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At a protest rally in Washington DC, Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey spoke yesterday on behalf of “Green Our Vaccines” a group that has called into question the vaccination program for infants and toddlers recommended by the government. The two celebrities articulated the group’s position, that childhood vaccines are likely a contributing factor to a rise in childhood autism and possibly other diseases as well.
McCarthy, whose own son has been diagnosed with autism, has been especially outspoken on the subject. According to CBS News, the actress and “Green our Vaccines” are most concerned with the schedule of childhood vaccines and preservatives added to the vaccines. Green our Vaccines attributes a rise in childhood autism to an increase in the number of vaccines, coupled with chemicals used in the vaccines that may cause severe neurological problems to a small minority.
Critics of the group, including the Center for Disease Control, point to a lack of evidence that links vaccinations directly to Autism. CDC also points out the thousands of lives saved from vaccinations against smallpox, polio, measles, and whooping cough. Other critics point out that more awareness of autism and new ways to identify autism has led to more reported cases of the disease, which has led to an appearance that more children are developing the disease. Finally critics point to recent studies that failed to prove any causal connection between Autism and childhood vaccinations.
However, the Allegheny Times reports that since the 1980’s the number of vaccinations required for children has tripled. The times quotes one critic of the CDC’s mandatory vaccination schedule:
In the early 1980s, children were receiving only 10 vaccinations. At that time, the rate of autism diagnoses was one in 10,000. Now, children receive 36 vaccines, and the number of autistic children, according to federal agencies, is one in 150.
[From TimeOnline.com]
Both sides agree that vaccinations are necessary to prevent many childhood diseases. But despite the CDC’s claim that vaccinations are safe, it will take more than studies funded by the pharmaceutical companies to convince the skeptics like Green Our Vaccines.
Written by Mike
Posted in Activism, Autism, Good Causes, Jenny McCarthy, Jim Carrey
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33 Responses to “Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy lead “Green Our Vaccines” rally”
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They are such a good couple.
I have two children and I’ll admit — I don’t like the “shots” visits. But, I don’t want my kids to get anything serious that could possibly kill them. I kind of disagree that the shots cause autism. I think it’s a genetic thing.
Edited to say — I saw Jennie on Larry King Live debating the pharmaceutical industry over shots. She came across as very bitter. And, I’m sure she is. I feel bad for her and her son that he has autism. I’m sure it’s heartbreaking to see your child go through that. You can’t blame her for trying to find out why it happens.
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There’s a lot more to autism than the vaccines conspiracy, that’s just a convenient obvious target. The thousands of lives saved annually vs. the less than 1% of complications that may arise make it a more than acceptable risk.
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I’m not entirely sure, so someone check me on this, but isn’t the reason the kids have so many more shots now because they’re spacing out the series into smaller doses to prevent allergic reaction? I know we’ve got new ones that I didn’t get when I was a kid, but isn’t most of the difference between 10-36 made up of mostly the same stuff, just more spaced out?
Like someone else said - autism sucks, but polio sucks even more.
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I am not an autism expert, and I don’t personally know anyone afflicted, but I do know that the medical system here in us is a complicated legal labyrinth, and that most primary care physicians, including pediatricians have shifted a focus from deliving health care to merely law type administrators. I am reading this autism situation with a great deal of interest, kind of as a canary in the cole mine for how the cdc and us government is going to handle the slew of increase in nuero diseases for us baby-boomers who have been overprescribed medication… wait and see… there will be an alzheimer and parkinson’s epidemic…
If autism were merely a genetic thing, then where are all the million’s of autistic adults hiding? And I don’t think it is merely a case of just now having proper identification.
No such thing as a genetic epidemic people. Saying its genetics lets doctors off the hook for any kind of responsibility of knowingly or unknowingly inflicting harm. My own son and daughter asked their pediatrician if there kids would be at risk during shots, and it was a resounding no. They asked for an explanantion and the pediatrician deferred to CDC and studies, which I can only guess, have been funded directly or indirectly by big pharma.
So anyhow, my point is… “we don’t know what causes autism” but we are pretty sure its genetic.
These are very intelligent people that go to conferences constantly and discuss the how’s and why’s of the kind of press to release.
So if you don’t know what causes it… by saying its likely just genetic defect, then I would, like my own children, say shots would be safe. No one on any side of our family has any kind of mental or nuerological defect. And I am sure many other people assume the same thing, an hence do not question the over vaccination of our kids.
