Others have indeed noticed before me that the numbers don't make sense. But when I tried to post about this on the Frontline comments page... the comment was placed in moderation limbo and has been sitting there ever since.

How is it that 79% support mandatory vaccination programs and at the same time 59% say that the decision to vaccinate should be left to the parents?? Am I the only one to see a contradicttion here?

Dr. Michael Schachter's comment: * Expand ⇗
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Michael B Schachter MD, CNS [Moderator] 21 hours ago
It is a shame that PBS presented such an obviously, biased account of the debate about the role of vaccines in causing the autism epidemic. Numerous physicians and many scientists (who do not have connections to the pharmaceutical industry or are not beholden to the CDC or are not connected to the media which is largely controlled by pharmaceutical interests) strongly believe that overall the evidence that there is a connection between the intensive vaccine program and the increase of autism and many other childhood disorders (such as asthma, ADD and ADHD, cancer and diabetes in children) is indeed strong. We believe that the powers that be (pharmaceutical industry, health care industry, federal, state and local governments and the media) do everything in their power to ridicule and debase this relationship, although an unbiased person, clinician or scientist approaching the problem would find that this relationship is obvious. The current policy of forced vaccinations and liability immunity for the pharmaceutical companies is destroying a generation of children and contributing to the impending bankruptcy of our formerly great nation.
I have been a supporter of PBS, but will no longer contribute money to a station intent on brainwashing the public.
Michael B Schachter MD, Certified Nutrition Specialist

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courageandhope [Moderator] 17 hours ago in reply to LBRB_Sullivan
Sometimes the truth is complicated. Read Martin J. Walker's essay on MMR Damage, at www.slingshotpublications.com, esp. beginning at page 17. Please read as much as you can of the other side, everyone, before judging Dr. Wakefield. Go to www.cryshame.uk.co (site of UK parents supporting Dr. Wakefield). Their books, "Silent Witnesses" Vols. I and II are available through those websites. Martin Walker, an investigative health writer who covered the Wakefield hearings (blogs at AgeofAutism.com as well), reports that Britain had reason to know that they were giving the people a bad strain of mumps virus in the MMR, beginning in March 1989. By September 1989 the first cases of aseptic meningitis began to appear. Japan and I believe it was Australia had already suffered serious adverse vaccine reactions from this bad "Urabe" mumps strain. Martin Walker reports that the US purchased a safer strain of that mumps virus for its vaccinations. However, when you read David Kirby's recent Huffington Post post about how the rise in autism in the US began around 1988, it makes me wonder. I'm sorry, there is a lot we don't know. We want to trust that what the doctors inject into our children is safe. But vaccines (as with most pharmaceuticals) are made in China now, where there are problems with quality control (see New York Times past coverage.) It's about lessening costs, maximizing profits. A 13 billion dollar a year business.

Jennifer- excellent post, our time is precious and we can only hope that our efforts to describe our children will not be in vain...I like to think that at least seeds are planted in somebody, somewhere...who actually has the power to turn the tide. Maybe I have too much faith in humanity. Like wouldn't it be the most amazing thing in the Universe if Paul Offit said, "you know, I think you folks might be right..."
I spoke to him once over the phone, and he tossed the "studies" at me, and I replied that I didn't need to see them, I only had to watch what happened to my own son...

Surprised??, NO!
Disappointed??, YES!!! We know that there is too much evidence of harm and I was hopeful that our message would be heard by those who are still uneducated about vaccine dangers. This is about our children! ( and our parents,our soldiers,pregnant women... )SHAME on Frontline.

I took their survey and here is the comment I left. I hope it makes sense as I am too tired to think straight:

I get so tired of the constant assertion that parents "think" their kids became autistic from vaccines because of the wakefield study or because they heard Jenny McCarthy say it. I also get tired of hearing that autism appears "around" the time as vaccines so parents are just looking for something to blame. Nice convenient theories constantly presented as fact. My son went to the dr, got his 8 or 9 vaccines went home, vomited, became unresponsive, foamed at the mouth, spiked a fever that went off and on for 5 weeks; we were told he had stopped speaking and playing because he was so sick. We were told once the mysterious virus that was unrelated to the vaccines (according to the dr) resolved, he would regain these things. Never happened. But thats right! It only happened "around" the time of vaccines. Also, this all occured before I had ever heard of Jenny McCarthy, Generation Rescue, or Andrew Wakefield. Gee, how did I come to this conclusion without being told what to believe? The CDC doesn't have an answer for that and they really don't care. My son is ten, still wears diapers at night, has little meaningful communication. I love my son beyond words but I would have chosen the measles, the chicken pox, anything over this. Yes, even the rare risk of death that comes with those diseases in our country. At some point there is an end to that risk, there is no end to his risk, he lives with the risk of permanant injury or death every day if I turn my back on him for a second. He has pulled hot food out of the oven, snuck out and went into the road, climbed out second story windows, he is drawn to water so we worry he will sneak off and accidentally drown(#1 cause of death in autistic children), he has been battered by untrained aides at school during physical restraint, etc. etc. I can go on and on. But I wont because Frontline and the vaccine proponants don't care. The thing is, us parents only spoke out because we honestly thought that if the government and doctors realized there was a problem, they would try to fix it. We were so naive. I don't even tell people how I feel anymore, unless asked about the topic. So, paint me as a crazy, unsophisticated, unscientific, danger to society. I don't care anymore, I am too exhausted. But don't expect me to further vaccinate my children.

I keep trying to complete the survey and it kicks me out - - maybe the numbers are starting to tilt so they don't want any more responses...

Thanks for the laugh, Jack! It's been a rough week.

Jack's right, the numbers don't add up - with regular math anyway. Maybe in a dimension where 10,000 vaccines won't harm a baby the numbers to make sense.

What a bunch of crap.

thanks lisa. Done!

More important than participating in this survey, every parent, doctor and concerned citizen who reads Age of Autism needs to go over to the Frontline web site right now and send an email expressing your extreme disappointment with the show. Members of the media need to get the message loud and clear that if they're not going to bother to search for the truth on this issue, they better just stay out of it altogether, lest they endure our relentless wrath.

Here is the link:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/contact/?utm_campaign=homepage&utm_medium=topnav&utm_source=topnav