Political Punch

I have two sons with high functioning autism. One is 8 the other is 4 years old. After they had their last shots around August 2007 we saw a big differance in their behavior. They became more defiant with more screaming.
The shots do effect children!

All the information that is posted is very interesting but show me some proof!
For instance websites or articles
thanks

Joe wrote:
"My son changed froma perfectly normal toddler into a bot ruled by autism within 3 days of his MMR vaccine.... The government does not want to admit it because they said it was safe to use Thimerisol in shots."

The MMR vaccine never contained thimerosal. You're confusing two unrelated autism theories.

Please, Everyone, it is important not to lie in order to make out points of view heard or believed. The MMR vaccine did not cause any adult epilepsy and you know it.

I am a pediatrician in Chicago and I must say that the vaccines-cause-autism crowd are convincing DESPITE the essential component of PROOF. I think it is easier for them to get their point across than any pediatrician could because all we physicians have is the need and imperative to show why we come to a particular conclusion. They say, "I'm a parent and that is how I feel" and that seems to be good enought to convince othr parents that these people have a legitimate point of view. Would anyone please tell me where the controversy is? You have the medical authorities who are supposedly experts in healthcare saying unwaveringly that there is no relationship. On the other side, there is a group of hacks of whatever backgrounds saying that they remember something being some way before something else happened so we should risk the health of the public at large based on that. Please understand that I concur that autism is a devastating condition for families and that it requires a lot in terms of care. My position is regarding causation and what to do about whatever the cause might be. When they do put out some thinly-veiled and poorly-conducted, likely made-up study, they claim suppression of information after it gets shot down. This whole conversation is easier than Roswell & UFOs. People can shout as loud from the hilltops as loudly as they want about how real or surreal their experiences were, it really does not matter to me. They have no evidence and that is quite clear. When they start putting the health of children at risk, I feel that I need to speak up also. Please continue to seek truth and not just some paranoid suspicions.

What a joke -- of COURSE it is vaccines making our kids sick. What else do kids have in common all over the world besides vaccines? All their environments/genetics are different, but the are all getting shot full of a variety of chemical cocktails that are bypassing every defense their body has and going straight into the blood stream. Yes, mercury may be in the environment, but your skin and gastric juices offer you some defense -- it doesn't go straight into your blood stream!
For the poster who said unvaccinated kids are getting autism, I challenge him to go find 20. Just 20. I read that scientists were going to study autism in the Amish (because they don't vaccinate) and they COULDN'T FIND ANY TEST SUBJECTS TO STUDY! None of my kids are vaxed and never will be -- I saw my own nephew go from a shiny, bright child to a kid who can now never live on his own thanks to autism. My kids are healthier than ANY kids I know -- my 12yo and 4yo have never had any illness, have never seen a doctor in their life. My 9yo has been ONCE for pinkeye. HOW MANY vaxed kids have that kind of health record -- if it is not learning disorders, it's asthma or other things, and nobody seems to know why. I'd much rather my kid get measles or mumps (which I was vaccinated for both and got BOTH anyway, and they were no big deal) than risk the chemical stew that is in vaccines. There is much controversy about shots for pets, and those shots causing cancers, seizures and other maladies. I can only hope some will connect the dots to see that there are also issues with shots for humans too.

Autism is now being diagnosed in the US at a rate of 1 in 150. The numbers fair worse in England and a bit better in other developed countries, but regardless there is no doubt we are dealing with a global epidemic.

It is impossible to have a 'genetic epidemic.' To blame the rise of Autism, Aspergers, PDD-NOS, ADHD/ADD, language delays, and other neurological disorders on genes alone is disingenous at best.

In 1999 the pharmaceutical companies began to PHASE OUT thimerosol (a mercury preservative) from most infant vaccines. Some say the phasing out has been completed, others disagree. I recommend reading the manufacturer's insert.

For example, I know that to this day, the Hep-B shot (which is administered at the hospital before discharge, then again at 3 mo., and 6 mo.) still contains thimerosol. If you read the manufacturer's package insert, it clearly states there are "traces of thimerosol" in the Hep-B shot.

For anyone wanting to know more read: "Evidence of Harm" by David Kirby (who contributed to the health and science section of The New York Times for eight years before writing this book).

Also visit: w w w . generationrescue . org

and Google Dr. Sears February 2008 article on vaccines.

I think anyone who doesn't get their child vaccinated should be arrested for medical neglect and thrown in jail for endangering the public. We have seen countless times, horrible disease make their return to communities take reject immunizations. Very rarely people can get Guillian Barre and some other immune mediated affects but autism has been disproven to be a complication and People definately don't get seizures from immunizations. As per what people are responding with to this article is a great indication that what McCain says is ignorant and dangerous. I thought for once we had an intelligent republican candadate. These comments he made completely turns me off to him.