For goodness sake, we stopped the over vaccination schedule on our pets when we found out they were getting extreme allergies…. now why can’t the same research be applied to these innocent kids and families?
I applaud Jenny and Jim. They are waging a dangerous battle in going against a huge institution.
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Look at Jenny’s face while she kisses JC. It’s so touching. She seems so in love.
I just read Hailey’s comment and she really has a point about Autistic adults. If more cases are being identified now, wouldn’t it be the same of adults? And then those statistics would end up being closer to one in 150?
Her other good point was about the pharcuetical industry, which I flat out DO NOT trust. And it didn’t occur to me until Hailey’s comment — duh, the pharmacutical companies are the ones making all those vaccines.
I WILL have my children vaccinated for things like polio and such. But I see they now have vaccines for things like chicken pox. I had chicken pox and it wasn’t so bad. Nothing wrong with letting my kids get it so they end up immune to it the old fashioned way. In other words, only the neccesary vaccines.
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How exactly does Polio “suck even more” than Autism. I’m just curious how one can place a rank like that. I’m gathering it’s because, and correct me if I’m wrong, you’re afflicted with neither.
Autism is an epidemic and those who live with and love autistic children know how devastating it truly is. A lifetime in a mental state that almost no one can understand and having communication, social, and behavioral deficits so huge that you’ll ALWAYS stand out, you’ll ALWAYS be the “weird kid.” Our world REVOLVES around social interaction and acceptance, peole. I wouldn’t dare say contracting Polio “sucks less” than Autism and I can’t believe anyone would say that about Autism, either.
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If more cases are being identified now, wouldn’t it be the same of adults? And then those statistics would end up being closer to one in 150?
Having worked with Autistic adults and children, I thought that I would weigh in on this comment. And the answer is, no, it would not be the same for adults. The adults that I worked with that were diagnosed with autism in the late 70’s and early 80’s had severe deficits in communication, cognition, and daily living skills. However, adults that have what we classify today as High Functioning Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome would not have been identified. And unless they are in the mental health system or recieving state services, they would never be seen to be diagnosed today.
I want to applaud Jenny McCarthy for being an advocate for her son, eventhough I may not agree with her cause 100%. But, I cannot imagine how frustrating it would be if I were to have a child with a disorder in which noone could tell me what caused it, or what to do to treat it. Believe me, the number of theories on how to treat Autism (some based on scientific evidence, others completely out there) is even greater than the number of theories on how Autism originates. So I can definitely understand the rationale behind her fight. At least she is getting out in front of the public, unlike John Travolta who refuses to admit that his son Jett might have Autism (he definitely has traits, but never any formal testing), due to his ties to Scientology.
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People feel a need to “do something” when they see a problem; that is a good thing. The problem is they are not educated about the causes they take up and wind up expending a lot of time and energy unecessarily. Vaccines do not cause autism. They just don’t. There is absolutely no scientific evidence that it does.
I think that these well-meaning celebrities have their hearts in the right place, but they are moving in the wrong direction. If they want to do something, I would suggest that they use their celebrity to shine a light on research as to the actual cause(s) of this malady, rather than wasting so much effort on junk science.
I’m not saying that I believe every vaccine is necessary; I can’t speak to that. But I do know that it is a myth that vaccines cause autism. That has never been proven to any believable degree. I just hate to see so much time and energy put into something that will do no good at all.
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Cici - chill the hell out, I wasn’t saying autistic children have it easy. Here’s the thing though, autism isn’t CONTAGIOUS. Failure to properly vaccinate can cause infections even in people who were properly vaccinated.
The myth that vaccines make you IMMUNE are just that, a myth. Vaccines work on a macro scale, and primarily only on a macro scale. Everyone has to have them to prevent outbreaks. The idea that if you don’t get your kid vaccinated you’re only risking them is bullshit.
I didn’t mean polio specifically is worse than autism - what I am saying is that even IF (big fucking if there) vaccines are causing autism in these super rare cases, would it not be better than a smallpox epidemic wiping out a few million people?
Oh, and to whoever was talking about ‘big pharma’ (yeah, lets vilify those assholes who’ve saved BILLIONS of lives with their horrible products). The CDC is funded by the government (taxes), not pharmaceutical companies trying to get their meds passed.
Like someone else said, I really feel sorry for these kids. Mostly because their parents and supposed advocates would rather conduct a witch hunt against pharmaceutical companies than to actually look for the real root cause.
