continue to market the individual measles, mumps and rubella vaccines rather than forcing parents to give their children the combination MMR vaccine. Write-In Campaign coordinator Louise Habakus says "Let's send a strong message from parents that Merck must resume manufacturing the monovalent vaccines." Click here for more information and a sample letter.
NY Vaccine Mandates & Exemption Action: New York has pending legislation to mandate HPV vaccine (A778) and Hepatitis A vaccine (A6008) as well as legislation protecting medical exemptions (A880/S2339); religious exemptions (A883/S2338); and adding philosophical exemption (A4886/S2337) to vaccine laws. Parents are organizing vaccine education campaigns for legislators and the public. Contact New Yorkers for Vaccination Information Choice (NYVIC)
Learn how important it is to fight for the right to exercise vaccine exemptions by watching an arrogant New York state attorney grill NY Mom Rita Palma about her religious beliefs concerning vaccination. For more information go to www.MyKidsM yChoice.com
March 24: In Albany, NY, the Autism Action Coalition (AAC) holds the First Autism Advocacy Day that will include a 10:30 a.m. rally and Noon meeting with state legislators to advocate for autism support services and the need for a philosophical exemption to vaccination. Click here for more information about the rally and day's events.
March 25: In New York City at 6:30 p.m., pediatrician Lawrence B. Palevsky, M.D. gives a three hour presentation on the safety and efficacy of vaccines. For more information and tickets, go to www.drpalevsky.com
Americans cannot sit back and assume that we will always be free to make choices about use of pharmaceutical products, including vaccines, that physicians and government officials invoking the "greater good" direct us to use. Censorship in science and on the internet combined with forced medical risk taking is a prescription for tyranny and will become a reality if we don't become activist citizens and stop the bully boys from taking away our right to know and freedom to choose. For more information, go to www.NVIC.org.
Good to see that there is a large amount of people fighting on this front.
ReplyDeleteMonday, March 30, 2009, my daughter was told by her son's pediatrician to find another doctor since she has chosen not to have her 9 month old baby son vaccinated. They will no longer treat him based on that decision. She was told that she does not trust them and they cannot treat him based on that. Of course she trusts them or she wouldn't keep going back to them. She has always considered and followed all advice that she has received from them about his basic medical care. This is a very scary scenario, that our children can be denied basic medical attention based on our right as parents not to vaccinate.
ReplyDeleteThere is so much wrong with the fight against these issues, I hardly know where to begin. The real bully here is the author of this blog and all others who think like her.
ReplyDeleteThe only people qualified to make medical decisions about your children are doctors. Period. You go through 8 years of medical school and then you too can have a leg to stand on in this fight.
These people are not trying to kill your kids. Sure the drug companies want to make money and perhaps they are a bit greedy but that does not mean that all vaccines are bad and that you should stop vaccinating your kids while we work the kinks out.
Vaccines are hailed as one of the greatest achievements in medical history and you all are trying to erase any good that has come from it.
You think the drug companies and doctors are using fear to intimidate you into vaccinating your kids but yet, you think people like the author of this blog calling people bullies are doing anyone any good?
Should we just stop the space program entirely because there's a chance the shuttle might blow up? Maybe you shouldn't get in your car ever again because there's a chance some drunk driver might run a red light and kill you. I guess you shouldn't let your kids go outside and play because there's a chance they might hurt themselves.
Why don't you all just stop. Take a step back and think about things fairly and rationally. If you're all "educated citizens" as this blog's author suggests, you should be able to fairly come to the conclusion that just because a few kids have died due to complications from vaccinations, doesn't mean you should keep your kids away from them.
I mean really, why vaccines? Why don't you trust doctors and scientists. Honest, hard working people, just like you. They studied hard and went through medical school so they can kill kids? See how silly that sounds?
Vaccination schedules are constantly changing and adapting. Why are there more vaccines now than ever? Gee... could it be because technology has allowed them to be invented. So if a doctor creates an AIDS vaccine, you won't send your kids to get one because you never had it? Just because it has a .0000000000001 % mortality rate? Where do you draw the line?
I agree fully that more research should be done but not with the specific goal of proving a causal link between vaccines and autism or other disorders, which seems to be the aim of this blog's author and others like her.
All this blog serves to do is to get the masses riled up against the government with baseless accusations. You know why we put down Wakefield's research? Because of the overwhelming evidence that exists to counter his supposed findings. His research was limited in scope and statistically irrelevant, not to mention the fact that he too had a financial interest in saying the things he said. If anyone should be labeled as financially motivated and greedy, it would be him.
But anyway, I'm sure you won't approve this comment so this one's just for you. Maybe you and the Chiropractor in Florida should hook up and join forces together since you seem to know so much about how vaccines work and what is and isn't safe and effective.
