DR. OFFIT'S CONFLICT OF INTEREST SHOULD DISALLOW HIM FROM COMMENTING
By Kim Stagliano
Below is a quote from Paul Offit about this week's Federal court case that is as condescending as anything we've read recently. And is especially galling to parents of vaccine injured children, as it comes from a man whose own vaccine, RotaTeq, just killed a child (Read more HERE) and has injured many others. "Endearing?" Surely a man with his education could have chosen a less patronizing word?
Dr. Offit has a financial conflict of interest with vaccines. He holds the co-patent on RotaTeq, Merck's vaccine which made a half a billion dollars last year. And he has a book coming out in September aimed at all of us who believe autism is treatable and that vaccines play a role in the epidemic. Funny how the article neglects to mention that.
"I think that what's so endearing to me about the anti-vaccine people is they're perfectly willing to go from one hypothesis to the next without a backward glance," said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Read the full Yahoo article by AP's Kevin Freking HERE.
Kim Stagliano is Managing Editor of Age of Autism.
My daughter is 28 years old. I researched vaccines while pregnant with her (not an easy feat in those days) and determined their safety was unproven. Neither of my children (my other daughter is 21) has been vaccinated. They have been to school, camp, and have traveled to almost every continent without vaccines. I recently attended a hospital birth and was saddened as the nurse came in when the baby was one hour old and said it was time for her medication (drops in the eyes, Vitamin K and Hepatitis B). One hour on this planet and she was being pumped with drugs! How are parents being sold this bill of goods? Please, encourage all pregnant women and new parents to research vaccines before making that mistake.
As I made my decision to not vaccinate, I made an important realization: there are NO guarantees. Until there are, we must feel free to make our own choices!
Posted by: La Pomme | August 31, 2009 at 12:55 AM
What I love is how the vaxx pushers like Offit want to make you feel guilty about not vaxxing your child. I had a discussion recently with a woman that was just flabbergasted that my son has not been vaxxed. She accused me of relying on herd immunity to "protect" my son. I replied that is is really unfair for me to damage my son just to "protect" others. To try to force people to give up their own flesh and blood to the pharmaceutical Moloch..and when they refuse, to tell them they are selfish and have bad parenting and are putting others at risk. I get a chuckle at parents who tell me they don't want their children playing with my unvaxxed kid. What's their worry? Could it be that deep inside they are afraid that these modern-day miracle shots don't actually do what they say? Recently in my city, we had an outbreak of chicken pox in which ALL of the children affected had their full round of varicella vaxxes.
Posted by: Rachel S | May 05, 2009 at 11:23 AM
Dr. Joe Biederman is to psychotropics what Offit is to vaccines. They are the best lying scum "opinion leaders" that money can buy. Biederman has been outed in a congressional hearing for taking 1.6 million of unreported income from Big Pharma while promising them favorable study results. Biederman has advocated the diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder in babies and has single handedly caused millions of children to be unnecessarily and dangerously drugged.It is a pattern of propaganda and deceit. It is our job as parents of damaged children to never let the press get away with quoting these low lives with out one of us pointing out just how compromised they are and how worthless their opinion is. No serious intellect can accept an "expert" who is a tainted and disgraceful Big Pharma bedfellows.
Posted by: Elaine McKillop, Esq. | April 17, 2009 at 11:50 AM
A@T, you were far kinder to him than I would be. I'll try not to be too mean to him.
TheProbe, we are all parents who are tired of the pHARMa industry sacrificing our children to the Vaccine Gods to protect the herd immunity. We want safer vaccines, plain and simple. We want more research into this growing subset of children who had regressive autism after receiving a vaccination. We want to know why the NIH, CDC, FDA et al are refusing to look at these subsets. And I know this will boggle your closed mind, it will baffle your brainwashed and limited intellect, but the reason why all of us are doing this? BECAUSE WE GOT OUR CHILDREN VACCINATED!! That's right, all of these people who you claim to be anti-vaxx, most of us have gotten our kids vaccinated. It's because of that we fight to prevent what happened to our children from happening to others. And yes, that even means your kids and the kids of the people that congregate over at that cesspool of hate, the moronathon that is Orac's (ick) site.
But, go on being in the dark. You have every right to be naive and let For-Profit Offit tell you what to think. I have a parting message to say to you and the rest of the herd.
Moo!
(Translation, "I have a bridge to sell you")
Posted by: Craig Willoughby | May 15, 2008 at 11:15 AM
THE PROBE says "As for those who are upset with Dr. Offitt's comments. Too bad. You have rejected reality and it is hard to understand facts."