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However, its not just Jenny McCarthy or celebrities in general that are promoting this idea, and unfortunately there is an abundance of literature available out there that is not based on scientific evidence, or have pulled out random statistics to back their hypothesis. I mean, one of the arguments in the article is that there were less vaccines and less autism in the 80’s, and today there are more vaccines and more autism. That’s shaky logic at best.
The problem is that you can’t pick and choose what vaccines your child gets. A friend of mine did not want her child to get the chicken pox vaccine, and was told she could not enroll her child in school without it.
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CiCi, thank you. My nephew was diagnosed with Asperger’s disease. A form of Autism, that thankfully they said he would eventually grow out of in his early youth.
FDR had polio didn’t he? He was president, for a very long time.
All disease is crippling, they aren’t saying that vaccines should go altogether. BUT, is it so hard to believe that our government is maybe looking out for their pocket books and not the welfare of the people?
I’m just sayin’… -
I think what the poster meant that autism sucks but polio sucks even more meant — polio can KILL YOU. You can’t die from having autism.
Chicken pox can also be potentially life threatening to a little one.
Like I said - I don’t like all the shots either but I don’t want my babies getting something that could possibly kill them.
I feel for Jenny. I like her and love her and Jim together.
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“Like someone else said, I really feel sorry for these kids. Mostly because their parents and supposed advocates would rather conduct a witch hunt against pharmaceutical companies than to actually look for the real root cause.”
But the problem is they don’t know where to begin to look for the real root cause. I’m not saying what they are doing is right, but no one has any clue what the cause is, and meanwhile autism is becoming an epidemic. I don’t think that vaccines cause Autism, and I don’t think gluten free diets work either. I also don’t think that you should put your kids through experimental therapy that strips their body of supposed “excess mercury”. Howver, these parents are not getting real answers and grasping at straws. So I don’t think its right to attack Jenny McCarthy eventhough I believe that she is misguided.
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I think that any research into the causes of autism should be taken seriously. There might well be a connection with vaccines, whose to say 100% that there isn’t
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I think it’s odd that we sterilize a babies bottle, have shopping cart covers & keep anyone that’s sick away from our babies, yet we take them to the Dr. to get up to 6 different germs shot into them. In addition to this, it boggles my mind why my little preemies (5 & 6 lbs) would get the same exact shots as my friends 12 lb baby.
I personally don’t feel that vaccines “cause” autism. I do feel that they may be a trigger in some children though. I’m following Dr. Sear’s Alternative Vaccine Schedule and feel it’s a good compromise.
The main difference in the alternative vaccine schedule is it spreads the infant vaccines out over the first few years of life, instead of bunching them all up in the first 18 months. It gives fewer vaccines at a time, gives the most important vaccines first, and slightly delays the less important vaccines. But ultimately the end result is the same - a fully vaccinated child.
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Mike covered most of the big points in his article anyways, but I did want to add one more thing. The problem with this kind of anecdotal evidence is that it screws up the usual course of that scientific research takes.
Like he said, there are lots of reasons why the numbers have risen, mainly that we’re diagnosing it more frequently. The adults people are looking for do exist, but most were misdiagnosed or just considered ’slow’ at the time.
Disregarding that though, even if the numbers are rising, why the hell is the focus on the shots? Because the signs tend to develop in early childhood? Well NO SHIT! How are you gonna tell a baby is autistic before they’re walking and talking? They would seem just like anyone else until that point, and even then it’s difficult to diagnose.
The whole argument can be condensed to 2 main points:
1. Kids tend to develop symptoms around the time they get the shots.
2. Supposedly there is this ‘rise’ in the number of cases in recent times.
Like I said, number 1 is a ‘duh’ situation because how are you gonna know earlier. 2 is sketchy at best.
I mean, how many things are modern children exposed to that their grandparents weren’t? How many chemicals in the water, air, and food?
For all we know it could be due to increased radiation because of ozone depletion. My point is that narrowing down to ONE potential cause on that tiny bit of anecdotal evidence is scientifically irresponsible.
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I’ll tell you something I firmly believe in — girls are getting bigger — faster. And, I blame it on the steroids they put into cows and chickens. My 10 year old daughter LOVED milk and chicken nuggets. Yes, I fed her McDonalds happy meal chicken nuggets. And, she loved them. She also drank a LOT of milk.