I have a normal healthy child who is supposed to get her MMR shot in 2 months. Recently, I decided to return to university at age 30. Since I could not prove that I had received the MMR within a ten year period of time I had to have the shot in order to register for classes. I had the vaccination and the next day I had a grand mal seizure...I have never had seizures in my life and was very happy and healthy. It continually got worse and doctors told me it had nothing to do with the MMR, "it was just coincidence". After a long hospital stay, difficulty concentrating, walking, taking care of my daughter...I have been diagnosed with Brain Injury and Epilepsy. It changed my whole life (driver license taken away, etc) and no one seems to believe me. My daughter will NOT receive the shot, no way, no how. Children cannot not always speak for themselves, but as an adult I know my life changed the moment I had the MMR.

I'm the father of an autistic son, and I have always found those who vilify vaccinations to be an unnecessary sidetrack on the path to assisting and understanding those with autism. Science has never backed that view, and all the money spent to repeatedly disprove it could be channeled into special education programs where the dollars could actually do some good.

No surprise, however, that the Republican candidate has to straddle the fence between science and any wacko idea out there, as his base includes creationists, flat-earthers, and global warming deniers.

Thank you so much Tanner's Dad you really helped me!

Thank you so much Tanner's Dad you really helped me!

1. Do you personally know anyone that has Autism?
Yes... My son's last words after his shots for school were "My name is Tanner. My name is Tanner" He is low functioning non-verbal autistic.

2. Do you know a lot of information about Autism?

I have been imersed in the subject for more than 5 years.

Would you consider yourself an expert?

I am comfortable that I know more about ASD than 99% + of the general public.

3. Do you believe mercury causes Autism?

Mercury is one environmental factor that impacts Autism.

4. Do you believe that thimerosal has made Autism increase?

Yes I have yet to see what I consider a study that does not have bias or mistakes that can eliminate it as a factor in the rise of ASD.

5. Why do you think that the rate of Autism is at 1 out of 150 children?

Environmental stress (Mercury and other things we put into our children). Also better diagnosis plays a part.

6. Why do you believe that that number varies from state to state?

Again environmental impact, reporting, and support. I have experienced treatment programs in 7 states.

Is it the environment?
Part of the issue is the environment.

The mercury in the environment?
I believe this is part of the issue.

7. Do you believe that testing childrens’ hair is an accurate test of mercury causing Autism?

NO... The mercury deposits are found in other organs throughout the body. Part of the issue is this subgroup can not excrete the mercury like the majority.

Hi,
I’m a student at a college in New England majoring in Psychology. For my Research Methods class I need to do a study and I chose to do Mercury causing Autism. I have a few questions that I would be very greatful if anyone would answer them and maybe give me an idea of how you feel about the subject. Thank you for taking the time.

1. Do you personally know anyone that has Autism?
2. Do you know a lot of information about Autism? Would you consider yourself an expert?
3. Do you believe mercury causes Autism?
4. Do you believe that thimerosal has made Autism increase?
5. Why do you think that the rate of Autism is at 1 out of 150 children?
6. Why do you believe that that number varies from state to state?
Is it the environment?
The mercury in the environment?
7. Do you believe that testing childrens’ hair is an accurate test of mercury causing Autism?

What's next in line of conspiracy theories gaining mainstream acceptance-the rigging of the 2004 presidential election in Ohio, the NAFTA superhighway, or AIDS not being a disease?

None of you have answered my questions.

None of you have answered my questions.

How can parents tolerate Gerberding's Lies?

Why if everyone is so confident that there are no side effects to vaccines do we need double speak and dishonesty?

The parents are not stupid... We know vaccines do great things for the general population.

We also believe we need to get the bad things out of our environment.

I guess when you have a son who could talk and use his body one day... Then he gets shots and does not talk and function... You tend to discount just about anything anybody says.
None of you have answered my questions.
How can parents tolerate Gerberding's Lies? This is not the only case. Admit it. Give help to those that need it... And let's move on.

We need Therapy, respite, and Recovery now!

Tim, from IL-

Coincidences do happen over and over again.

Consider this. Over the past century, the number of storks has diminished in all industrialized countries, and so have birth rates. Today, in countries where storks are abundant, for instance in Africa where they stay in winter, birth rates are also high. There is a clear, highly significant positive correlation between the frequencies of storks and babies. There is also a theory about storks bringing children. Do storks cause births? Or do babies bring storks?

