To Vax or Not To Vax?
This is the question. Are vaccines safe? Is there a connection between autism and the MMR vaccine? If there is absolutely no connection and various groups are telling us to chill out and vax, why is the CDC still investigating the possible link? I think we should wait and see what the findings state. We also need a lot of studies done that are not funded by the government or big pharma or any biased party.
I discovered a site called Age of Autism today while on a quest for information on where Obama and McCain stand on vaccinations; seems neither one gives a straight answer.
“Would you support a federal right for families and individuals to choose for themselves which vaccines they will use?
OBAMA: 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?
OBAMA: 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.”
I don’t think the question asked about screening; it asked if he supported a federal right for families and individuals to make their own choices on vaccinations. He responded by saying he supports screening for diseases. What does that have to do with the idea of protecting individual’s rights?
I can understand the comment about his wanting science and not ideology to guide decisions, but isn’t that impossible considering science itself only observes and can not choose? Science gives us something to work with and we then make decisions and choices using our personal ideology to filter what science has shown us. Science isn’t moral, it leaves that to the person interpreting the science. Science simply says, this is, this isn’t, this may be. How can you not get ideology involved?
A commenter on the Washington Post blog brought up this tidbit:
The CDC is still studying the issue:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/documents/vaccine_studies.pdf
The Autism and Biopsy Study
This study is investigating whether the MMR vaccine may cause autism by a mechanism involving persistent measles virus infection in the intestine. Researchers are examining the intestinal tissue of children with autism for the presence of measles virus.
Scheduled completion: September 2008AND
Immunizations and
Possible
Developmental
CDC is working with the National Institutes of Health on a study to evaluate whether the MMR vaccine is
linked with developmental regression, which occurs in a subset of children with autism. Scheduled completion: To be determinedIf the issue was truly closed, why would the CDC and others continue to study it? (Those are hardly the only studies going on)
There’s far too much information to fit everything into one post; this is really the tip of the iceberg as I continue trying to find out where Obama and McCain stand on this issue.
your Origami reporter,
Momo
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