She is 10 years old and is 5′4. She wears a size 10 shoe. I have seen it with other girls her age too. I’ve talked to other parents whose daughters are menstruating at earlier and earlier ages.
I was told when she was about 2 to buy all organic products and didn’t. They were much more expensive and I we we didn’t have the money. I kind of wonder if she would’ve not grown so much if we had of done that though.
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yes this all makes sense. Screw millions of kids over with other illness’ just so 4-13% of kids with pre-existing previously unknown conditions dont get autism.
I cant imagine what shes going through but she comes off as being selfish. Why should we care more about her kid then our kids?
“that may cause severe neurological problems to a small minority.”
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susan
don’t feel guilty that you didn’t give your daughter organic products.
many pediatricians don’t believe in the link between food hormones and early puberty.
some causes could be high fat in the diet, processed foods, low levels of exercise.
more than anything, scientists say “weight” triggers early puberty.
which is why ultra-thin ballet dancers have delayed puberty. -
I haaaaaate Jenny McCarthy. I don’t know why. I don’t know how. But I can’t stand her. I guess because I have NO IDEA what career she actually has/had other than talking about her kid on every talk show that will have her. Basically, I don’t know why I should care about her. Does she have some failed acting career? Plus, I always confuse her with Tori Amos, who I also haaaaaate.
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Grow out of aspergers-sorry do not think so.I was diagnosed as an adult due to my niece having been diagnosed.My parents thought something was wrong but it was the 60’s and the doctors poo-pooed them.Do I lead a normal life? For me it has always been normal.Is it the same as everyone else-hell no! Would not want it to be.My goft has always been that I don’t care what anyone thinks about me-I’m happy.The only advice I have for parents is get your kids earplugs or sound muting headphones,put a fan in their rooms and eliminate florescent lighting-too loud….much luck to you.
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I think that for some cases of autism, vaccines may be triggering something that is already dormant within the child. However, I think that autism has a lot of factors that have converged at this time to create the high number of diagnoses (including better/more diagnosing now than existed twenty years ago).
I’ve worked with children with autism for almost a decade, and it is an excruciating diagnosis for families. One of my close friends has a little boy (7) who still does not talk or use the toilet. I have another friend who has two children. The older child has autism, and she has talked with me about the terror of what happens to both of her children when she dies. She is very scared that her younger child will be responsible for caring for the older child.
Bottom line, Jenny McCarthy is doing what she can to prevent someone else from living with the everyday reality of autism.
In addition, children get way too many vaccines now! My friend took her six month old to the doctor the other day, and was informed that her child needed eight vaccinations! She told the doctor to pick one. She actually called her mother to find out which vaccines she received as an infant. However, in Mississippi (where she lives), children have to have all of those vaccines to attend school. You keep the kid home, you get charged with educational neglect.
I understand trying to prevent an epidemic of polio, measles, etc. However, I know that kids are getting way more vaccines than they did twenty years ago when I was little.
It’s a complicated issue, but I think that any and all potential causes (including vaccines) need to be investigated by a relatively non-biased source (meaning not a pharmaceutical company).
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Scott F. I just wanted to respond to your comment about vaccinations coinciding with autism diagnosis. Here is an example of the anectodal evidence people are talking about: my dear friend had a son growing normally and fine, hitting all the developmental milestones, and had gotten all of his vaccines at the right times. At 3 he had another vaccination and within 2 weeks he was no longer walking, talking or making eye contact. His parents have NEVER said that they blame the vaccine, but their hearts broke, and they will always wonder. It was so devastating.
I do know a man (who is 40, so I’m sure that vaccinations are much more safe and advanced now) that is deaf, blind and in a wheelchair from a routine childhood vaccination. It is possible that there are complications. Every parent has to weigh those rare risks. I personally opted to NOT vaccinate while my children were still nursing as they were getting my immunities (GO BREASTMILK!!!).
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Vaccinations contain mercury, aluminum and formaldehyde. These ingredients are put into a syringe and injected into a newborn’s bloodstream. Personally, I do not require “scientific studies” to prove that this is a harmful practice (just as I do not require scientific studies to prove that fire is hot and can cause severe burns). I also do not need a medical degree to come to this conclusion.
