LIFE IMITATES TV

By David Kirby

Three weeks ago, the American public health establishment turned nearly apoplectic over the airing of an ABC TV fictional drama series, “Eli Stone,” for having delved into the thorny issue of vaccines and autism, and coming out on the side of the theory’s proponents.

Well, last I checked, the sky did not fall down, hell did not freeze over, children are still getting vaccinated (even with this year’s somewhat ineffective thimerosal-containing flu shot) and life goes on pretty much unchanged.

But as powerful as fictional television can be (and I confess to being a fan) it is still no match for good old fashioned reality.

When Eli Stone won a vaccine-autism case on TV, not much happened in our world. But last November, a real American family won a real concession and settlement from the US Government, and will soon be receiving very real dollars to help care for a sick little girl.

What happens next remains to be seen. But stay tuned for some fun and games this week as the mainstream media tries to grapple with (or, perhaps, roundly ignore) this very real courtroom drama, one that played out right under our very real noses.

[Editor's note: see David Kirby's discussion of the vaccine case concession, "Government Concedes Vaccine-Autism Case in Federal Court-Now What?"  at the Huffington Post, HERE]

Comments

[Richard]

Great job David, I agree the fun and games with the mainstream media will be very interesting to watch.
I think it worth mentioning that the reason the government lawyers conceded this case was because they faced overwhelming proof that they knew they could not dispute. I wish we could have seen the mountain of evidence they were up against.

[Theresa Cedillo]

Thank you David - exceptional, wonderful. Thank you

[Raymond Gallup]

The case that David Kirby mentioned won't be the only one coming through the pipeline. There will be a lot more cases that will link vaccines to autism. It will be interesting to see how the PharmaNazis spin these successful cases but finally the truth will win out and it won't matter how they spin it.

[Sandy Gottstein]

David, As usual, you have done an outstanding job outlining the intricacies of a complex issue. Thanks, as always.

As for what this all means, while I am not holding my breath (as usual), this may well be what finally results in the tipping point being reached. And as JB said, we all need to work together. Now, more than ever.

All the best,
Sandy

[Tim Weslh]

Did everyone see this made the front page news on Autism Speaks... We are gaining ground!

[Lisa]

Fabulous David Kirby! Your tenacity in staying with this important issue affecting many children is appreciated!! GREAT NEWS!

[Richard]

The vaccine injury court was supposed to be a no fault speedy solution to vaccine injury claims.This court has evolved into a tight fisted,cruel program that will spend millions and delay justice for years in some cases to prevent a small payout.

[Jack Russell]

So, I think I need a little legal update.

How does this impact the test case before the Special Masters? Or was this the test case?

And what are the circumstances around this coming out now, as opposed to back on Nov. 10th or not at all?

And how might this make it into the mainstream media?

Thanks, great piece and I think great news.

[JB Handley]

This is an historic day.

We have crossed a threshhold: the government just admitted that, at least in some cases, vaccines can trigger autism.

We all knew this, now we all need to work together to stop the madness.

JB Handley