Hold up though – I think that guy is a bit crooked, sure, but these most recent articles that have come out are pretty one-sided too. The same scare-tactic-rampant frenzy the anti-vaccine camp is putting behind its campaign exists behind the staunchly pro-vaccine side, too! (I think the fact that the media keeps publicizing the discrediting of this ONE guy is telling. We know already.) In the meantime, it’s absolutely valid for parents to question vaccines, but you must be very careful about what you’re reading, and be sure that whatever it is, you’re reading critically. It’s so difficult to find objective sources. Even our own gov’t here in the U.S. is heavily influenced by pharmaceutical companies. I don’t trust anyone, and I don’t think it’s ignorant to question what you’re blindly shooting into your kid. I split both kids’ MMR shots up. Some scientists, possibly quacks, possibly not, believe those combo vaccines are at the root of some problems. Who knows yet? But why risk anything for the convenience of not having to go into the doctor three different times for separate shots? And any parent who’s had some pediatrician try to rush four shots in one day onto their kid, including POLIO for freak’s sake, should be raising an eyebrow that something has been sacrificed here in the name of efficiency. Could it be some degree of safety? I think so. I’m pro-vaccine, thoughtfully and carefully.

But that’s basically giving in to OCD and voodoo. It’s magnetic bracelets and homeopathy and aura-cleansing. “Some scientists, possibly quacks, possibly not, believe these [x] are the root of some problems. Who knows yet? But why rick anything for the convenience of not doing [x]?” Don’t you see how dangerous that sentence is? Because you have to draw the line somewhere. Because everyone has to make compromises, and preying on the fears of parents in order to make money (which is what Wakefield did) is disgusting, predatory, and unethical.

If you can honestly read the first three paragraphs here and still think there’s some link… then you’re in the Cloud Cuckoo Land of conspiracy theorists, Birthers, and people who carry the Enquirers’ Blue Dot in their purse.

I did draw the line: I got my kids their measles, mumps and rubella shots. I didn’t *not* do it, I just did it differently because I felt uncomfortable with the other two alternatives (not doing it at all, or doing it all at once) and not because I’m afraid of autism. I simply distrust that ALL vaccines are 100% safe for 100% of kids. And the almost violent defense of the vaccine program – the frantic marketing to get the numbers back up because of a few deaths and injuries in kids who weren’t vaccinated – somehow makes me distrust the system even more. Who’s to say pharmaceutical companies aren’t preying on parents’ fears to make money as well? And more importantly…why do you care?

(There…done eatin’ your bait…) 😉

I’m not worried about getting flamed by the autism community. The problem is that you can’t compare those numbers. The number of kids who die from being not vaccinated is a given. That is known. (I have friends who are doctors in the UK who have firsthand knowledge of this.) The number of “complications” from not being vaccinated can never be known, because it’s all magical hand-waving. The anti-vax people want to count autism in there despite there being NO PROOF of any link (despite multiple studies). What if I personally think that vaccinations make your kids more likely to get run over by cars? You can’t argue with that. People with that deep a distrust of authority, science, and REALITY won’t ever be convinced by numbers.