Re: Obama and Clinton Responses to A-CHAMP Autism Issues Questionnaire

March 3, 2008

At 08:40 PM 3/3/2008 -0000, you wrote:

>So....am I correct in assuming from their responses that neither one

>is really " for " allowing people to chose to vax or not to vax????

>~

>

The ONLY one who is pushing for health freedom and the freedom to choose is

Ron

Sheri

--------------------------------------------------------

Sheri Nakken, former R.N., MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & Wales UK

$$ Donations to help in the work - accepted by Paypal account

Voicemail US 530-740-0561

Vaccines - http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccine.htm or

http://www.wellwithin1.com/vaccine.htm

Vaccine Dangers On-Line courses - http://www.wellwithin1.com/vaccineclass.htm

Reality of the Diseases & Treatment -

http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccineclass.htm

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NEXT CLASSES start by email March 12 & 13

March 3, 2008

So....am I correct in assuming from their responses that neither one

is really " for " allowing people to chose to vax or not to vax????

~

>

> Last December A-CHAMP began a campaign to obtain answers from all

the presidential candidates to our autism issues questionnaire. We

have received responses so far from Senators Obama, Clinton, Biden

and Dodd. Below are the responses for Senators Obama and Clinton. We

hope this will be useful in helping voters decide who to vote for in

upcoming primaries and caucuses. We will continue our efforts to get

responses for Senator McCain and Governor Huckabee.

>

> The responses below are unedited. Senator Obama's response is

presented first because he returned his answers before Senator Clinton

>

> If this is useful to you please help A-CHAMP in our work. We are

100% volunteer organization and we survive on the generosity of

people like you. Please click on the link below and sign up for our

action alerts and please make a donation to help us get this

important information to you.

>

> http://www.a-champ.org/donate.html

>

> Thank you.

>

> Please vote and please distribute this information widely.

>

> Senator Obama's Response to the A-CHAMP Autism Issues

Questionnaire

>

> Will you fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education

Act?

>

> As a member of the Illinois State Legislature I fought to support

special education and as a U.S. Senator I have continued that fight.

As president, I will fully fund IDEA so that we provide children with

the support they need to receive a free and appropriate education in

the least restrictive environment based upon best practices and with

the goal of fully including them in schools and the community. As the

number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD)

increases, we must ensure that teachers, classrooms and school

districts are prepared to meet their special needs.

>

> Do you believe that the Combating Autism Act provides enough

money to find the cause, or causes, of autism and

> effective treatments?

>

> I supported the Combating Autism Act of 2006. It was a good

start. As President I will make sure that money appropriated by

Congress for autism spectrum disorders reaches the organizations and

people that they were intended for. Research is important but it is

only one of the steps we need to take. Americans with ASD should be

supported throughout the lifespan. Early diagnosis and early

intervention has been proven to lessen the amount and intensity of

services Americans with ASD need as they grow older. We must

appropriate the funds needed to support all Americans with

disabilities. As president, I will go beyond the Combating Autism Act

to develop a comprehensive autism policy that invests $1 billion

annually by the end of my first term in office to address ASD on all

fronts. I will also ensure that all federal efforts to combat ASD are

coordinated through a central Federal ASD Coordinator who will work

across agencies to better coordinate ASD research, awareness,

> treatment, and support for families.

>

> How much funding will you request to study potential

environmental triggers of autism?

>

> There is much evidence to suggest that ASD is a genetically-based

neurological condition with environmental triggers. As president, I

will lead an effort to conduct research to confirm these findings and

study the potential triggers. We must find out why many Americans

have ASD and other special needs, the causes, and best treatments and

intervention.

>

> Do you believe there is an autism epidemic in the United States?

>

> Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is the fastest growing

developmental disorder in the United Sates and, perhaps the world..

One in 150 children is diagnosed with ASD. These numbers can not be

explained solely by increased awareness or changes to the diagnostic

criteria. It is a health crisis and I will act accordingly. There are

many Americans with special needs. They will have a partner in the

federal government under my administration.

>

> What will you do to stop health insurers from discriminating

against people with autism and their families?

>

> Many parents and state legislatures have led the fight to prevent

medical insurance companies from delaying and denying coverage to

those with ASD, claiming it as a preexisting condition. Because of

this, too many Americans with special needs and their families have

struggled with a crushing financial burden. Many Americans have tried

to do something about this, and I applaud their efforts. In South

Carolina, for example, parents Marcella Ridley and Lorri Unumb and

state senators Lurie (D) and ® led the way in

passing 's Law, which ensured that children with ASD would get

the treatments they need. Of course, after we create universal health

care by the end of my first term as president, all Americans with ASD

will have access to affordable and quality health care, regardless

of " preexisting " conditions.

>

> What will you do to assure that health insurers pay for promising

new treatments and behavioral therapy?

>

> As president I will work to create universal health care by the

end of my first term so that all Americans have access to affordable

health care. My health care plan will also improve the quality of

care available to Americans and uphold the principle of mental health

parity. I will also work to bring Americans with ASD, their families

and experts together to deal with important issues, like

standardization of treatments, diagnostics, screening, and support

for promising new treatments and therapy.