Most people would say no and no. Simply because there may be an apparent correlation between vaccines and autism does not mean that one causes the other. Furthermore, unvaccinated children acquire autism, too. So, at the very least, vaccines are not the only cause, if they are a cause at all (for which there is almost no evidence), of autism. Probably a variety of genetic and environmental causes contribute to the development of autism.

Thank you, Rick, for posting the new connections between autism and genetics. Once the mechanism behind autism is clearer, research can be done to determine possible treatments.

While I have no personal experience with autism, I truly feel for people who have. I just don't feel that attacking vaccines and the people who make them is productive. Instead, we should focus on researching more tangible causes (like genetics and environmental factors), so we can in turn provide the treatments that people are so badly seeking. At heart, I feel this is a funding issue. For whatever reason, not enough money is available to fund unbiased research about many diseases, let alone autism. I feel it is too much of a generalization to claim it is basically a government conspiracy.

I also look forward to more studies that refute the autism/ vaccine link and bring to light an environmental/ DNA link.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scientists revealed the most extensive findings to date on the genetics of autism on Sunday, pinpointing two new genetic links that may predispose children to develop the complex brain disorder.

The five-year study, led by an international consortium of researchers from 19 nations, indicated autism had numerous genetic origins rather than a single or a few primary causes.

The researchers scoured DNA samples from 1,168 families with two or more children with autism, and used "gene chip" technology to detect genetic similarities. They also looked for tiny insertions and deletions of genetic material that could play a role in autism.

The scientists hope that nailing down the genetics of autism will lead to better ways to diagnose it and focus efforts on developing drugs to treat it. They announced they are launching a new phase in the research to map genes responsible for autism.

The study incriminated a gene called neurexin 1 involved with glutamate, a brain chemical previously implicated in autism that plays a role in early brain development, as a possible susceptibility gene for autism. A previously unidentified region of chromosome 11 also was implicated.

Autism is a spectrum of disorders apparently stemming from genetic and environmental causes. Geneticist Stephen Scherer of the University of Toronto and the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto said 90 percent of autism may have a genetic basis.

"What we have now that we didn't really have before is a pretty decent understanding of what the genetic architecture is looking like in the autism genome," said Scherer, who worked on the study published in the journal Nature Genetics.

On March 7, 2008, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) received notification of a 15-month-old unvaccinated child with laboratory-confirmed measles (IgM-positive, IgG-negative, serum collected on February 27). The child is a resident of northern Virginia and returned to the United States after a 2.5-week visit to India on February 22. On the return flight (February 21–22) from New Delhi to Newark, New Jersey, the child developed fever and cold-like symptoms.

This child ended up becoming very ill with measles. Whe the HECK are people thinking? Taking an unvaccinated child to India? Since they purposely did not vaccinate this child, and did something idiotic, their health insurance should deny the claims to treat this child for this preventable disease.

A coincidence does not happen over and over again...

If the law mandates the vaccination then the Government is responsible for therapy, respite, recovery, and remediation.

So far all the parents get is smoke screens, lies, deflection, lies, delay, lies, and portral as the bad guys.

Creditablility is built on honesty and trust... One cannot say there is no link and then concede. It is not either/or... There is no such thing as Autism like... We already have a spectrum... Therefore the vacinations are involved in causing Autism. Double speak all you want.

The over 4800 cases are just the families of the Doctors and lawyers... Eventually the families of the non-professionals will have their day...

A vaccine is not going to cause an instantaneous neuroligical deconditioning of a child. It is merely a coincidence. These kids are born with genetic anomalies that manifest themselves at different times and different ways. Parents want someone and something to blame. That is understandable. But it isn't the government's responsibility to pay for therapy for autistic children. It is the parent's responsibility.

Why if everyone is so confident that there are no side effects to vaccines do we need double speak and dishonesty?

The parents are not stupid... We know vaccines do great things for the general population.

We also believe we need to get the bad things out of our environment.

I guess when you have a son who could talk and use his body one day... Then he gets shots and does not talk and function... You tend to discount just about anything anybody says.
None of you have answered my questions.
How can parents tolerate Gerberding's Lies? This is not the only case. Admit it. Give help to those that need it... And let's move on.

We need Therapy, respite, and Recovery now!

It is amazing that no one seems to know or care that there is more mercury in our food and drinking water than there EVER has been in vaccines. And it is the "bad" kind of mercury that your body doesn't get rid of. But yet, we'll sit and blame vaccines. Never mind the fact that we're immersed in a toxic environment.

