Obama: "I am not for selective vaccination."

By Claudine Liss

Last Friday evening, September 5, 2008, I had the opportunity to ask Senator Barack Obama about childhood vaccine safety/choice.  His response, “I am not for selective vaccination, I believe that it will bring back deadly diseases, like polio.” 

He went onto say in so many words that he is for more science and the funding of more science if it’s needed.  (His science response is fuzzy, as his first response stunned me for a second). I previously gave his staffer a folder of information on vaccines. The Senator promised me that he would take a look at it. 

I thank you Senator Obama for stating your opinion on vaccines.  Feel free to elaborate or clarify in the future.

Senator McCain, Do you have an opinion on vaccine safety/choice?  Will you accept and review the same packet of information Senator Obama promised me that he would review?

Senators, here’s some common sense information to ponder: (I am purposely keeping things simple.)

1.  Every barbeque I went to this past summer had at least one (1) autistic child in attendance; several parties had children with severe food allergies and/or food processing issues.  One infant I met can’t process sugar. (Approx. 10 parties in different US locations, as far away as CA.)  Maybe I am wrong, but this does not seem right to me. What are the odds?

2.  I make it a point to talk to longtime educators.  Longtime educators can compare children of today with children of 25 plus years ago.  Many educators that I have talked to are concerned, which makes me concerned, see, their students are suffering from chronic asthma, food allergies, arthritis, diabetes, ADD, ADHD, other learning disabilities, speech problems, sensory perception issues, autism, and on and on.  The children they taught 25 years ago did not have these problems/illnesses in such great numbers.

3.  The need for special education teachers and facilities keeps growing. Why?

4.  1 in 6 US children have some form of a learning disability, a year 2004 CDC number.

5.  The US government admits to a vaccine-autism connection (Poling decision), and States continue to mandate new vaccines for school entrance (i.e.: flu shot in NJ). Caution thrown to the wind, in my opinion.

6.  What about other nations?  To the best of my knowledge, Canada. England, Japan and other foreign nations allow their parents to opt into their respective vaccine protocols.  To the best of my knowledge, children are not kept out of school if they are not vaccinated or selectively vaccinated.  Are diseases killing children in these countries?  Are the rates of chronic illness in their children equal to the US figures?  Are we being guided by fear in the US instead of logic?  Are we eradicating certain diseases and replacing them with chronic autoimmune and/or neurological illnesses?

7.  The US government, to the best of my knowledge, has never studied the health of the fully vaccinated, under-vaccinated, and un-vaccinated populations to compare and contrast chronic illness rates. Why?

Senators McCain and Senator Obama, if you decide to speak out publicly on the vaccine issue, please do me a favor and first read information from some of the people mentioned below.  Some really bright people have been talking/writing about vaccine choice/safety for years and years; Philip Incao, M.D., Mayer Eisenstein M.D. (Chicago), Sherri Tenpanny D.O., Harris L. Coulter, Ph.D., Tedd Koren D.C., Barbara Loe Fisher, Amy L. Lansky Ph.D., Tim O’Shea, D.C., Neil Miller, Kenneth Boch, M.D., Bryan Jepson M.D., Jane Johnson, Robert Mendelsohn, M.D., Randall Neustaedter, O.M.D., Stephanie Cave, M.D., Bernard Rimland Ph.D.  There are many more from all over the world not mentioned here. (The latest addition is Jon Poling, M.D.)

Both of you have daughters.  Start with Charlotte Haug, M.D., Ph.D’s recent article on Gardasil posted in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Claudine Liss, Esq. (NJ)

Claudine Liss (accountant/lawyer) is a practicing real estate lawyer in NJ, indie filmmaker and writer.  She is the mother of 2 children, Chloe 12, Max 7.  She has followed the autism explosion for 12 years.  Her interest in the vaccine/asthma-allergy connection was sparked after reading the Coulter/Fisher book “A Shot In the Dark.”  Her son Max was hospitalized at 3 months old.  He was lifeless, turning blue and filled with mucous. He was later diagnosed with chronic sinusitis and asthma.  Claudine credits acupuncture for getting Max to almost perfect health.

