WSJ!-Autism and Vaccines Activists wage a nasty campaign to silence scientists

[Guest guest]

Don't you feel sorry for those silenced scientists?

What about the silenced children?

" a small coterie of parents has taken to loudly claiming that thimerosal, "

- how about a small coterie of paid off doctors?

and yes, those terrible trial lawyers.

" One institution later reported the death, from acute hepatitis B-induced

liver failure, of a three-month-old infant who wasn't immunized " - now that

one makes me sick.............they have no shame

" Vaccine Injury Compensation Program--which pays out to the rare family

whose child is injured by vaccines. " - yes, it is so rare

" When Republican Majority Leader Bill Frist tried to modernize VICP--and

require autism claims to go through the program like everyone else--the

autism police went to work. They camped out in Washington and convinced

three Republican Senators to kill any liability protection. The Senators

claimed in a recent letter to us that they hope the bill will be

reconsidered, but it seems to have disappeared. The lawsuits go on. "

Well this article is enough to make you puke

Sheri

Yes..it's true...they're at it again.....

http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110004700

Autism and Vaccines

Activists wage a nasty campaign to silence scientists.

Monday, February 16, 2004 12:01 a.m. EST

Everyone in our business learns to take a punch, but even we've been

surprised by the furious response to an editorial we ran a few weeks ago

about vaccines. The subject deserves further attention, not least because

the goal of our antagonists appears to be to shut down public debate on the

matter.

For the past few years, a small coterie of parents has taken to loudly

claiming that thimerosal, a preservative used in vaccines for 60 years, is

the cause of autism in their children. Their allegations have scared many

parents about immunizations, sent trial lawyers scurrying to sue the few

remaining vaccine makers, and inspired an ugly political dispute. Lost in

the controversy has been a little thing called science.

We felt someone ought to point out that nothing currently exists in the

medical world to justify this furor--that thimerosal has never been

credibly linked to autism, and that recent studies in leading medical

journals have also failed to find a link. That research is one of many

reasons the medical community remains solid in its belief that vaccines are

safe.

To our surprise, we had wandered into a hornet's nest of moral

intimidation. In letters and e-mails we've since been accused of " fraud, " a

" terrorist act, " and of having an " industry profit promoting agenda. " We've

been told we belong to a vast conspiracy--including researchers,

pediatricians, corporations, health officials and politicians--devoted to

poisoning their children. A few have harassed our secretaries and

threatened an editorial writer.

As writers for an independent newspaper, we aren't about to shut up. But

what worries us is that these activists are using the same tactics in an

attempt to silence others with crucial roles in public health and

scientific research. The campaign to silence or discredit them has already

had damaging consequences.

A case in point is the National Alliance for Autism Research. This widely

respected outfit was founded by parents of autistic children, and its staff

and volunteers have raised millions for research. When the autism claims

first surfaced, NAAR dutifully cofunded a Danish study, which found no

connection between the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine and autism. Within

days, the critics were trashing NAAR, claiming it was under the influence

of drug companies (untrue) and suggesting its research couldn't be trusted.

NAAR had to spend valuable time and resources rebutting those claims so it

can remain a source of honest information for worried parents.

Meanwhile, doctors who have spoken about the benefits of vaccination--

Offit and Katz (the co-creator of the measles vaccine)--have been

targeted as baby killers and compared to Hitler. The goal appears to be to

silence doctors who encourage immunizations.

That would be a disaster. While we don't know what causes autism, we do

know that diseases like measles cause blindness and brain damage. Doctors

are already struggling to be heard over Internet rumors, and they report

that parents are increasingly nervous about vaccines. That's how paranoia

started in England and Ireland, where parents were swept up in autism

claims and refused to immunize. Ireland, a country with a population 77

times smaller than that of the U.S., reported 2,000 measles cases in 2002.

The U.S. had 37.

As it happens, the thimerosal flap has already taken a human toll. Health

officials recommended taking thimerosal out of vaccines in 1999 to help

calm fears--but this only fueled claims of a government cover-up. Worse, as

Dr. Offit reported in a recent issue of Pediatrics, some hospitals

misinterpreted thimerosal-related recommendations and suspended some

vaccinations for newborns. One institution later reported the death, from

acute hepatitis B-induced liver failure, of a three-month-old infant who

wasn't immunized.

Aided by trial lawyers, the intimidation has spread to Congress. Vaccine

makers receive some liability protection from the federal Vaccine Injury

Compensation Program--which pays out to the rare family whose child is

injured by vaccines. But tort lawyers have exploited loopholes to file

billion-dollar thimerosal suits that could bankrupt the few remaining

vaccine makers.

When Republican Majority Leader Bill Frist tried to modernize VICP--and

require autism claims to go through the program like everyone else--the

autism police went to work. They camped out in Washington and convinced

three Republican Senators to kill any liability protection. The Senators

claimed in a recent letter to us that they hope the bill will be

reconsidered, but it seems to have disappeared. The lawsuits go on.

None of this, we should stress, is in the interest of families struck with

autism. Researchers have spent years studying the vaccine-autism link, and

we hope they continue. But if the research disproves a connection--as it

has up to now--the autism community needs to listen and move on. Research

dollars are limited, and parents of autistic children deserve to see the

money spent where it will do the most good.

Autism is a terrible diagnosis, and we hope science soon gives parents the

chance at a cure. But the best way to achieve that goal is through open and

honest inquiry that shouldn't be stopped because of the clamoring of an

intolerant few.