Vaccines such as HIB and pneumococcal have saved many lives. They are "newly required" vaccines. Do the research. Meningococcal has as well. Do some reading on these. More research is being done on vaccine preventable disease,a nd we are finding more ways to prevent death. Children die from pneumoccocal disease and HIB meningitis. The ingredients such as thimerosal were used to keep the vaccines from becoming contaminated with bacteria. They were used to keep vaccines safe. Autism is more "prevalent" now becuause it is diagnosed sooner and we are now calling things "autism" that never used to be categorized as such. I am looking forward to more studies being done so we can move on from this situation.

It will take serious studies done in 2010 and beyond to figure out the damage done by the perservatives and other additives. It has been shown there was mercury in the vaccine pool in 2003 and beyond. Flu shots alone could skew the data.

All the hysterical parents are saying is Green our vaccines. Look at the facts:
1983: Autism rate 1 in 10,000
Vaccine schedule 10 shots
2008: Autism rate in boys 1 in 70
Vaccine schedule 36
My sons last words:
"My name is Tanner. My name is Tanner."
The week of his shots for school...
Show me any other campaign for disinformation as wound up as this one by the medical(vaccine maker) community. Remove the Mecury, Aluminum, formaldehyde, ether, antifreeze. Reevaluate the schedule. What was the death rate from these deadly diseases in 1983 that we had to add 26shots? If there are side effects to the vaccinations all we asking for is support for therapy, respite, and recovery.

This does not represent anything other than a very special situation," said Dr. Julie Gerberding, head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Who are you going to believe the Boss doing the spin or the Judge that slipped?

The case may not be a first, said Gary Golkiewicz, chief special master for the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. He oversees the special "vaccine court" which rules on requests for payments from the vaccine injury fund.
"Years ago, actually, I had a case, before we understood or knew the implications of autism, that the vaccine injured the child's brain caused an encephalopathy," he said. And the symptoms that come with that "fall within the broad rubric of autism."
And there are other somewhat similar cases, Golkiewicz says, that were decided before autism and its symptoms were more clearly defined

Tim, how do you explain all of the current cases of autism? There are just as many, if not more than prior to 2001 when thimerosal was removed. There are children who have only recieved vaccines like MMR, Varicella, and polio which have never been produced using thimerosal and those children have autism. There are unvaccinated children with autism. What is your explanation from that? Time to start looking at environmental factors.

"What protects us from disease is our immune systems"

I would LOVE to see how the poster:Mercuryfree's immune system holds up against measles or hepatitis b. Our immune system cannot protect us against everything. Be realistic.

There is a HUGE difference between a trace <1 mcg and 25-500 mcg per vaccine. LESS THAN ONE MICROGRAM of ethyl Hg is NOT considered neurotoxic. Why don't people focus on some realistic causes such as environmental contaminants, as well as household toxins (vinyl flooring and siding is toxic, fame retardants in furniture, beds, etc is toxic, stain retardants in carpet are toxic, the list goes on and on. No one seems to be concerned about that.

"There is a major cover -up"

Wow. Now there is a conspiracy because SOME (not all) vaccines have a TRACE of thimerosal? Come on. Nothing is good enough. Pretty soon a vial of sterile water will cause cancer.

The goverment and Pharm. companies are hand in hand with this. There is a major cover -up. Vaccines are NOT completely free of thermisol. It is a percentage less than what the FDA allows a pharm. comp. to label as "Free"
It is still present , but at a lower dose. As far as "Do vaccines cause autism?" I just rather leave that question alone.

"I have to admit, though, it was my friends very outspoken sister in law who got me to pay attention to the issues surrounding vaccines. At lunch, She turned to me and asked me outright if I was vaccinating my daughter. When I said "of course," she looked at me in horror."

Ask a parent who lost their 18 year old college student to meningococcal meningitis the same question. I lost my sister to meningitis. It could have been prevented. She never got vaccinated.

" John’s truthfulness, dedication and what he believes in is demonstrated by his sincere actions and service as a Senator of the United States of America. We could do a whole lot worse than vote for John Mc Cain"

Are you kidding me?

McCain was opposing the war until he found out that supporting it could get him a vote for president. I won't be voting for him. Any ally of Bush is an enemy of mine.

"That's why the autism fund now paid out for a little girl your vaccines turned autistic" This is actually not correct. There is not an AUTISM FUND. You couldn't be more wrong. It is a fund that pays out if there is an injury caused by a vaccine. There are very rare side effects such as brachial neuritis or anaphylactic allergy, and others that can be caused by certain components of certain vaccines, and the family can be compendated for this. This in NO WAY "proves" an autism/ vaccine link. This was ONE case in which the girl had an underlying medical condition, a mitochondrial DNA disorder, in which a vaccine aggravated her already present condition. This is RARE. VERY RARE. This is NOT the case for all children with autism. Autism is accuring in children who were NEVER vaccinated at all. Like I said before, any medication or medical proceedure carries risks.