It is hard to understand facts isn't it probe-so you just stopped trying didn't you. You go ahead and let your "profit for profit" Paul Offitt lead you around by the nose and tell you what's good for you and what's not. I'm not afraid of facts. I'm afraid of robotic slavish thinking like yours. There's plenty of blogs where comments like yours are considered smart and informed-go there and impress the other deniers that have given up thinking for themselves. It's the unfortunate parents being duped by you and Offitt that concern me and others here. If I were the administrator here nothing from you would be posted- except perhaps to illustrate how ingrained, and how far some will go to defend, the fantasy that vaccines are safe and don't cause regressive autism and a host of other debilitating health problems. Which pharmaceutical company did you say you worked for?
Posted by: A@T | May 15, 2008 at 10:43 AM
Wow. One of my comments was censored. Who would have thought that such champions of free speech would do that?
As for those who are upset with Dr. Offitt's comments. Too bad. You have rejected reality and it is hard to understand facts.
Vaccines do not cause autism. Advocate for better services and stop wasting your efforts trying to blame something. Crap happens, deal with it.
We did, and we are much happier for it. And, so are our children.
Posted by: TheProbe | May 14, 2008 at 04:54 PM
Ridiculous. I wouldn't presume to speak for anyone except myself, but when my son retreated into autism, all I did was LOOK BACKWARD. I went back and retraced every breath, step, and sound my angel made. I retraced every step I took, everything I ever ate, was vaccinated with, WHAT CONDITION MY PLACENTA WAS IN AFTER DELIVERY (p.s. for those of you tuning in without a child on the spectrum, that is actually a question you are asked during Medical Diagnostic and also for Early Intervention)!! So excuse me Paul Offit, but don't DARE imply that those of us "anti-vaccine-ers" (who yes, fully vaccinated our children), "go from one hypothesis to the next without a backward glance." For MY child - I repeat - MY child, the vaccines caused him to retreat into autism. And I looked at every single remote possibility I could - not because I was "looking for someone to blame," but because I happened to be pregnant with another child. AFter what happened with my first, I knew I was on my own to protect my kids. And for those of you who STILL think that those blogging on this site are crazy conspiracy theorists, ask yourself this: Why isn't the media reporting the deaths from intussusception from Offit's Rotateq as readily as they tout the "it's not the vaccines" campaign?
Posted by: Adrienne | May 12, 2008 at 04:02 PM
Jeanne, thank you for your poem. Right now, I'm just horribly exhausted and depressed because of the rough weekend my son just had. I'm sure when the exhaustion wears off a little, I will get angry at the people who refuse to see what is right in front of their faces. THe same people who call for-profit Offit a "hero" and a "credit it his profession." He, and they, disgust me.
My most fervent wish right now is that For-profit Offit falls into my hands. He and I would have a nice, long "talk." I don't pray for this, well, because I don't pray for anything anymore. Hard to pray when there's no one listening.
Sorry, my morbidity and depression are shining through. You are all really wonderful, and you have been great support and a wonderful outlet for my anger. Thank you all.
Posted by: Craig (Exhausted Autism Dad) | May 12, 2008 at 03:58 PM
I cannot forgive this man for he knows exactly what he does and that is destroy lives! I know how people like him gather all information and twist it in a way that make the parent look like the one at fault. If this doctor wants proof that a child can recover from Autism then I want to see proof that vaccines cause no harm just like his RotaTeq. Offit, WHERE IS YOUR PROOF?!!!!!!
Posted by: Elucidatus | May 12, 2008 at 03:08 PM
Who is TheProbe aka Mark or vice versa?
I love getting to know all of these people. I find them very "endearing."
Posted by: Endearingly yours | May 12, 2008 at 12:30 PM
Paul Offit's lack of compassion for vaccine-injured children is the absolute antithesis of the physician's ethic. For a moment, set aside his lack of compassion and ask, where is his intellectual curiosity?
His emotionally reflexive, unscientific attitude shows his failure to realize that mitochondrial dysfunction is another piece of the biological puzzle of vaccine injury. Connect the dots with studies showing that Thimerosal damages cells at extremely low levels, lower than "trace" vaccine levels. Or the MSDS showing Thimerosal is a mutagen and a teratogen.
Offit can blather all he wants about herds and epidemiology. What matters is the individual child, his/her lab tests, titers, before-and-after videos, families' and physicians' reports. No amount of bullhorn denials will erase those.
Good ol' U.S. mass production has created a Frankensteinian vaccine program in which the very children it purports to serve are instead treated like road kill.
Yes, I keep saying the same things over and over. And as long as they're true, I will continue to repeat them. No child deserves to be written off as collateral damage in the war on disease.