Watching people sacrifice their babies at the alter of Big Pharma is truly a hideous sight. -
I did some looking after reading these comments, and it would appear to me that no one is saying not to vaccinate your children, but to develop more appropriate protocols for doing as su And I am sure no one here is arguing the benefits of vaccinations. What’s wrong with getting a better protocol for vaccinations instead of a one size fits all approach? We are in modern times here, and there are enough resources to delegate with enough brilliant people to take up the cause of developing more appropriate delivery systems for all sorts of medications, not just vaccinations. How many times have we all been to the doctor, been prescribed something,and then had a side-affect, which could not be predicted in any sort of logical manner other than the guess and check method and wait and see and here is the fine print of things that could possibly happen. I think in about a hundred years we could be looking back on this age as the dark ages of medicine. Balance is healthy, and from all accounts it seems to be what the green our vaccines people are advocating for. And Elle you raise a great point about who is going to be there to take care of these innocent children in the later years. Our health care system is certainly not prepared nor preparing to do so. I was really never a fan of Jenny, but now, I must say I am glad that someone is taking on a part of our government that has become grossly is unchecked and unbalanced.
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The fact of this is not that they are saying that vaccines are no good and should be done away with - just the opposite - it is that they need to be cleared up because they are toxic. And the schedule is way too many too soon - 11 vaccines still contain mercury - and remember what mom said - don’t play with the mercury from the thermometer - it’s poisonous - then why do we continue to put it in our children?
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i wish i didn’t have to give my baby shots but he can not get an education w/o proof of receiving them. Some of the things that are put in these vaccines are dangerous, and i dont see why that mercury and all that crap is even necessary.
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The Supreme Court recently has a case that cited in this particular case that this child’s autism was caused by the vaccine. We are not hearing about it because the federal government has sealed the records and is trying to keep it from getting out.
True I do not think that the vaccines alone causes the autism but serves as the final switch (catalyst) in these children to push their immune system into chaos. My son showed indicators as early as three months old but that only tells us that there are two possible groups: those who autism is triggered by the vaccine and those who do not - in this group there is a little bit more involvement of genetics and other environmental factors. -
To address vaccines in general: I worked in big pharma and actually worked in vaccine development so take it for what it is worth…There is a lot of politics involved in the vaccination scheduling and I will provide two good examples. One: the rotavirus vaccine that is now being required. Rotavirus is the intestinal virus that causes diarrhea and the infants die from the dehydration caused by the diarrhea. Now true, it can be horrible but to require this vaccine in the US is not critical because the dehydration becomes an issue in third world countries that do not have clean water and hospitals readily available. Here is where the great mortality occurs–not in the US. So for this vaccine to be required in the US is unnecessary. The CDC says that vaccines help so many children (which is true) but then the justification to mandate this rotavirus vaccine for the small number of children who get severe diarrhea does not justify all children getting vaccinated for this. Second example: the Guardasil vaccine for the HPV which some states are making mandatory for girls between the age of (i think ) 9 to 26. Now while I think it is a good idea, at this age I think it is decision for the girl and her parents, not the government to tell her to get this vaccine.
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We’re basically screwed no matter how you look at it. We are living in a chemical society (mercury is in our fish) and there are literally hundreds of chemicals we are exposing ourselves to. What about C-8 in our cookware, BPH in our baby bottles, and flouride in our drinking water? Is it one chemical trigger, no chemical trigger, a genetic tendency, or none of the above? Until a definitive, comprehensive study is done with appropriate controls, it is virtually impossible to say what the culprit is. The Supreme Court case is disturbing, but I agree with the previous posters who state you have to balance the risks. We all have to take calculated risks each day and unfortunately, we don’t live in a risk free world. I do get tired of people who don’t care about a particular issue until it effects them, then it is everybody’s business. However, I do like Jenny, so I’m letting it slide.
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What people need to be looking at is how meny people over seas have Autism. You just dont here about it much and it is because there government is not putting all the crap in there food. I have a 15 month old and am scard to death and don’t know what to do for his 2 yrs shots. Exactly when did we lose rights to our childern. The government is telling us what we can and cannot do with them, and I dont think that is not right.
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Some people do choose not to immunize their children and still are allowed in school you just have to fill out the right papers saying it either a religious or philosophical reason. This works in all but two states. West Virgina and Mississippi.You can only decline immunizations in these states if you doctor writes an exemption.
I’m sorry to say that I’m not entirely convinced that vaccines are the cause of autism. Your child can have autism develop the first few years of his/her life and not really be aware. It really depends on when you start to notice it. I wish somebody would give me some hard evidence that this is what causes it so I could see the light!
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