If the anti-vaccine groups had their way, vaccines would be removed from clinic shelves--that is until a major outbreak of a vaccine preventable disease cost the lives and/or livelihood of thousands of children. Suddenly, the demand for vaccines would sky-rocket. Gee, let's think back on the days when our country was stricken with childhood disease outbreaks--do measles or polio ring a bell?

McCain is doing this as a political stunt for votes. He never gave a crap about this before. There is a HUGE differnce between ethyl mercury (the kind once used in vaccines), and methyl mercury (environmental type). Studies have shown that ethyl mercury is broken down and excreted from the body, but the methyl mercury (in our drinking water, in fish, etc) is not broken down as easily and accumulates in the body and may cause neurological damage. Why isn't anyone concerned about all of the environmental toxins? There is as much methyl mercury in a can of tuna fish as there is in an adult flu shot with ethyl mercury (25 micrograms). Why isn't this being attacked? People are still feeding there kids tuna fish and don't accuse those companies of poisoning their children.

Joe,

Again, I have to really question this as a medical professional:

"My son changed the same day he got the shot. He lost potty training, ability and desire to speak, eye contact and all forms of normal interpersonal interaction, becoming a disease rather than a person BECAUSE of the vaccine"

Something is going on here, I don't dispute that. You blame it on a vaccine. However, you do not know that is fact, It is your opinion. It is unfortunate, and I understand that you're devastated by it. BTW- most of these studies are done by universities, not by vaccine companies.

If McCain cares so much about the toxic effects of mercury, why did he support "Clean air Mercury Rule," in 2005 that allowed power plants to be exempt from mercury emissions limits?

(the rule was found to be illegal on Feb 8 2008)

*****************
A federal appeals court ruled this morning that a rulemaking by the Environmental Protection Agency violates the Clean Air Act by evading mandatory cuts in toxic mercury pollution from coal- and oil-fired power plants. The decision invalidates the agency's so-called "Clean Air Mercury Rule," which would have allowed dangerously high levels of mercury pollution to persist under a weak cap-and-trade program that would not have taken full effect until well beyond 2020.

I'm glad John McCain is so concerned about the harmful effects of mercury. I hope his concerns lead him to propose and vote for legislation that puts strict limits on the mercury that can be released into the environment by factories and power plants.

Joe,

I'm REALLY sorry to hear about your child. I have to inform you that you've made an error in your thinking. The MMR vaccine does not and never had contained thimerosal.

MMR has never contained mercury in any form. There are multiple sources for this information. The FDA/CBER has a full report on Thimerosal in Vaccines. The report details the history and use of the mercury-based preservative thiomersal/thimerosal in vaccines with an overview of the reasons for its introduction and the studies on its safety.

I truly wish you the best of luck with your child and I sincerely hope that we find a prevention or cure for autism. But we must not be too quick to jump to conclusions.

jeneile, the vaccines are. Ask the parents whose child changed immediately after the vaccine, like mine. All you do by sporting your pharmaceutical funded trials is belittle and put down as wrong the parents, like me, who saw it happen.

Vaccines ARE causing autism in America. They are doing it today. And the risks are not acceptable for a mistaken benefit. Who cares if a kid gets chicken pox, flu or mumps? Odds are that kid will live and suffer absolutely no lasting side affects, other than an immunity the vaccine does not offer completely in the case of all but the flu.

My son changed the same day he got the shot. He lost potty training, ability and desire to speak, eye contact and all forms of normal interpersonal interaction, becoming a disease rather than a person BECAUSE of the vaccine. It happened to a now friend of mine last November.

The evidence that parents have outweighs the unbalanced, lying studies. That's why the autism fund now paid out for a little girl your vaccines turned autistic. And I hold the medical providers, the states which require the vaccines, people like you who tow their line, and the politicians and pharmaceuticals who own them for it.

Any type of medication prescribed or medical proceedure HAS A RISK. Penicillin kills people because of allergic reaction. People have died during surgery. There is a SMALL risk, perhpas 1 in 10 million that you may have a reaction to a vaccine. The benefits outweight the risks. The recent study in California proves beyond a doubt that this epidemic is likley a combination of a DNA anomaly and environmental. The study collecteed data about the numbers of autism diagnosis now (after thimerosal has been removed) and the numbers from when thimerosal was used. There are more diagnosis of autism now, even AFTER thimerosal has been removed. SOMETHING is causing this, but we don't know what.