- Chris, from FL
Wow, Chris, you need help to see the dangers of vaccine. It is not casual but your opinion is. My children and grandchildren mean more to me than allowing the lethal weapon to endanger their future of living a healthy life. I am 53 years old and my generation is eat up with auto-immune disease's. If the truth was reported they are ALL from our immune systems being tampered with as infants, just when God is making the immune systems what He wants them to be. He made the perfect little infant, surely he made the immune system to handle life without mans ignorant intervention. How could God have missed such an important part of the body function and leave it to man to fix, ha, joke for sure. Anyone that can fall into that trap, like all America did for a while, needs to restudy both sides of the story. Propaganda and brain-washing for money, YES in AMERICA. It is not just the autism issue. Look deep into the ingredients in vaccines, all of them. Ugly stuff that is hard to repeat even on this computer. They all have to have a protein to grow on, go figure. Then all that junk is put into the needle, yes, true, study it out for your own good. I am so thankful people are getting busy about their health. Doctors know best, wrong, they are trained by BIG PHARMA, that means BIG BUCKS. You did not come out of the cave open your eyes. God gave us a brain to use and think and speak for ourselves, if we aren't vaccine injured. I learn from studying and I will keep studying. This vaccine issue is about logic, no rocket scientist is needed to explain it. The state of WV even has introduced a bill, HB 3069 to allow for religious and conscientious exemptions for vaccines. I pray people of this state get busy and write the representatives and have them support this bill. That would be a miracle. We have appealed a no medical exemption for our grandson in this state. He was put out of kindergarden for not having his booster of DTaP and polio. Wow, reacted in the past badly to immunizations, and doc too uneducated to exempt the poor child. Been waiting for state director to decide for him and still no answer. Have a great life. Thanks for reading and keep up the fight.
ReplyDeleteI hope that more people will take note of this and begin to fight harder on this. It should never have gotten to this point!
ReplyDeleteJack O'Sullivan
Bedroom Sets
FAO Chris:
ReplyDeleteIf this issue really were about medicine, science and public health - then I would (almost) agree with you.
You make the assumption that this blog is ‘anti-vaccine’. I’m not sure that this is so. I am NOT anti-immunisation per se - nor anti-doctor: but as a child-free adult, I nonetheless want vaccines that are as safe as humanly possible for all children everywhere. You are asking people to accept risk. Fair enough. I can accept risk. I am an adult.
But Dr Wakefield and other clinicians of integrity (yes, you heard me correctly) are being given the third degree at the GMC, central London because of their refusal to recant on their research, such as it was - not because of any desire on their part to avoid risk. The Government, certain big players within the pharmaceutical industries and media magnates with an axe to grind have all sought to isolate these clinicians - Dr Wakefield in particular - because of guilelessness and honesty on their part; and also their collective refusal to bow before the idol of ‘one-size-fits-all’ immunisation scheduling.
Concerned citizens are not as free to discuss this in the UK media as one might suppose - the internet is, perhaps, the one ‘place’ where the MMR and other vaccine issues can be talked about intelligently amongst consenting adults. Why is that, do you think, Chris?
I could say a lot more - but I will just thank the Vaccine Awakening blog for being here - for now. Thanks very much, Mrs Loe Fisher.
Melting: I won't just come out cut you down for mixing your religious beliefs with this issue because you are free to believe whatever you want, however you must realize that not everyone thinks like you so please don't try to preach to me about how God made us perfect from the beginning and no needle should ever pierce our skin. I could go on but this is not the time or place. Instead, I will approach this from a slightly different angle. One of the big complaints parents have bout vaccinations is that kids these days are getting too many vaccines too close together, and at too young of an age. "Their little bodies just can't take it", many people might say. Do you guys know that with a little education into immunology and how immune system responses work, you would know that our bodies, particularly as infants, are more than capable of responding to way more "foreign invaders" than the vaccines we are currently giving today. Every tiny bit of bacteria or little virus that your baby picks up needs an immune response. A few doses of vaccine at a doctor's office visit is nothing for the body to respond to. It's been a while since I read up on the specifics but I would be more than happy to share the details if anyone is interested.
ReplyDeleteTonnie Sola:
First, let me thank you for at least discussing the issue with sound reasoning and well thought out, intelligent language. It is far too easy for random people to just post throwaway comments that do nothing to intelligently support or contradict what is being discussed.
Back on topic...
