Elie Ward and the AAP Fighting for the Rights of Vaccine Makers

Managing Editor's Note: Katie, perhaps you should have told Elie you were the daughter of Bob and Suzanne Wright? I'll bet she'd have picked up the phone.  Or you could have called yourself "Miss Tayloe Merck." Or a nice Russian/Italian girl named "Ivana Varicella." That surely would have done the trick.  Thank you for fighting for our kids, Katie.

By Katie Wright

I tried to have this discussion with Elie Ward in private.

I left three messages at her office. I identified myself as a parent of a sick autistic child and a typically developing child. I said I am pro vaccination, but pro safe vaccination and that I would like to speak with Ms. Ward about some of the claims she made in her recent letter to my congressperson, Rep. Carolyn Maloney. (HERE)

No response…

I guess it is far easier to throw one’s weight around in letters to government officials than it is to return parents’ phone calls. Ellie, you feel so strongly about your beliefs yet are unwilling to discuss them with the families you purport to serve? I wonder why?

In your letter you refer to parents’ calls for a safer vaccination schedule as “irrational and unscientific” and then declare, somewhat hysterically, “Vaccines save lives!”  Let’s save the drama, OK, and stick to the facts. No one is disputing that vaccines save lives. Seatbelts save lives too. Should we wear seatbelts every moment of the day, in the shower, sitting on the couch, asleep in bed? No, we wear seatbelts when we are at risk of being in a car accident. Should we be vaccinating newborn babies, without their parents’ knowledge or consent, for sexually transmitted diseases they have zero chance of contracting? Apparently you think so. I guess I think that should be your choice to make with your child, not the AAP’s choice to make for my child.

Should we study the cumulative effects of 36 vaccines on a baby’s delicate and underdeveloped central nervous system BEFORE we mandate more vaccines? Parents think so. Should we spend a few pennies more on a vaccine in order for every American baby to have a single use vaccine rather than the multiple use vials that are far less safe and filled with ammonia, aluminum, formaldehyde..? I think so. I know the AAP vehemently disagrees. Should we advocate for public transparency about vaccine safety and allow open access to the VAERS data? I think so, I know the AAP disagrees.

In your letter you urge Congressperson Maloney to read “Autism’s False Prophets” which you go on to describe in reverential terms. This blind and uninformed advocacy on behalf of vaccine makers is frankly, embarrassing, and discredits your entire argument. Dr. Offit is a very rich man as result of his vaccine patents. His rota patent was sold for $104 million dollars. Offit refuses to disclose how much money he made as a result of that transaction. How is that for transparency? Of course Offit’s book claims vaccines are always safe, he advocates for a product he SELLS. This is confusing because you purport to be so upset by those who are “making a great deal of money” in autism. The “exhaustive” Columbia University study you claim “proves no links because autism and vaccines” was a CDC study (another vaccine patent holder) that studied a dozen children. According to you, we should blindly believe the conclusions of those who stand to enrich themselves, exponentially, as a result of their vested interest in the vaccine program and take a horribly flawed study of a dozen children as definitive proof that vaccine safety science is sound. So much for “exhaustive science”, it sounds like your definition of “junk science” to me.

That is not even the worst of it Elie. The worst of it is that you argue that Congressperson Maloney should not listen to the constituents in her community whom she has so bravely served. No, instead Maloney should disregard the hundreds of stories that families with sick and suffering autistic children have shared with her. Congressperson Maloney needs to listen only to you, Dr. Paul Offit and your pals out in Lake Success, Long Island. I suppose that is because you have your finger on the pulse of needs and concerns of children like mine? Elie, do us all a favor and stay out of my neighborhood.

So Elie, I think that it is NOT Congresswoman Maloney who needs “to learn the facts” about children’s health but you and the NY AAP.  Everything you have done works against the cause of vaccine safety, public policy transparency and even “do no harm.” The AAP has consistently ignored the concerns of families with autistic kids for decades.  Rather than reassuring the public with vigorous safety research, the AAP hysterically fights any vaccine safety initiatives. Instead of wringing your hands about “junk science” and the “false hopes of frightened parents” you could actually speak to a concerned parent or return a phone call. Most importantly you really need a new reading list, the information you are promoting is dated and wildly inaccurate. Please get a copy of Changing The Course of Autism  by Jane Johnson and Dr. Bryan Jepson if you really want to get your facts straight about vaccine safety and autism.