Kate RN, you must not know your stuff. I'm a pediatric clinic nurse specialist. Thimerosal HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM ALL VACCINES almost 5 years ago, with the exception of flu vaccine. SOME vaccines have a "trace" amount, it is removed during the manufacturing process. Since there is a chance that a trace amount could be present, they have to label it as trace. Any RN who is opposed to the benefits of vaccines should really consider a career change. Vaccines prevent MILLIONS of dealth world wide. Why don't you go to Africa and tell them that they can't have polio vaccine during an outbreak because it may cause autism and they will tell you that you're crazy.

McCain is right. My son changed froma perfectly normal toddler into a bot ruled by autism within 3 days of his MMR vaccine. I have video proof.

The government does not want to admit it because they said it was safe to use Thimerisol in shots. They are to blame, as are the huge lobbyists in the pharmaceutical and health care industries. Why else do you think Congress keeps exempting them from autism lawsuits in the name of national security?

The link I provided is of a case where the vaccine fund actually paid out for an autism case. I hope they go more public and start a class action too. It's sickening to think that Congress started up a vaccine fund which has unilaterally turned away thousands of parents of autistic children and still maintains their lobbyist's position that autism increased exponentially within a year of the vaccine being required in four states through other means than the vaccines.

In my case, my son stopped talking within 2 hours of the shot, stopped looking at us within 24 hours, lost his potty training within 24 hours and started banging his head on the hallway tiles within 3 days, yelling and screaming when he did not get what he wanted. And it took 4 years more before we even got him to use one single verbal word.

To correct all:

The people putting out the evidence against thimerosal as a cause of autism is not the government, it is university scientists.

And any regression following two years of normal development is called Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, which is not autism. (DSM-IV-TR, 2000)

Those who use their notariety to make fools of desperate parents in desperate situations should be ashamed of themselves. Dolphin therapy, hippotherapy, diets and vitamins; the only "cure" is through behavioral interventions.

I am a pediatric RN. Thimerisol IS still in vaccines! I beilive it is dangerous. Of course the government says it is safe, they are making money off the pharmecutical companys!!

After we get through 4800 cases on this subject in the Vaccine court, I am sure we will be closer to a definitive answer.

Let me again say I am not Anti-Vaccine. I am pro-vaccine.

I just do not see a one size fits all. I think If government mandates shots for all, then government should be responsible for the results and injuries.

We will find out more in the morning...
PRESS CONFERENCE: VACCINE AUTISM LEGAL CONCESSION ON MARCH 6
Landmark Federal Court concession that local child from Atlanta developed autism from vaccines. Child joins parents in press conference about this historic result at Atlanta Federal Court House tomorrow.

The press conference will be held Thursday, March 6, 2008 at 11:30am on the steps of the US Federal Courthouse at 75 Spring Street, in Atlanta, GA.

I am amazed that there is not a middle ground on this topic. Why can't we all take a deep breath and deal with the facts...
We have hurt kids
We can make them better
More research needs to be done now.

I will never claim to be a Doctor or Scientist.

My only job is to kick, yell, and Scream to help my son. If people like the John McCain make statements like he did last week... I will fight to get them on the front page. If the government concedes a Autism-Vaccine case (As they did on NOV. 9th 2007) I will fight to get it on the front page.

Tim,

I will say you are entitled to your hypothesis, but that it is not supported by the available evidence, and you are not entitled to your own facts. The National Academy of Sciences review in 2004 is just one of the many studies that rejects your hypothesis.

I am truly sorry for your son's condition, and will not even pretend to know what it is like to care for an autistic child.
However, you use it in the context of this debate as an appeal to emotion in an attempt to shift the burden of proof . If you are going to make a claim, the burden of proof is by necessary on you to prove it correct, not anyone else to prove it incorrect.
I do agree with your final thought, and would say never assume malice on the part of people or the government when stupidity and apathy will suffice.

Yet more pandering from John McCain.

Most Americans are aware of the courageous service John provided as a naval aviator and POW . But few can fully appreciate how bad the egregious hospitality of the Hanoi Hilton was .His main concerns were for other POWs’ life threatening conditions and how he could assist their problems.

To this day John’s truthfulness, dedication and what he believes in is demonstrated by his sincere actions and service as a Senator of the United States of America. We could do a whole lot worse than vote for John Mc Cain.

James
Thank you for your well written direct response. Your hypothesis is equally as valid as mine. I do disagree that a parent who is up all night, having to change diapers of a 10 year old, and worry every minute he will open a door or break a window and run down the middle of the street should be the one to do the research to find answers to these questions.