I understand what this blog is supposed to be about, the fight for informed consent. But I believe this informed consent issue is just a fancy sounding ideal for the masses to cling to. I say "the masses" to describe the average Joe and Jane American, the people searching for answers, dealing with sick children and looking for someone that fights for them and their cause. It's always fun to try and bring down "the machine", to fight "the man". The government and doctors couldn't possibly know what they're talking about or care about the safety and wellbeing of our nation's youth could they? I'm not delusional enough to think "big pharma" has nothing to do with this but they are corporations, they exist to make money and they do that by making medicine to help sick people get better and healthy people stay that way. Are the drugs more expensive than they need to be? Sure they are, but do you really believe that some chemist just tripped over the recipie for these vaccines and thought "Gee whiz, I could make a lot of money off this!" This is what I mean when I talk about thinking of things rationally and fairly. People are too quick to just declare the pharma cos and doctors to be evil. Here's a money saving tip for you: drop your health insurance and never see a doctor again. Not for a broken leg, not for cancer, nothing. Would you do that?
Lastly, about the "one size fits all" issue. It isn't one size fits all, it's one size fits 99.99999%. Any vaccine that is to be FDA approved must go through a series of clinical trials in order to prove its efficacy and to to monitor for any adverse events. The vaccine is then licensed for administration for certain ages and a schedule is created for maximum immune response. These schedules aren't arrived at by throwing darts at a calendar. Very smart and highly trained immunologists and other scientists and doctors came up with these schedules. Will some people react badly to a vaccination? Sure. Do some people react badly to other medicine they might take? Indeed they do. What's the problem with a random person here and there with a bad reaction to a vaccination?
The bottom line is this: if we allowed parents and gaurdians to dictate when and how much vaccine to get, we would have incredibly diverse levels of protection out there. We would have a lot of parents just saying no, for no real reason. Vaccination coverage rates would fall and incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases would rise. It happened in the UK when people got scared about MMR and Autism. They stopped giving MMR as much and incidence of disease rose while the incidence of Autism stayed the same. I wonder why.
Again, I applaud people like you, Tonnie, for at least attempting to discuss the issue intelligently. My problem is with the people that won't. This is why I hate this fight. Because the average Joe won't listen to reason, hates the government, hates science and then see's this blog or a news story about Autism and "the fight" and jumps in and supports the movement without realizing the big picture.
If informed consent takes off, not only will the truely concerned, smart people out there not consent to vaccinations, but other "me too", tag-along folks will say "uh yea, whatever this thing is where I don't have to get my kids shots....let's do that".
If the "make your own schedule" idea takes off, doctors won't be able to accurately forecast needed immunizations for people, schools won't be able to enforce vaccination requirements, and the public health departments (who you pay taxes for to help you out with free or cheap vaccines and other health services) will fall short of their goals, perhaps forcing immunizations programs to scale back, cut jobs, etc.
If we ban any vaccine having even the tiniest bit of thimerosal (mercury based preservative), do you realize how expensive it would be to create and purchase alternatives? Mercury is bad, true, but do you know how much is a bad amount? Do you really think the drug companies put that in there just for giggles? There is no credible evidence to suggest Thimerosal poses any health risk, certainly not in the levels found in the vaccines we use today. The only vaccine having even a significant amount are certain types of the Flu vaccine. Think before you react people. THINK!
I say this with as much respect as possible but people, by and large, are not smart enough to make these types of decisions for themselves. I'm sure an educated person would agree with me on that.
Chris,
ReplyDeleteYour rational is illogical.
#1 Their are plenty of Doctors who agree 100% with Barbara.
#2.Sadly, there are even more doctors who DO NOT vaccinate THEIR children yet tell other parents to vaccinate their kids. No such thing as evil in this world Chris? Get a clue!
#3 You don't have to be a 'doctor' to do 'SCIENTIFIC' research. Eight years? I'm not a doctor and I have done over twenty years of 'scientific' research on vaccines and it's JUNK science meets Hollywood at best.
#4 How dare you tell people they don't have a say just because they are NOT a doctor!!!! They DO have a say OVER your damn doctor. You know why Chris? Because they are the PATIENT. Where is your head?
#5.Now let me tell you something Chris. The men who own the vaccine companies don't care 1 ioda about money. They have enough money. They want to kill 85% of the world's population, and re-engineer what's left. It's you Chris who does NOT have an 'opinion' on this because I sat in on a Club of Rome symposium and they (the people who own big pharma) not only said they would do this but the meeting was on how it would be done, and people better get a grip, grow up and face this or they WILL SOON be history literally.
#6 I could care less what you think of my attitude. It's people like you Chris that is going to get more people sick, more people killed simply because you have not a clue of what you are talking about.
#7 At least I can look at myself in the mirror and sleep at night Chris because, I'm truly trying to help my fellow person by waking them up and by NOT doing as you do. Riding on a high horse telling people like Barbara and these poor parents their crazy and have no say. I apologize not Chris, you disgust me.