Comments

[Stagmom]

Sam, that's a good point. The difference is you don't have to prove you eat Fruit Loops and Oscar Meyer Lunchables to go to school.

KIM

[Sam Marshall]

As a parent I am much more concerned with the food I am feeding my child multiple times a day than with vaccines at this point. Do vaccines concern me, yes, to a degree. Does the fact that nearly every food item I pick up in the grocery store contains ingredients which are genetically altered, artificially produced and or contaminated with pesticides and chemicals concern me...greatly.

Perhaps it is vaccines that are causing the above listed issues but I honestly wonder why the fight against toxic substances isn't being undertaken with the same vehemence. My kids don't need to ingest dyes, preservatives, gmos, rbgh, pesticides and the countless other allowable additives every day. Not to mention thepthalates leaching out of their dishes and the lead on their toys.

The world in general is contaminated to the point of unacceptable (at leat in my opinion) with the blessing of our government regulatory agencies. How can we expect our kids growing bodies not to suffer from that exposure. Vaccines are just a very small, infrequent component of it all.

[CUREAUT]

While Obama talks a good game and gives us empty promises (as usual) John McCain cosponsored the Combating Autism Act of 2006, and worked to ensure its enactment. This law is helping to increase public awareness and screening of autism spectrum disorder, promote the use of evidence-based interventions, and create autism Centers of Excellence for Autism Spectrum Disorder Research and Epidemiology. John McCain understands that despite the federal and scientific research efforts to date, the exact causes of autism are not yet known and greater research is needed to understand this disorder. That is why in November 2007, he joined with Senator Lieberman in requesting the leadership of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which has jurisdiction over federal research into autism, to hold a hearing on federal research efforts regarding factors affecting incidence and treatment in order to help determine where research efforts can best be directed. As President, John McCain will work to advance federal research into autism, promote early screening, and identify better treatment options, while providing support for children with autism so that they may reach their full potential.

[T. Carroll]

Many think there is a connection between thimerosol and autism. But what about the other metals in the vaccinations, such as aluminum; what about DPT? what about adjuvants, which create an inflammatory response so that the immune system can 'recognize' the weakened 'dead' virus. Using energy-based testing, which some see as unscientific and controversial (just like the discovery of electricity and other advances in society were at one time considered), I have found that there is indeed more to the autism/vaccine issue than just thimerosol. Also, 'genetics' is passing along our genes. Have we considered that we might as well be passing along our toxic accumulations to our children, which could be misconstrued as 'genetics?' Is that why children with autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities are being diagnosed earlier? Have bigger craniums at birth because of 'inflammed' tissues? Did you know that the flu shot supposedly still has thimerisol in it, so if you and your mate have been getting the 'savior' flu shot every season, you can potentially pass down these accumulations to your developing fetus?

Why is society in general so fixed on doing the same things and looking for different results? Staying inside the box and never daring to look out of it? Why does society not ask "Why" enough? Why do professionals feel so proud to be able to diagnose things like autism earlier and earlier than before but after all of the parent questionnaires, observations, checklists, and behavior profiles, there are not many on the other side boasting of true solutions?

Question everything that offends your soul. Don't just accept an answer or traditional solution just because everyone else around you does or because you'd rather not bother in changing/challenging your current thoughts and beliefs:

It is not 'divine purpose' that anyone should be lost and be in poor health.

There are always answers - FIND THEM!

Ask for God's guidance and find the answers. .