We all agree AUTISM is a real issue today. We all agree given current diagnosis criteria that we are looking at 1 in 150
Why is there no HELP...
For Therapy
For Respite
For Supplements
From Insurance
From Government
From Autism Society of America
From Autism Speaks
From Doctors ( AAP )

I know of story after story where parents have deserted each other and their child. I know of stories where the mothers have killed their child.

Time to wake UP... The system is broke...The sky is falling

And it is almost communist state like that this story is not headline news...

It is a headline that Hillary changed her hair, Britney went to a happier place, and Paris went to another party..

But you place the job back on the parents to research this????????

If no conspiracy then we must have apathetic uncaring idiots!!!!

Autistic persons are genetically predisposed to be unable to detoxify from heavy metals and other toxins. So, it's very likely that back in the days when childhood vaccines contained these substances, it was the vaccines that often triggered the autistic symptoms. Children not predisposed to autism could clear the toxins, but those unable to detoxify wound up with autism.

The fact that thimerosal has been removed from vaccines (except for some flu vaccines) yet autism continues to increase only shows how people are being exposed to more autism-triggering toxins overall. It needn't be from vaccines only.

John McCain is dead on, if he wasn't the Feds wouldn't have just concluded that vaccines are the cause. And Kate, if you are a nurse just do a little digging about autism, instead of basing you comment on outdated info. Google mitochondrial disease, impaired oxidative phosphorylation and vaccines. What do you come up with? Autism! Wow who would have thought!

Adapted response:

Vaccination is a sensitive topic. I suggest you review the vaccine ingredients; analyze the results of available safety and efficacy studies (and lack thereof); compare the risks of the vaccines against the diseases; and explore alternative methods to boost immunity, versus vaccines.

I have to admit, though, it was my friends very outspoken sister in law who got me to pay attention to the issues surrounding vaccines. At lunch, She turned to me and asked me outright if I was vaccinating my daughter. When I said "of course," she looked at me in horror. I was dumbfounded because I thought everyone vaccinated. She then asked me if I would allow my daughter to "drink" aluminum, mercury, formaldehyde or monkey blood? When I said, "of course not," she said, then you need to do your homework, because you are allowing doctors to inject these very substances into her bloodstream. I was completely confused, shocked and frightened...and, in my usual style, spent countless hours over the next few months (then years) researching vaccines, attending seminars, watching DVDs, you name it. Then, it was actually Dr. Tenpenny's DVD that finally convinced my husband and me that we had made our vaccine decisions based on misinformation...basically no information, and we had made a poor decision.

I have become more outspoken over the years...I guess because I'm more concerned about the increase in the number of mandated vaccines, as well as the increase in childhood diseases, like autism. In NJ, 1 in 60 boys has autism.
Thank God, a few days ago, the court finally conceded that vaccines were linked to a child's autism and awarded the family damages toward a lifetime of medical expenses.

“The reality, as documented by the American Medical Association's own journal (JAMA) in the January 1999 issue, is that there is no connection between death from infectious diseases and vaccinations; that's right, "none".

If you like to gamble go ahead.

Senator McCain lost my vote with such irresponsible and unscientific comments on vaccine and autism. Vaccines are responsible for saving millions of lives. The science supports it! The sad stories of parents with autistic children are very touching but their stories are not evidence or science. As an educated society, we need to focus on the science, not emotion.

Tim,

I fully support our kids against credible threats to their health and safety such as the diseases we vaccinate them against. The fact that autism rates have increased and the number of vaccines given to child is correlation, and it does not prove a casual relationship between the two.
There have been studies done on vaccines and autism, and the burden of proof is on you to prove they are biased. Here's an alternative hypothesis why autism rates have increased: the consensus of what symptoms indicate autism have changed over the past 25 years and now more children are labeled autistic than would have been before.

There have been good studies looking at incidence of autism in populations identical other than one group with full vaccines and one group with no vaccines and incidence of autism is identical in each. temporal association does not indicate causation. Incidence of autism is 4-6 per thousand in both groups. There may be slight increase in past few decades but there are numerous other possible explanations. Don't forget how bad these diseases are and the "adverse effects" of the illness prevented by the vaccines.