>

> Do you think vaccines should be investigated as a possible cause

of autism?

>

> I believe that the next president must restore confidence and

open communication with the American people. This includes

environmental policies and government funded research. An Obama

administration will go where the science and the facts lead us,

whether it is about climate change or toxic heavy metals in our

environment. What will you do to protect Americans, especially young

children and pregnant women, from exposure to mercury through

vaccines?

>

> I support the removal of thimerosal from all vaccines and work to

ensure that Americans have access to vaccines that are mercury free.

>

> What will you do to provide for the lifetime care that 250,000 to

500,000 current children with autism will need in the future?

>

> ASD is not just a medical issue nor a children's issue. ASD

affects behavior, communication and socialization and means that

Americans with ASD will have a lifetime struggle to fully integrate

within the community. However, the nation must also work to recognize

the valued role that Americans with special needs have within our

communities. Americans with special needs must be supported

throughout their lifetimes. As President, I will work with the

special needs community to ensure that those with ASD acquire the

skills and education they need, achieve to their fullest capabilities

and live the independent life of a full citizen in their community. I

will support programs that create opportunities, improve the quality

of life and maximize potential for all individuals with ASD and their

families.

>

> Would you support a large-scale federal study of the differences

in health outcomes between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups?

>

> Experience has taught that effective medical research must

be " large-scale " and well funded. I believe Americans should know

must know the health effects that caused by the presence of mercury

in vaccines. I will also support an examination of the National

Vaccine Injury Compensation program, a program designed to compensate

those injured by vaccinations.

>

> Would you support a federal right for families and individuals to

choose for themselves which vaccines they will use?

>

> I support screening for a wide variety of diseases and disorders.

Early diagnosis and early intervention are the best practice for most

illnesses. I believe that every American has the right to access

these screenings, and I believe that every American has the right

also to refuse these screenings voluntarily if they so choose. I also

support a thorough and independent review of our nation's vaccination

policies.

>

> Are you satisfied that the federal vaccine approval process is

free of conflicts of interests, transparent and rigorous?

>

> As President, I will conduct a thorough examination of all

federal programs to ensure that they are effective and operating in

the best interests of the American people. And I will ensure that

sound and unbiased science, not ideology, guides decisions made in my

administration.

>

> Senator Clinton's response to the A_CHAMP Presidential

Candidate's Questionnaire

>

> Will you fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education

Act?

>

> Yes. I support fully funding the Individuals with Disabilities

Education Act. Among my many efforts to fully fund IDEA, I co-

sponsored the IDEA Full-Funding Act of2003 to finally fulfill the

federal government's long-standing promise to provide for 40 percent

of the average per pupil expenditure for each and every child with a

disability. In 2005, I offered an amendment to provide $4 billion in

additional funding for IDEA; the amendment failed by a narrow margin.

I have been an advocate for people with disabilities throughout my

career in public service. After graduating from law school in 1973, I

went to work for n Edelman at the Children's Defense

Fund, walking door to door in New Bedford, Mass., to figure out why

there were discrepancies between the number of school-age children

and the number of children enrolled in school. What I discovered was

heartbreaking - kids were kept out of school because of their

physical disabilities. We submitted our findings

> to Congress and our study helped lay the groundwork for the

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which mandated that

children with physical, emotional, and learning disabilities receive

a free, appropriate public education. As a Senator, I helped write

the IDEA Reauthorization Act in 2004 in order to ensure that we have

targeted resources dedicated to teacher training. As President, I

will continue my fight on behalf of children with disabilities.

>

> Do you believe that the Combating Autism Act provides enough

money to find the cause, or causes, of autism and effective

treatments?

>

> A key aspect of my plan to address autism, which I unveiled in

November, is to fully fund the Combating Autism Act, which the Bush

administration has failed to do. Through this legislation, we can

work to identify the causes of autism; provide funds for

surveillance; and increase autism education, early detection, and

intervention. As President, I will double investments in the National

Institutes of Health's efforts to identify the causes of autism,

including possible environmental causes. I will expand the Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention's Autism and Developmental

Disabilities Monitoring Network and I will create Centers of

Excellence in Autism Spectrum Disorder Epidemiology. And I will

require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to disseminate

information about signs of autism, early screening, and training for

professionals who deal with young children through federal programs

that reach children and families - such as the Child Care and

Development

> Block Grant, Head Start, and the Children's Health Insurance

Program - and to pediatricians.

>

> How much funding will you request to study potential

environmental triggers of autism?

>

> I am very concerned about the possible links between autism, the

environment and other chronic diseases. Because there is so much we

don't know, I not only support increasing funding for the

environmental research authorized by the Combating Autism Act, but

I've also introduced legislation - the Coordinated Environmental

Public Health Tracking Act - that would enable us to link disease

surveillance to environmental information, and investigate disease

clusters. This bill would provide $100 million to monitor the

environmental causes of disease. I have also proposed to increase the

NIH budget by 50 percent over five years and to double it over 10

years. As President, I will provide a total of about $700 million

annually to address autism. That funding will go toward expanding

research to identify causes of autism as well as creating a task

force charged with investigating evidence-based treatments,

interventions, and services; improving access to post-diagnosis care;

> providing teacher training; providing planning and demonstration

grants for adults; creating a National Technical Assistance Center;

and guaranteeing quality, affordable health care.