[Carol]

I believe both Senators should be asked the question in terms of parental and personal choice, rather than 'selective vaccination'. Senator McCain consistently stands against personal choice in the area of a woman's right to chose to terminate a pregnancey, even when her health is in jepoardy. Whatever you may believe about abortion, his stand is a clear determination that he has the right to invade a woman's privacy, so I don't see him standing for a parent's right to choose whether or not to vaccinate their children -another privacy issue. Senator Obama seems much more likely to me to support a parent's right to chose to not vaccinate, even if he disagrees with their decision. He does have 2 young daughters and has probably chosen to vaccinate them, as many of us have done, before we had negative experiences. This is an issue that needs to be clarified much more but Senator Obama has always supported parents' rights, so I don't see him changing his position.

[Terri Lewis]

"I hate to say it but I am in favor of forced vaccinations."

Hey, Chris, maybe you hate to say it because it's morally insupportable.

Imagine this scenario: you have three children. Your 10-year-old daughter becomes permanently paralyzed and unable to speak within days after her forced Gardisil shot; you also have a four-month-old baby who dies within 48 hours of a set of routine "immunizations."

Now how do you feel about forced vaccination for your third child?

Oh, wait. I see what you meant: forced vaccination for *other people's* children.

Whew, ignorance can be educated, but the belief that people should be *forced* to take these kind of medical risks with their children is just evil.

There are risks to vaccination in addition to autism, and they are substantial, including death. They are also less rare than the average person wants to believe.

Terri Lewis

[Melissa]

I really don't get it. I just read through all these comments and you don't even KNOW McCain's stance on the issue. I don't understand how you can have this argument. I don't understand why I wasted all this time reading your comments.

[PersonalResponsibility]

Did anyone here ever consider that may be at falt for their child condition, even if indirectly? We live in a disposable society, look at what we throw away that ends up in our water supplies. Did people 25 year ago have traces of anti-psychotics, anti-biotics and other drugs in their water supplies, odds point to NO. Also did anyone ever do a study on birth controls effects on later born children? 25 years ago people weren't serially downing pregnancy hormones to avoid having a period as some women have been doing now. Which mean ovulation doesn't occur when another ova has matured, what are the effects of retaining ova after they've matured? Do I believe thimerosal is the ONLY culprit in the increasing ASD rates, no. Do I believe thimerosal is the main culprit, maybe. Do I think we should stop using thimerosal yes, if only to point out that rates won't drop when it's dropped. We are collectively polluting the land, air and water and are shocked that we are polluting ourselves. Look at the increased rates of auto-immune disorders as well. The capitalist, disposable, consumer society we live in is the problem, but we can't solve that as long as we keep attacking symptoms instead of root causes. ASD, ADHD, MS, MD, RA are all symptoms, modern society is the disease.

[Chris]

There is no evidence that autism is linked to vaccinations. the truth is that diagnoses have increased merely as an artifact of changing diagnostic criteria. the truth is that every credible piece of research has shown that there is no link. In areas where vaccinations have decreased autism rates have not decreased and there is many examples. Also they are now starting to be able to show signs of autism in children before the age of 1 year which is when the applicable vaccine is administered. the latest research is showing that there is most likely a genetic link. I hate to say it but I am in support of forced vaccinations. If the parents aren't responsible enough to put seat belts on the children they should be punished as they should if they refuse to protect their children from potentialy fatal illnesses.

[KarenAtlanta]

Fox news now...
Obama has pledged to dedicate $10 billion annually to electronic health information systems in general, which he says will help track the spread and origins of disease. “I will invest in new vaccines and technology to detect attacks and to trace them to their origin, so that we can react in a timely fashion,” he said.

You have forever lost any chance at my swing vote Obama. That is a campaign promise scarier than any gun totin' right wing Alaskan VP.
No thanks, still healing the damage from the old vaccines.

[mrs_silencedogood]

Why is it that so many people here have blindly jumped onto the pro-Opharma bandwagon? Is it simply because they can't bring themselves to admit an extreme left-liberal like Barack would be anti-vaccine choice? Get over it and open your eyes. What you are doing is no different than what Big Pharma has done for years. Big Pharma would rather not investigate legitimate questions from us because they don't fit with their big profits agenda. Obamaborgs would rather blidly follow Barack into the abyss than admit he is a Big Pharma chill. Read on: http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/04/news/companies/pharma_votes/index.htm?postversion=2008030714

[Carolyn Weissberg]

Bush actually banned another bill just because it would have banned thimerasol.