Katie Wright has two young boys. Her oldest son, Christian, is severely affected by autism. He developed normally; smiling, talking, walking; only to lose every skill and every word by the age of 2 and a half.  Upon the advice of medical professionals Katie and her husband were advised to pursue only high quality behavioral therapy, speech and OT for Christian. It had no meaningful impact on Christian until his parents sought help from DAN! doctors who treated the underlying causes of Christian's descent into autism. Christian has improved but still has far to go. He has Inflammatory Bowel Disease, the measles virus in his gut and an immune system akin to a late stage AIDS patient. Christian does not have a psychiatric disorder. Before autism, Katie Wright was the Clinical Director of Sexual Assault Crisis Center in Stamford Connecticut. Katie is proud to serve on the Boards of NAA and SafeMinds.

Comments

[Danny's Voice]

Katie,
Thank you for your wonderful letter and tremendous courage. I am sure vaccines contributed to my son's autism as well and have shared my concerns w/ my local, state and federal Maryland legislators many times. One of these days they and the country will actually get it...until then we'll just have to keep repeating ourselves and showing them the real science...our beautiful kids!

[Heidi Roger]

Katie,
I am in awe of your writing prowess and passion for what is right. I am sorry you have a dog in the fight but am grateful you choose to fight with us.
xo
Heidi

[Becky]

Excellent letter Katie! I have to say, after working in state and local level public health for the past 15 years, I couldn't beleive what a poor excuse for a letter that was from Ms.Ward. All emotion and no substance. Last I knew an MSW wasn't a medical or scientific degree either. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! How dare David Kirby try to report on science without the proper credentials. Shame on us all...using our brains without a license!

[kimi]

I agree that the huge load of vaccines given to children today is at best too big, at worst overwhelmingly dangerous. I also feel vaccines save lives--I met a mother whose typical child died from whooping cough because she feared vaccines too much to have him innoculated and see him suffer as her autistic child had. I personally have told in no uncertain terms to anyone who listens that parents have the right to refuse vaccines from their doctors and set up reasonable and sane schedules of vaccines. That only if their child is entering a "state run" preschool or daycare do they have to meet every single shot schedule demanded. If they're being watched at home by Grandma, where will they get Hep A, Hep B, DPT or polio? Unless there's an outbreak of M, M, or R, why do it at 2? Why not wait, break them down, get them 6 months apart? And as far as the MMR is concerned, I was NEVER ONCE informed that the measles virus is live. Didn't we stop giving live polio for a reason? Nevertheless, as we have learned these last several years, when there's a profit to be made, transparency will not exist. Look at big oil. Thank God for Hurricane Katrina so Louisiana could have zero refineries working so our gas could approach and (in some cases) go over $5 a gallon! So far, Typhoon Autism hasn't had the backlash affect on those who make vaccines. I don't hold with DAN's treatments (for my children at least) and I don't hold with a zero vaccines approach either. But in every opportunity to show us the proof, the vaccine manufacturers and our own government has totally failed to win our confidences. We may have a chance for change, I really hope so. With the new government coming in, perhaps we'll have a chance to get some cobwebs cleared and some truth to shine.

[Robin Nemeth]

When I was reading Katie's last post, I was looking at the picture wondering where I'd heard those words. 'You should have listened.' I thought it might be a song and then remembered the song from Dreamgirls. I think the lyrics are perfect:

**
Listen,
To the song here in my heart
A melody I start
But can't complete

Listen, to the sound from deep within
It's only beginning
To find release

Oh,
the time has come
for my dreams to be heard
They will not be pushed aside and turned
Into your own
all cause you won't
Listen....

[Chorus]
Listen,
I am alone at a crossroads
I'm not at home, in my own home
And I've tried and tried
To say whats on my mind
You should have known
Oh,
Now I'm done believin you
You don't know what I'm feelin
I'm more than what, you made of me
I followed the voice
you gave to me
But now I gotta find, my own..

