American Academy of Pediatrics Asks ABC to Cancel Drama Linking Vaccine to Autism
On Monday, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) will release the contents of a foreboding letter sent last week to ABC/Disney executives, demanding they cancel the January 31 premiere of a new legal drama series, Eli Stone, because it features a family attorney who successfully argues in court that mercury-containing flu vaccine caused autism in one child.Kirby's use of terms like "hysterical," "ominously," and "foreboding" make it clear that he sees the AAP's move as overly dramatic and, perhaps, wrong-headed. But there's no doubt in my mind that the AAP sees the drama, "Eli Stone," as having the potential to seriously injure children.The letter, signed by AAP President Renee Jenkins, borders on near-hysteria over a fictional television entertainment. It ominously warns that ABC "will bear responsibility for the needless suffering and potential deaths of children from parents' decisions not to immunize based on the content of the episode."
Dr. Jenkins calls on ABC to cancel the episode but, anticipating a refusal, urges executives to run a disclaimer that "no scientific link exists between vaccines and autism," if the offending network "persists" in airing the show.
Further, while Kirby makes the statement "parents are far too smart to base such an important decision as immunization on the "content of the episode" of a single drama on broadcast television," I tend to wonder if he's right. How many parents have chosen therapies for their children with autism on the basis of a TV appearance by Jenny McCarthy? How many have changed their eating, driving or cleaning habits on the basis of a single segment on an early morning talk show? How many outside the autism community base their understanding of autism entirely on the movie "Rainman?"
Granted that "Eli Stone" is fiction, I still think the AAP has a point: viewers are likely to see it as a thinly veiled expose of a hidden reality. And, from the AAP's point of view, such a show really does have the potential to injure the public health.
But does the AAP really have the authority to dictate what ABC airs? Is Kirby right when, later in the blog, he insists that the question of a mercury/autism link is still open? If you were in ABC's shoes would you cancel the show? Run a disclaimer suggested as an alternative by the AAP saying "no scientific link exists between vaccines and autism?" Or would you simply air the show as-is?
Comments
David Kirby has scared a whole generation into not vaccinating their children.
He has set back the necessary research in order to find out what really causes autism.
What he says, means nothing.
There’s a tremendous amount of research that does indicate a link between vaccines and autism. Please stop this disinformation campaign that there is no link. The CDC knows there is.
Seems sort of overblown to me. Would Kirby et al actually expect the AAP to respond differently?
It is necessary to have responsability. I realise AAP do not intend to censor ABC, but they intend to make it clear that there is not scientific evidence between a “autistic epidemy” and vaccines. I think AAP is right! Histeria is to scare people.
Before vaccines existence, people died like flies do!
Statistics show that there is about 1/100000 child who show problems with vaccines. It is too much difference to 1/150 child with autism, isn’t it?
The CDC have done, and continue to do, an excellent job of conducting and reviewing research related to vaccines and autism.
For an overview of what is known, Google for “faq_vaccines.htm” and “vaccine_studies.pdf”
As is appropriate for an agency dedicated to public education about science, CDC phrases its conclusions judiciously: “Several studies have looked at whether there is a relationship between vaccines and autism. The weight of the evidence indicates that vaccines are not associated with autism.” That statement is honest, and correct.
Unfortunately, there are many people who are absolutely convinced that vaccines cause autism. No amount of evidence will ever persuade them otherwise. David Kirby has done his very best to spread confusion around this issue, and now ABC has joined in. Let’s face it directly — this is a Bad Thing. If vaccination rates drop because parents are frightened, it will do nothing to prevent autism, but it will lead to thousands of preventable cases of disease. It would be good if ABC were to do the responsible thing, and pull the program — but at the very least they should try to balance the paranoia with some scientific information.
You’re looking a desperate man. Kirby has made not one, not two but three predictions regarding when autism rates should fall (2005, 2007 and now IIRC, 2009). He was wrong twice and will still be wrong in 2009.
That said, there was a similar TV show in the UK in 2003 which touched on the MMR and Wakefield scenario as oppose to the mercury one (Hea the Silence).
Interestingly, my wife and I watched this the year my daughter was diagnosed. We asked lots of friends and family what they thought after watching it and most said that they thought it was silly and not reflective of reality.
There’ll be a flurry of activity about this too and then it’ll die down.
There may be multitudes of reason for this epidemic. Infectious causes, other than vaccines, or the combination of vaccinatinos plus having an infectious epidemic, is quite possible. All I know is, that in some research, mercury does hamper someone with autoimmune genes, and if put on a neuron it shrivels, and clinical and case studies of children mercury toxic to whazoo. Just taking out mercury in vaccines is not going to stop autism. Autism can be caused by in utero infections, metabolic derangments, immmune deficiencies, thyroid issues in mothers, toxins, poisons, pesticides, high MSG in our diets. IT is probably this combination, plus asphixiation of cord clamp at birth, causing this rise in neurological issues in our children, not just autism. To say just taking out mercury is ridiculous! And to say that having it out makes a vaccines safe is also ridiculous. Autism seems to be so multip plex, ioatragenic and environmental gene interaction, it’s ridiculous. The whole of autism research is ridiculous! Most of it is a waste of our time.
I have never subscribed to the vaccines cause autism theories and I have never been a fan of Mr Kirby but he has a point about censorship.
Autism is a neurological disorder, a medical disorder.
Censorship is a serious socially constructed disorder which threatens the health of a democratic society.
I don’t think they should air the show- it replicates the real life vaccines courts that have not yet a verdict for starters. This show implies a prediction of outcome to those courts.
The character itself is rather humorous. A nasty attorney has a inoperable brain aneurysm, starts having hallucinations then suddenly changes his ways, helping his little-guy clients. This show is more about spirituality and a man with a brain about to blow. If it wasn’t for that darn aneurysm and hallucinations, this attorney wouldn’t look twice at these clients.
As for Kirby, he’s no better and this is right up his alley. There should be a disclaimer on this show. But it wont matter, parents do things suggested by Hollywood. There is bound to be some impact but those are choices parents have to make and I would hope they wouldn’t base it on a show like this.
Having a child with high functioning autism and many of th co-existing disorders, and seeing the pattern of these disorders in his paternal family, I get very disturbed at the simplistic attitudes and misinformation that is perpetuated by the assumption that autism is ’caused” by mercury in vaccines. I am not a scientist, and while mercury may play a role in some way, Autism, in its vast complexity and spectrum combinations is far more comprehensive in its origins and treatment. I have another child with type 1 Diabetes and I suspect when all is said and done, the conclusion for the cause will be the same for both- partly genetic and partly environmental. Whatever the case, to reiterate, mercury as a cause for Autism is too simplistic and takes away from understanding the complexity of the person with Autism Spectum Disorder.