McCain = Bush

Please don't trust him, so many of us stupidly trusted Bush when he pretended to care about Thimerasol in 2000.

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/07-19-2007/0004628856&EDATE

[Momo]

"Btw, many of you failed to mention Obama's response to vaccinations in which he states: "I believe that every American has the right to access these screenings, and I believe that every American has the right also to refuse these screenings voluntarily if they so choose. I also support a thorough and independent review of our nation’s vaccination policies.""

A health SCREENING is not the same as a vaccination. A screening is like having your hearing checked or getting tested for diabetes. It is NOT getting injected with things. You didn't notice how Obama refused to take on the issue and instead tried to change the subject by talking about screenings in the hopes that people like you (whom it obviously worked very well on) wouldn't notice?

[Robin Nemeth]

I know that I’m often more negative than I probably should be, and might do better by sometimes focusing on the positive. But I keep looking at this issue with Obama and wondering why everyone is so anxious to bring Obama around to our way of thinking.

I guess I don’t believe for a minute that he doesn’t already know the truth about this. And I don’t doubt that he finds it distasteful or worse to have to say the things he’s said about mandatory vaccination. That being said, however distasteful he might find it I don’t believe he is going to change what he’s saying publicly on this issue any time soon. There’s too much money coming in from pharma. That’s going to be more important that the truth. If he wanted to speak about the truth he would be doing so by now, in my opinion.

Ok now maybe this is going to sound nuts, but why not focus on McCain, instead of on Obama? I know that the vast majority of people have been reluctant to speak out about this issue at all, let alone in support of those who believe there is a connection between vaccines and autism. But I keep on hearing about how the tide is turning, and about how things come around.

Perhaps some effort toward getting McCain to see this as an issue he could benefit from taking on, from publicly getting on the right side of—that being our side—would be more effective. More effective than trying to change what Obama’s been saying publicly.

Regardless of the beliefs of most Americans about whether or not vaccines have contributed to chronic childhood illnesses, I think that most of those who lean to the right are able to see the basic principle at stake here is more than just protecting children from harmful toxins. It’s got to do with freedom. The freedom of choice and freedom from government intervention that republicans have always been on about.

I understand that the issue is complicated and very controversial, and I would expect McCain to take a stand on whether or not vaccines have damaged children, a truly public stand on the issue, when hell freezes over.

But I think that a lot could be accomplished simply by shifting the attention from vaccine damage to vaccine choice. If McCain were to take a public position in direct opposition to Obama’s on this, I think it could do a lot to help strengthen his standing with his base and even with many swing voters. And it would do a lot to bring the attention of vaccine choice, if not vaccine damage, to the voters, which I think could only help our cause.

Rather than focusing on trying to influence what Obama’s saying publicly about forced vaccination, I think efforts should be made to influence what McCain says publicly about forced vaccination.

To that end I suppose I should write to someone with his campaign.

[mrs_silencedogood]

Dadvocate: Oh yes, the lastest Palin's smear is that she cut her state's Special needs education budget by 62%. Look at any on-line budget. The 2008 budget moved a large line item out from under "Special Schools" to its very own category. Look at the individual items contained under "Special Schools." In FY2007 the Alaska Challenge Youth Academy (ACYA) was a line item under "Special Schools." In FY2008 it was it own Budget Item. The above difference of 5,109,300 is just under the 5,449,300 that was designated in FY2008 for the ACYA. So the truth is Palin increased spending and moved items on the budget around. ACYA was given its own budget line because that school is for troubled teens rather than kids on special education and/or disability.

Other sources will tell you that "a second part of the measure raised spending for students with special needs to $73,840 in fiscal 2011, from the current $26,900 per student in fiscal 2008, according to the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (emphasis added)."