>

> Do you believe there is an autism epidemic in the United States?

>

> Yes. Today, one in 150 children rare diagnosed with autism, for a

total of about 25,000 each

> year. In sum, about 1.5 million Americans and their families are

affected by autism today. This national health crisis is costing the

United States at least $35 billion each year. I have long been a

strong advocate for individuals and families impacted by autism. I

have cosponsored the Combating Autism Act and introduced the

Expanding the Promise for Individuals with Autism Act, in order to

ensure that Americans living with autism could have access as quickly

as possible to evidence-based treatments, interventions, and

services. When I am President, I will dramatically boost research

funding for autism and support services for families caring for an

autistic loved one.

>

> What will you do to stop health insurers from discriminating

against people with autism and their families?

>

> As President, it will by my top domestic priority to provide

quality, affordable health care to all Americans, including those

with autism. My American Health Choices Plan will ensure that no one

is denied coverage, refused renewal, unfairly priced out of the

market, or forced to pay excessive insurance company premiums because

of pre-existing medical conditions or disabilities.

>

> What will you do to assure that health insurers pay for promising

new treatments and behavioral therapy?

>

> My American Health Choices Plan will make quality health care

affordable to every single American, including those with autism and

their families. My plan will also create a Best

> Practices Institute that would work as a partnership between the

existing Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the private

sector to fund research on what treatments work best and to help

disseminate this information to patients and doctors to increase

quality and reduce costs.

>

> Do you think vaccines should be investigated as a possible cause

of autism?

>

> I am committed to make investments to find the causes of autism,

including possible environmental causes like vaccines. I have long

been a supporter of increased research to determine the links between

environmental factors and diseases, and I believe we should increase

the NIH's ability to engage in this type of research. My

administration will be committed to improving research to support

fact-based solutions, and I will ensure that the NIH has the staff

and funding to fully explore all possible causes of autism.

>

> What will you do to protect Americans, especially young children

and pregnant women, from exposure to mercury through vaccines?

>

> I will ensure that all vaccines are as safe as possible for our

children by working to ensure that Thimerosal and mercury are removed

from vaccines. I plan to fully invest in our research agencies so

they can protect our children's health, and so they can find the

causes and cures for conditions such as autism.

>

> What will you do to provide for the lifetime care that 250,000 to

500,000 current children with autism will need in the future?

>

> Individuals with autism need assistance in many areas including

education, employment, transportation, housing, health, and

recreation throughout their lives. As President, I will provide

support and resources to help them lead full, rich, productive lives.

Under my plan, I will provide funding for a planning grant for states

and a multi-year service provision demonstration grant program to

increase access to appropriate services to adults living with autism,

including job training, housing, and transition services for young

people leaving school. I will also create a dedicated funding stream

to help schools train teachers who work with children with autism

spectrum disorders. With the autism prevalence rate among children

now at 1 in 150, the need to identify and provide services for adults

with autism will grow even more important in the

> commg years.

>

> Would you support a large-scale federal study of the differences

in health outcomes between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups?

>

> Yes. We don't know what, if any, kind of link there is between

vaccines and autism - but we should find out. The lack of research on

treatments, interventions, and services for children and adults with

autism is a major impediment to the development of delivery of

quality care. We need evidence-based research on what works and what

doesn't in order to provide the most effective services for people

with autism. In addition to a large-scale federal study, I will

create a task force that would include significant representation

from the autism community and would be charged with identifying gaps

in evidence-based biomedical research, behavioral treatments, and

services for children and adults with autism. The task force would

present these findings to Congress and the Executive Branch and would

make recommendations on how to make evidence-based treatments,

interventions, and services available at the state and local levels.

Once the task force has completed its work, I will

> provide funding to establish state-based demonstration grants to

provide these evidence-based autism treatments, interventions, and

services.

>

> Would you support a federal right for families and individuals to

choose for themselves which vaccines they will use?

>

> As President, I will support efforts to ensure that vaccines are

safe and effective, including independent reviews and large-scale

studies. All Americans should have access to accurate and

comprehensive information about vaccinations?

>

> 12. Are you satisfied that the federal vaccine approval process

is free of conflicts of interests, transparent and rigorous?

>

> I believe that we need independent, thorough, and comprehensive

testing of all drugs, including vaccines, to make sure that they are

safe and effective. I will ensure that the process of approving

vaccines is based on science and research - not ideology or other

motives. I will do everything I can to protect the health and well-

being of American families.

>

March 3, 2008

,

Were Senators Clinton and Obama presented with the same questions? I

find it telling, if so, that Senator Clinton didn't answer the more

direct questions about environmental triggers and vaccines. Sounds

like Mr. Obama is more open to finding the truth.

Pam