By Lisa Jo Rudy
Autism & Parenting Examiner
Amanda Peet and Jenny McCarthy are beautiful women with lots of money, great bodies, and terrific makeup artists. They're also spokewomen for what have become opposing "teams" in the autism wars.
Peet, according to an article in the Momlogic blog is once again speaking out in favor of fully vaccinating children. Here's a quote from Ms. Peet - which, to be honest, really does sound an awful lot like fighting words:
"Also, I hope parents understand that when they do not vaccinate their kids, they are able to make that choice only because most of us are vaccinating," says Peet. "We are creating a barricade around their un-vaccinated children and that is what keeps them safe. That's a fact."
Meanwhile, Jenny McCarthy has come out with yet a third book on vaccines and autism. This one, called Healing and Preventing Autism, certainly SOUNDS like a medical guide.... from what some (including me!) would consider an unlikely and unpromising source. Still, I haven't read the book yet, so can't make a definitive judgement (and really did find Louder Than Words a great read).
The sad thing to me is that the autism debate has come down to a star v. star popularity contest. Of course, there's much more to it. But much as anger over the economic crisis has focused, laserlike, on a group of wealthy AIG execs, anger over autism-related issues has focused on a debate between two actresses.
Sure, it's fun to watch the sparks fly. But if we need Amanda Peets to be the ultimate spokesmom for the war against infectious disease - or Jenny McCarthy to raise awareness that vaccines are not always harmless - something's awry.
Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-2007-Autis...cines-v-autism
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From what I have read on Jenny McCarthy's website, Generation Rescue, she is not anti-vaccine, she just feels that there is some link between autism and the vaccine program. She points out that the US vaccine program gives children 36 vaccines between birth and 6 compared to Denmark which only gives 12 and which has a lower rate of autism.
ReplyDeleteIt's difficult to say whether vaccines can and do cause autism, perhaps they do in children who are genetically vulnerable, and the Vaccine Court has paid out damages in the case of Bailey Banks, whose autism was caused by brain inflammation triggered by the MMR vaccine (see http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-f-kennedy-jr-and-david-kirby/vaccine-court-autism-deba_b_169673.html). The vaccine debate is a real minefield!