You should have listened
There is someone here inside
Someone I'd thought had died
Sooo long ago

Ohh I'm free now and my dreams 'll be heard
They will not be pushed aside or worse
Into your own
All cause you won't
Listen...

[Chorus]

I don't know where I belong
But i'll be movin on
If you don't....
If you won't....

LISTEN!!!...
To the song here in my heart
A melody I start
But I will complete

Oh,
Now i'm done believin you
You dont know what I'm feelin
I'm more than what, you made of me
I followed the voice, you think you gave to me
But now I gotta find, my own..
my own
**

and I think that the 'you should have listened' line would be great on a shirt. You'd have to let people know who 'you' refers to I think though. I would stay away from attacking individuals (much as I loathe certain ones). Maybe just some sort of clip art picture of a doctor or a syringe.

Hopefully you wouldn't need to get permission from the songwriter to use the line. Heck maybe we could get permission to use the whole song, as like an anthem.

[Lin]

Thank you, Katie. You are a wonderful advocate for us and our loved ones. Thanks for being there for our children!

[Carolyn]

Bravo Katie!

Thank you for constantly standing on the side of our children, without waivering!

It is refreshing to see a mother who can articulate her thoughts and feelings without hestiting on which sidelines to wander over to.

It's our children. It's their lives. It's their health and future. It's how "knowing" entities poisoned our children without apology or recognition. Period.

I am very proud of you!

[Amy]

Katie -

You are a Mother Warrior! I am so proud to read your words.

I have seen videos of your son, Christan, and he is a beautiful child! My, Noah, too was talking, playing,and a loving happy child until 18 months when he lost all skills overnight.

I would love for Ellie to come and watch videos of Noah before Autism took over his life and to spend a day caring for him now.

His doctor agrees that "something" happened and he thinks vaccines did it to him. . .but then again, he is not making money from my sons vaccine injury. Can everyone who says it is NOT vaccines say the same thing? I don't think so.

Thank you for speaking out for all the children - you are my hero!!

[Jacey Capurso]

Thanks again Katie for your continued quest for answers....and making sure all those who make decisions in the right places know the mission we are on. Like Christian and my son Alec, we have a long road ahead. But taking this all one day at a time and with each step forward, we all will prevail. We will make them listen and we will be heard ....and the world will finally come to realize that the few, strong parents who never gave up were right!! Our children, Christian, Alec and all the other vaccine injured children are the light in our eyes and the reason we fight. Their lives which were stolen for the corporate benefit of so many will not go unnoticed. I so appreciate your continued effort to be a huge voice for your son, our kids and the many who will come after them.
Jacey
TACA Mentor and Rescue Angel

PS: who exactly in the "junk science" community that Elie referred to in her letter is making all this money? I know DAN doctors are expensive but I highly doubt they are making the $100 million Offit made.

[Isaac's Grandma]

You go Katie!!!! My goodness! What in the world will it take to make these "so called" experts understand that "OUR" expertise is just as creditible as theirs?
We are the ones that live this day to day. We are the ones that SEE what is happening.
I still don't understand why the so called experts in all of this can't understand that we are NOT anti vaccine.
The way I look at it...it is common sense. If you have a child that has a known allergy to something..and you just keep giving them the very substance that triggered that allergy...death would surely happen.
In a way...this is what has happened to our children with the OVERLOAD of way too many toxins at one time injected into thier itty bitty bodies.
Why is it so hard to understand that injecting 8 or 9 live viruses at a time into such a small child could have castastrophic results?
Why is this common sense approach so hard for the educated medical professionals to wrap their heads around?
Why would it hurt to even look at this issue?
Also...I still will NEVER understand why in the world a newborn baby would need a vaccine that will protect them from having sex with other men, sharing drug needles, or traveling to a different country.
I guess that by the far chance that this might happen...then let the parents decide that this is the vaccine needed darnit!

Keep up the good work! You are an inspiration to alot of us "uneducated, stupid parasites that just don't seem to understand."

