In 1998, an article was published by Andrew Wakefield claiming the MMR vaccine was causing autism in children. Sometime later, this claim was investigated and proven false. Wakefield was forced to retract his paper and even lost his medical license due to this dishonest and contrived information. Unfortunately, his followers stuck by him, even gaining more ground in adding new converts to the anti-vaccine movement.
Ask anyone who is opposed to vaccines and they will tell you that Andrew Wakefield was unfairly maligned and that he has now been proven accurate. This simply isn't so and there is absolutely no science to back his claims.
Once again it is the left that is the one that seems to be at the forefront of pushing the fallacy about autism. The autism theory and the link to vaccines has been debunked many years ago. Furthermore, (from the horse’s mouth we might say) Rob Ring, Chief Science Officer for Autism Speaks – an important authority on autism states:
“Over the last two decades, extensive research has asked whether there is any link between childhood vaccinations and autism. The results of this research are clear: Vaccines do not cause autism. We urge that all children be fully vaccinated.”[16]
An important fact to note is that many symptoms of autism do not present until about the same age the child is receiving some of the scheduled vaccines. This fact perhaps leads those untrained in the medical field to believe the autism later seen in their child is caused by vaccines.
Developmental-behavioral pediatrician, and senior vice president for medical research at Autism Speaks, Dr. Paul Wang, states:
“In most medical conditions, the underlying processes are triggered before their signs and symptoms become obvious. Consider arthritis. The joints are breaking down and inflammation is setting in years before the aches and pains appear. In dyslexia (reading disability), the symptoms aren’t obvious until a child starts learning how to read. But the symptoms are rooted in brain differences that are present much earlier in development.
A similar chain of events occurs in autism. We know that toxic exposures during pregnancy and complications associated with delivery can disrupt brain processes before birth and shortly afterwards. Mutations in the genes associated with autism can affect how the brain develops and functions, starting well before birth.”[17]
Though the autism connection has been debunked over a decade ago, there are those in the anti-vaccine movement that continue to promote this falsehood. They claim thimerosal is the ingredient causing autism, but thimerosal was removed from vaccines at least 10 years ago. And yet, the cases of autism have continued to rise. Again, Robert Kennedy, Jr. is one that continues with this claim. I recommend an article at Forbes magazine that addresses this issue and Mr. Kennedy’s claims. Kennedy's initial statements were published by such liberal magazines as Rolling Stone and Salon.com, both of which eventually pulled his articles due to the fallacies and lack of proof. Kennedy blamed "Big Pharma" and even stated the "government knew" about the dangers. It was simply more of the same from conspiracy theorists that love to blame the government.
"As a lawyer, Kennedy should be able to understand this. The science, which Kennedy apparently does not understand, leads to the same conclusion: in study after study, scientists have found no link between thimerosal and autism, or any other kind of neurological disorder. And as RFK Jr knows, thimerosal was removed from childhood vaccines in the U.S. over a decade ago, and the rate of autism diagnosis continued to rise. This fact alone contradicts his major claim."[18]I have often found myself wondering why there have been no studies to determine if the rising autism rate over the last few decades could be due to the wide spread acceptance and use of street drugs. How can we not suspect this possibility with the high percentage of people that have used drugs in their lifetime? We believe our health is suffering because of the chemicals added to our food supply. Why would the rampant use of drugs in our society not be considered? The answer is simple, really. It points to accountability and responsibility which could lead to blame of individuals. And that isn't politically correct or prudent. That is not to say every case of autism would be due to this factor; but it is something that might very well increase the autism rates. Why not study it?
Please check out this link: http://www.forbes.com/sites/emilywillingham/2013/03/29/vaccines-not-linked-to-autism-again/print/
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