Source: http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2008/09/newest_palin_smear_she_cut_spe.asp

[Dadvocate]

Ms. Silencedogood, this:

Jennifer, in case you are truly interested...

Palin's Position:
http://gov.state.ak.us/archive-59920.html

is not a position. It is simply a statement proclaiming April as Autism Awareness Month. It is the same one that many, many Governors enter into the record every year. It's boiler plate. I say this because I looked and looked and cannot find any reference to Palin having any position whatsoever on autism or other developmental disabilities (other than her self appointment as "friend and advocate" at the RNC convention). This fact was highlighted in last Saturday's New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/us/politics/07needs.html

There is simply little to go on with her.
She may grow into an advocacy role at some point but like may things about her, there are a lot of unknowns and she is all of 4 months into being a special needs parent.
I know at that point in my life I didn't know much of anything either.

To name but a few, the deal breakers for me are this ticket's stated choices: cutting social security, opposition to universal health care, support of insurance company opposition to coverage of ABA, and opposing the Community Choice Act (which will de-populate congregate care facilities like nursing homes in favor of community based, inclusive solutions)...to name but a few. These are policy positions that as a long time advocate I strongly oppose. Obama ain't perfect but he "gets" the issue of lifetime supports for people on the spectrum who need them, and I believe from my experience that he and his advisors will listen to opposing viewpoints with an open mind and are capable of changing theirs.

I think Age of Autism does a terrific job questioning power and raising truly important safety issues (even though I disagree with some of the direction taken at times). It troubles me though when a candidate is said to have a position when, apparently, one does not exist.

If I'm wrong and one does exist, I am eager to learn the policy details.

[tom]

Welcome to the new world order.

The only good candidate was Ron Paul.
Of course many are not aware because of CFR owned media.

This will only continue and more of our freedoms will be taken away. Of course after we attack Iran which obama is for too.

Youtube. Cfr nwo IMF or. Ron Paul

[mrs_silencedogood]

Jennifer, in case you are truly interested...

Palin's Position:
http://gov.state.ak.us/archive-59920.html

McCain's Position: http://www.johnmccain.com/content/?guid=24dc9c37-e739-4aa3-8a88-ebae650a2f11

McCain met with A-Champ last November:
http://adventuresinautism.blogspot.com/2008/09/sarah-palins-message-to-special-needs.html

[Jenifer]

Tell me exactly how we know that Palin is going to be an "advocate" for my daughter and my family in the white house? I still have not heard one solitary plan, point or example of what she and McCain are going to do to help families with Autism, or this country for that matter...unless of course you consider "drill baby drill" a policy (and if you think that is help, then perhaps there is no help for our society). Just because Palin has a son with special needs, doesn't mean she speaks for me.

Btw, many of you failed to mention Obama's response to vaccinations in which he states: "I believe that every American has the right to access these screenings, and I believe that every American has the right also to refuse these screenings voluntarily if they so choose. I also support a thorough and independent review of our nation’s vaccination policies."

All McCain has publicly stated was that there is "strong evidence" about a thimerosal link...most everyone agrees with that. He has said nothing about being against giving vaccines, being for selective vaccines, or even doing away with them, so please tell we what is McCain for that is so appealing and different? And, even more so, what are his PROPOSALS???

[mrs_silencedogood]

1ASDMOM you asked: "Would you rather have someone in power who cares less if you have insurance to cover children with autism or any special needs..."

Now I asked, would you rather have someone in power who presumably wants universal health care for everyone except the aborted who SURVIVE 'the procedure?'

For crying out loud even NARAL doesn't have a problem with the Born Alive Infant Protection Act because it doesn't target Roe vs. Wade. Source: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3827/is_200612/ai_n17190692

IMHO, there is a fundamental character flaw with a person who can't differentiate between being pro-choice and infanticide.

What would make you think such a person would care for the needs of our ASD kids any more than the needs of the most vunerable members of our society?