You're right that we need to be careful about spreading misinformation, but wrong about your facts. 80% of the flu vaccine in this country still contains full-dose of mercury, and the CDC has expanded the flu vaccine recommendations significantly, despite the fact that this year's vaccine doesn't protect against the flu. Kids who start getting flu shots at 6 month will get 85 mcg by age 5, more than enough to cause harm just from flu vax alone. Most other vaccines still contain "trace" amounts of mercury which are only measured by the pharmaceutical companies, not the FDA, because mercury's removal was "recommended" but never mandated. In many vaccines, the thimerosal has been replaced by aluminum, which is equally neurotoxic. If parents are afraid of vaccines' safety, blame the CDC for never doing the proper studies to prove safety. No study comparing vaccinated with unvaccinated populations. No study to prove safety of different virus-containing vaccinations in combination. No study of the neurotoxic effects of the combined vaccine schedule. Don't blame the parents who are trying to protect their children from harm. Blame the CDC, FDA and Pharma for putting profits ahead of safety.

To the person who said that vaccines have decreased but not eliminated thimerosol: Perhaps you should check your facts, as you are almost 100% wrong. The FACTS are that NO childhood vaccine has contained thimerosol since 2001, with the exception of some (but not all) flu vaccines. We need to be careful about spreading this kind of misinformation as there IS evidence from other countries showing that people stop giving children vaccines when they believe vaccines are not safe...and what happens? Outbreaks of disease where thousands of children sicken and many are permanently disabled or killed. It may seem that we are getting paranoid about kids ever getting sick, but that is only the view of people who were not alive to see how many children died every year from measles, diphtheria and other diseases. My heart goes out to parents of children with autism...but it also goes out to the parents whose children have died of the flu or who have lost their hands and feet to meningitis and are permanently disabled. There is good evidence that NOT giving vaccines causes children immense harm...so why are so many people trying to scare parents with misinformation?

Why is it so much to ask for two things...
1)Support and help for our kids
2)A non-biased study comparing the vaccinated population to a non-vacinated population.
???????????????????????????????????
Why do you need "copies of e-mails, power-points, memos, documents, or whitewater type recordings that provide such evidence"

All the hysterical parents are saying is Green our vaccines. Look at the facts:
1983: Autism rate 1 in 10,000
Vaccine schedule 10 shots
2008: Autism rate in boys 1 in 70
Vaccine schedule 36
My sons last words:
"My name is Tanner. My name is Tanner."
The week of his shots for school...
Show me any other campaign for disinformation as wound up as this one by the medical(vaccine maker) community. Remove the Mecury, Aluminum, formaldehyde, ether, antifreeze. Reevaluate the schedule. What was the death rate from these deadly diseases in 1983 that we had to add 26shots? If there are side effects to the vaccinations all we asking for is support for therapy, respite, and recovery.

1.) Touching personal stories from parents dealing with autistic children do not constitute scientific evidence of a casual link between autism and ethylmercury. Correlation does not mean causation.

2.) There are different types of mercury. Ethylmercury is one of the metabolites of thiomersal; it is not the same compound as Methylmercury, which is a toxin. Lumping the two together is like saying carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide are both carbon oxides and are equally dangerous to humans.

3.) The idea of a conspiracy of thousands of doctors and scientists and drug company executives many of which are parents themselves is an extraordinary claim, and it should be backed up with extraordinary evidence, not vague insinuations. If anyone has copies of e-mails, power-points, memos, documents, or whitewater type recordings that provide such evidence, I would love to see them.

That John McCain has joined the fray of psuedoscience experts is not so surprising. It does, however, raise the danger level of what has become an extremely frightening trend of misunderstanding the scientific concept of "evidence". The evidence is overwhelming that thimerosal does not cause autism, and that the MMR vaccine (which never contained thimerosal) does not cause autism. Of course, science can never "prove" a negative, which is another concept the public does not understand. There is no scientific controversy about this subject. Only a media-enabled fear-spreading campaign to scapegoat vaccines yet again. The public needs to be reminded about the devastating nature of the diseases we prevent through immunizations. More importantly, we need to bring science to the forefront of our educational system, to prevent us from slipping even further back into the dark ages.

This Autistic will most certainly not be voting for McCain. Rest assured, you have lost the vast majority of the adult Autistic vote.

Though there is no doubt in my own mind that any mercury whatsoever is unhealthful to a growing human child, I admit that I do not know if thimerosol or mercury is at the root of autism. It could very well be that the vaccines themselves are completely toxic and harmful to some individuals and could very well be what is causing autism in so many. Now that the vaccination schedule is up to 36 various shots per child, God only knows which of the vaccines could be causing it. But quite obviously, it is most indeed seeming to have something to do with the vaccines.

Modern man has decided that 36 freaking various childhood vaccinations are necessary to protect our children from ever feeling ill or ever possibly dying young?

Has our society completely devolved into a bunch of neurotically spasmodically paranoid delusionals?