Thursday, 22 March 2012
-
News Media and the Autism-Vaccine Controversy
There was an article in the Los Angeles Times March 13 (and widely distributed by the Associated Press) in which yet another reporter reported an unbalanced story–failing to report the “other side of the question” –perpetuating the autism-vaccine logical fallacy yet again.Thomas H. Maugh reported that the government vaccine court has declared that thimerosal, a mercury additive largely discontinued from vaccines, does not cause autism. This is not surprising and is in fact a logical conclusion. The reason is that while thimerosal is not an ingredient in most vaccines since 2001, autism rates continue to climb.
Maugh’s fallacy is faulty generalizing. He takes the thimerosal assertion and combines it with another: that the measles vaccine in the MMR shot does not cause autism, at least in most cases. I’ll grant that to be apparently true as well–research supports it.
Therefore, says Maugh, parents should accept that vaccines do not cause autism. There is the fallacy, generalizing from insufficient evidence. Vaccines could be causing autism by any number of other ways.
Meanwhile, it’s obvious that autism rates have gone up at the same rate and time that the number of childhood vaccines has gone up. There could well be a correlation. The medical establishment should look into it, disregarding their vested interest in the vaccine system.
Research has NOT INVESTIGATED these further possibilities. Here are the ones that come to mind:
1. The immature immune system (first day of life and following) cannot deal with the vaccines, at least in some cases.
2. Taking multiple vaccines at the same time may overwhelm the young immune system.
3. A vaccine ingredient, currently unidentified, is toxic to some children.
These have NOT been tested. Mr. Maugh and colleagues, quit swallowing the line of the vaccine proponents and get on the ball!! You are not doing a service to your country. Please investigate and report the other side.
As I have said before, a simple study could settle this question: comparing autism rates in vaccinated and unvaccinated populations. Are the medical people AFRAID to do it?
RecommendRelated Posts
Post a Comment
- Back to autisable's Autisable Site!
- Note: your comment will appear in autisable's local time zone: GMT -05:00 (Eastern Standard - US, Canada)
About the Author
-
- From: curingautism
- About Me: I am Phyllis Wheeler, mother of two kids with Asperger's: "Mike" and "Shannon."
Stats: This Week All Time Posts: 0 73 Views: 0 56116 Comments: 0 470 View all posts by curingautism
Comments (4)
And respectfully, a number of OTHER things can also be causing autism, including food additives, and environmental issues. I don't discount your concerns...but when I have sat in on panels in my State's legislature, I am watching a disconcerting amount of budget cuts that will impact on the entire special needs community. This is a point of great division---and allowing it become a block between parents, or worse, giving the school districts ammunition to do further cuts ( by insisting that the children's education is a result of a future litigation, and therefor should not be paid for in district) is much more real possibility.
When I was pregnant, I watched other women consume NutraSweet products on a regular basis. I didn't, because my ob/gyn had me sign a paper saying I would not...and that was years before they understood the neurological implications of phenylalanine. People still use it...and it's in a lot of children's meds. Condemning the vaccines results in unprotected children...and that is a risk I can't take...for someone Else's child.
Why can't the conspiracy theorists consider the possibility that the rates only appear to have gone up because of awareness and changing definitions? Research in that direction consistently supports the idea that that is a HUGE component of this so-called epidemic.
Not very long ago there was a similar "epidemic" of ADHD and look how that went. Before we go into hysterics about preventative medicine, we need proof, and I mean real proof, not paranoid supposition, that there is a definite causative relationship.
Let's not forget people are having children later and later than ever before because a large amount of people are going to college now. I don't know why people don't see that as a reason why autism is on the rise...
I couldn't possibly address all the people who claim vaccines do not cause autism, but i have seen it myself with my child.I am so sick of people saying oh its better diagnosing. So the federal government you believe which says vaccines do not cause autism is putting out Friday new numbers. 1 in 88 children now has autism and 1 in 48 boys.Ask ant teacher if the rates have went up, and of course the age old question where are these older autistics ? Im sorry but i have never met one yet over 30.Yeah i would say research aluminum perhaps. There still is traces of mercury (they say) but when you mix that with the aluminun it becomes extremely potent.I find it disrespectful people play like we are lying or are crazy or maybe even looking for someone to blame. I assure you i have witnessed it.My daughter was sick for 2 months starting 2 days after her vaccines and went into different world a week later.I used to think nothing of vaccines but boy now i know. Vaccines can Trigger Autism. I am 30 and was 27 when i had my child. Im not an older mother nor did i consume any NutraSweet. This is exactly what the pharmaceutical companies want.People to blame everything else. It may be hard to believe the government would knowingly keep administering vaccines, but they feel its the greater good. By the way watch that documentary.There is a number of ingredients in the vaccines that have never been studied and why ? Please don't discount what parents are saying because you just may end up with a child with autism.I believe in vaccines SAFE ones.Maybe there those small number of children that cannot handle them.