Posted by: nhokkanen | May 12, 2008 at 12:21 PM
Mark, my love, comment moderation isn't censorship. Those of us who run this blog do get to pick and choose what comments we allow though because Age of Autism is our sandbox. La de dah!
The reporter should at least mention Dr. Offit's financial interest in vaccines along with his title at CHOP. If a parent involved in a legal case chooses to discuss it in a forum like this that's their right too.
Dr. Offit is certainly allowed to have freedom of speech. He can write books, articles, get his quotes plastered in every paper in America. We plan to add the information that tends to be missing, however.
Kim
Posted by: Kim | May 12, 2008 at 12:07 PM
Kim, since you are so concerned about conflicts of interest that you are willing to deny Dr. Offitt his right of free speech and press, I assume that you support the idea that any parent who is a claimant in the Omnibus Class Action should hold their comments, as they, too, have a conflict of interest.
I really do not expect you to support this, or, publish my comment, since folks such as yourself are well known to be unable to stand contrary opinions and promote censorship.
Posted by: TheProbe | May 12, 2008 at 11:20 AM
Paul Offit, member of ACIP, vaccine advisory board of the CDC and vaccine patent holder, is getting desperate.
It is a condescending and insulting slam at parents WHO DID VACCINATE to refer to them as "the anti-vaccine people" and it shows just how heated the controversy has become.
The good ship SAFE MERCURY is sinking fast and Offit knows it. Everyday press coverage is waking the public up to the reality that vaccine have damaged a generation of children. No matter how many times Offit is quoted defending vaccines and telling us it doesn't really hurt kids to inject them with the second deadliest element on Earth, he's vastly outnumbered by us. The scariest thing for Offit is the fact that it's only going to get worse. There are now thousands and thousands of parents who have nothing else to do for the rest of their lives than continue to demand recognition of what vaccines have done to their children.
Anne Dachel
Media editor
Posted by: Anne Dachel | May 12, 2008 at 11:16 AM
Craig, I often refer to a poem when I am feeling as you are. Today, I'd like to share it with you:
Invictus:
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever Gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of Circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of Chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
Posted by: Jeanne | May 12, 2008 at 10:52 AM
This man makes me sick. I cannot describe to you how angry I am right now. My autistic child is very ill right now because of this man and his willingness to do anything for his blood money. And the rest of America (except for those of us who know the truth) go on blithely as if nothing was ever wrong or give this demon praises (PRAISES!) for the "contribution to the safety of our children."
Prison will be too good for him. I think that if and when this all finally comes crashing down, I think that the government should give this sick and twisted individual to the parents of the children he so willingly destroyed.
I'm not holding my breath, though. After the weekend I just had, I'm pretty much about to give up hope that we'll ever see the end of this.
Posted by: Craig Willoughby(Exhausted Autism Father) | May 12, 2008 at 10:28 AM
I think what is so endearing to me is, Dr. Offit's total disconnect between reality and fantasy.
Vaccines can be dangerous and are not 100% safe. Vaccines do cause harm in some children and people. That is indisputable. Heavy metals are toxic to some humans. That is also indisputable. Lawyers did not cause the number of vaccine manufacturers to dwindle, buyouts and mergers were a major cause.
Arrogant doctors with conflicts of interest cause more damage to children than do parents trying to undo the damage done by chemistry sets gone wild.
Posted by: Harry Hofherr | May 12, 2008 at 09:16 AM
I have read nothing but things that make me wonder how Dr Paul Offit even has a medical licence, from what I can tell this man is a snake of the worst kind. How can this man sleep at night?
Posted by: FORCED ANARCHY | May 12, 2008 at 08:56 AM
I think there has to be more than unenforcible guidelines about consistently stating economic conflicts of interest during or within the text of any journalistic broadcast or article (not as an end note). Freking took the time to give Offit an identity, but Offit is not merely the "director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia".
That would be like saying that Jim Carrey is merely a spokesperson for TACA (except that Jim Carrey- good; Offit- ick).
Posted by: Gatogorra | May 12, 2008 at 08:18 AM
We should have a callin day and make him step down from his role as vaccine frontman. Anyone that says vaccines are safe, but meanwhile has killed infants with his two rotavirus vaccines, is clearly a hippocrit, and shouldn't be listened to.
Posted by: annes | May 12, 2008 at 07:21 AM
I think that what's so endearing to me about Dr. Paul Offit is that he is perfectly willing to make an ass of himself, time and time again, without a second thought.
Posted by: Jeanne | May 12, 2008 at 06:57 AM