A friend sent us this fabulous and quick read on what the vaccine debate is really about: hate. Age of Autism ran the piece about it but none of the links are working. Interestingly, the website seems to be blocked because of something called robots.txt It seems that folks who question the status quo often seen their websites crash, get blocked, labeled as spam or something more dangerous. It may be just a coincidence but it seems to happen rather frequently. Who knows. No matter, read this amazing piece - it is inspiring. Age of Autism Managing Editors Note: Below is an excerpt we encourage you to share from Megan, of the LivingWhole site. From her bio, I have a degree in Political Science, a law degree, and am a Naturopath, Certified Natural Health Educator, Registered Power Yoga Instructor, writer, and stay-at-home mama. My better-half holds a biology degree, chemistry minor, is a Family Practice Physician, and is a Captain in the United States Air Force. Together we have four kids under three; and yes, we plan to have more. I am sick of it – this vaccination debate. My convictions not to vaccinate have been firm for six years now and I was comfortable living a low-profile life and letting other more notable activists carry the torch; and then I started seeing misleading t.v. interviews, news stories, and backlash against parents and unvaccinated children. I saw reputable medical professionals get crucified and reputations destroyed for questioning the mainstream norm. I saw laws passed in other states removing freedoms that rightfully belong to parents and individuals as a whole. I saw fear, blame, finger-pointing, lies, and flat out hate being propagated and encouraged by people, physicians, and popular media avenues towards parents who don’t vaccinate, and their children. This isn’t a vaccination debate, it’s a hate debate, so let’s call it what it is. And when it got personal, I got involved. Most importantly, I felt the need to clear a few things up: I am not an “anti-vaxxer” or a “disinformation activist.” I am a parent. Some people believe that parents can’t make an educated decision on this issue, that you should check all of your questions and reservations about vaccinating at the door and trust your physician, that is unless your physician also questions vaccines (or supports a delayed schedule), then he’s a quack. Despite what you have been told, it takes no credentials, no formal education, and no “M.D” behind your name to take an educated stance on this issue – it only takes a brain…and everybody’s got one. Of course, if you decide not to vaccinate you’ll be harassed and told to pull your child out of public school. Funny how we do have the credentials to educate our children but don’t have the credentials to make an informed decision about vaccines. So put your credentials away, you didn’t need them to have a baby, and you don’t need them to raise one either. All medical professionals who do not support vaccines are “quacks, hucksters or bold face liars.” This argument might have carried some weight when only one physician spoke out against vaccines; but today, there are so many that its conveniently suspicious that every single time a physician comes out in support of not vaccinating or recommends a delayed schedule they get attacked, discredited, and demoted to “quack status.” I’m sorry but these physicians sat through the same classes. They passed their licensing boards like all of the other doctors, many have the prestigious “M.D” behind their names too, but because they read the research and came to a different conclusion and had the guts to say so, they’re stance is somehow less credible? Attacking these physicians (whether they are an MD, DO, ND, or DC) is a bad idea. It makes one look like a bully and nobody likes a bully – not on the playground and not in the grown-up world either. Speaking of bullies, stop showing us pictures of sick children, telling us that there’s no link between MMR and autism, or telling us dramatic narratives of an “infant who almost died of measles.” According to a recent study published in the American Academy of Pediatrics, these messages elicit a “backfire effect” that only strengthens our deepest convictions – which to be honest, are based on a whole lot more than the autism debate. Is anyone else offended that a study was done where these misleading and one-sided messages were propagated among 1759 people to see if it would convince them to vaccinate? Is anyone else offended that these same tactics are still being used on us? Read more at livingwhole.org/the-hate-debate/.
Posted on: Mon, 21 Apr 2014 17:20:32 +0000