[Twyla]

I don't know what makes me madder -- Paul Offit talking trash, the AAP working against children's health and caring only about CYA, or reporters from the N.Y. Times and Wall Street Journal falling for Offit's baloney hook, line, and sinker. What is wrong with these journalists?

With few exceptions, vaccine safety issues and the growing (and very real!) autism epidemic only seem to be of concern to those directly affected. Unfortunately, if problems continue to be ignored and more and more vaccines added to the schedule, more and more people will experience adverse reactious, until some kind of critical mass is reached when the problems will be obvious to a majority. Or people with autism will become the majority!

Alison MacNeil, if your father is becoming informed about this issue, that is very exciting!

Thank you Katie for an excellent letter.

[nhokkanen]

Give 'em hell, Katie! You use your words well.

[Harry Hofherr]

Thanks, Katie;

That's a wonderful letter to another AAP Bozo.

[Randy]

my apologies for fubar'd link in my previous post

http://is.gd/92Xh

[A@T]

Awesome letter Katie. Your knowledge of the subject shreds her idiotic points. Bless you.

[sdtech]

Katie:

Thank you for telling Elie like it is. Well done.

She apparently accepts phony conclusions and phony reviews of phony conclusions without really reading any research herself.

Her letter states a study has “has proven no link between vaccines and autism.” Studies so far have either found a link or failed to find a link. But no scientist would even suggest an epidemiological study could provide proof of “no link.” So far there is evidence of harm – just not in every study.

But we do know, based on the largest sample base available for Autism, that is the IDEA database, that we have an epidemic on our hands.

And so in that context not returning phone calls to a parent in need, that is a real tale of indifference.

[David Kirby]

Hi Katie, I just put in a call to Ms Ward to see if I could get a reply to your letter (or mine, for that matter). I will let you know if I hear anything. But it is a pretty sorry state of affairs when someone is so very willing and able to dish out criticism, yet not be brave enough to respond to the inevitable reaction that criticism will bring.

[Nicole Bryant]

These people would honestly crack me up if the health of our children wasn't in their hands. Of course she won't talk to any of us Katie, then they might have to actually admit they don't know as much as they think they do.

[Alison MacNeil]

Dear Katie, I love the intensity of this letter. You articulate my utter frustration with the AAP so well. There comes a time where denial becomes aggressive, not passive and that is where the AAP is placing themselves. The AAP is now aggressively harming children with it's denial of the dangers of our current vaccines and schedules. My dad worked for NBC a long time ago and then did the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS for 20 yrs. He is just beginning to come over to my side on this issue after talking with him about this for two years. I'm hoping I will be able to encourage him to help me make a difference. I am sure I will not be as powerful an agent of change as you are but I feel every little bit helps and I feel a sense of critical mass coming with this issue. Alison MacNeil, mom of two, one severely vaccine injured.
myvaccineinjuredchild@blogspot.com
davalinee@comcast.net

[Anne Dachel]

Eli Ward and her AAP cohorts never thought their letter to U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney would have become the public issue that it has.
Ward's intent was to influence Maloney by trashing the people who dare to sound an alarm over autism. Resorting to name calling and hysterical predictions of death and disease because people are questioning vaccine safety are signs of just how desperate things are getting.

Ward should wake up to the fact that the "diseases that are just a plane ride
away" are nothing compared to the nightmare of autism plaguing our children at a rate far-surpassing polio in the 1950s. Where is the alarm over autism from the supporting groups named in Ward's letter?
According to Ward, there's no reason to worry. At the bottom of her letter to Maloney, she quotes Paul Offit's book, "Autism's False Prophets." Offit promotes the absurd claim that there's been no increase in autism. Kids who were called "merely quirky" in the past, are now labeled autistic. Those with severe autism were misdiagnosed as "mentally retarded" previously.

Everytime I see menition of Offit book, I say the same thing: Prove it. If Offit is such an autism expert, if he can write a book on the subject, then he should have no trouble showing us the misdiagnosed autistic adults. It would certainly prove how wrong those who say that there's been an epidemic increase in the disorder are. Show us the adults displaying the same signs of autism that we see in our kids. Show us more than one. Show us where they're living and what they're doing or stop lying to us.

Anne Dachel
Media editor