Forgive and Forget?
By Cathy Jameson
Forgiveness.
It isn’t possible when negative emotions stick around and cloud my thoughts.
Forgiveness.
It can’t be doled out quickly when constant reminders of an offense surround me.
Forgiveness.
As many times as I’ve thought about how to come to terms with my reality, finding forgiveness hasn’t been one of those things on my list of things to do.
To forgive and let it all the evils wash away—the guilt, the pain, the anxiety, the despair.
To forget and be free of those negative emotions that linger—the anger, the disappointment, the difficulty.
Can I really do that?
Can I truly forget how Ronan’s downward spiral began?
Can I honestly forgive the ills that brought Ronan to where
he is (and isn’t) today?
Can I totally look past the medical neglect we discovered only too late?
Can I completely overlook the medical abuse I didn’t recognize?
Can I fully embrace the life-long struggles Ronan may face?
How do I accept all of that?
Here’s what I can accept. I can accept that all of that did happen to my child, but I will not accept that it had to happen.
Here’s something else I haven’t been able to accept. Not because I turned it down but because this too hasn’t happened yet—no one has yet to apologize to my son for the opportunities he’s missed, for the childhood he’s lost, for the pain and the complete health he may never regain.
Come to think of it, I think my whole family could use an apology. Shouldn’t someone have said sorry to me and my husband for the extra stress, the time lost and the things we’ve been denied as Ronan’s parents? Shouldn’t someone have also begged forgiveness of Ronan’s siblings for being gypped out of a playmate and a typical brother and their own altered childhoods?
When are those apologies coming? I’m not saying I’m holding out for those before I can forgive and forget, but it sure would be nice for someone to admit that they played a role in all of this.
Forgive and forget. As much as I’d love to, oh how I’d really love to be able to say to several of Ronan’s former doctors, “Hey, Doc, I forgive you…..”, but right now, today, this week with what Ronan’s gone through and with what I’ve had to fix for him, my apology isn’t quite ready. In fact, it might not be ready for a long time.
To offer forgiveness, if I really, really had to do that today would be a bit jaded. It would go something like this:
Dear Doc (and whoever else had a hand in destroying my child’s life),
I know you’re just a human. I know you probably thought you were doing the right thing for kids including mine. I understand that you have more professional training under your belt and loads more formal education than I do. But I have a feeling though that your laziness, pride and greed muddled your thoughts. How else did you let what happen to my son happen?
I totally get that you’re super busy and patient care isn’t what it used to be or should be. I know how easy it is for your patients to slip through the cracks just like Ronan did. Clearly you’re overwhelmed and understaffed. What other excuse could you give for watching Ronan decline as he did?
I know you thought my kid wasn’t going to be the one to have an adverse reaction. I know you never imaged he’d now be that 1 in 88. But he is. And he tumbled onto the spectrum right before your eyes. And you didn’t see the warning signs. And when you did you never thought to make it stop. And now he’s living with preventable delays that your actions contributed to.
I’ve waited a long time to figure out if I need to forgive you. I’m honestly at a standstill even thinking about it. I really don’t know how to say this, but I do think it’s time for me to say something. So, here goes.
I’m sorry you didn’t open your eyes to see the red flags being waved right in front of your face. I’m sorry you weren’t proactive or as concerned as I. I’m sorry you were clueless and that your ignorance failed my child. I’m sorry your medical knowledge of vaccines paled in comparison to mine. I’m sorry you were ignorant of the answers from my endless list of questions. I’m sorry you wasted my time telling me ‘boys will be boys’ and ‘to just wait it out’ when Ronan needed help right away. I’m sorry I didn’t leave your practice and dangerous decisions sooner. I’m sorry I didn’t know as much as I do now. I’m sorry your patients’ parents are still accepting the drivel that comes from your practice about vaccinations, unnecessary and hazardous mind-altering medications and overly-prescribed antibiotics. I’m sorry I have to tear a new one into you now because I should have done it sooner.
No parent should feel as alone, scared, worried, angry and as destroyed as I felt while Ronan was under your care. No parent should witness what happened to their child like I did. No one should witness that and later be told it was acceptable damage for the good of others.
No parent should walk through life not knowing what to do next. No parent should have to face the agonizing decisions I’ve had to. No parent should have to fight as hard as scores of parents now have to. No parent should be left high and dry with nowhere to turn for help like so many other parents have. No parent should expect or demand an apology from someone who promised to do no harm in the first place. None.
One more thing, Doc. When one forgives his offender the last part of the apology usually includes not only a renewal for the relationship to be whole again, but also a promise, a promise to never commit the offense again. See, that’s a problem. Not on my end but for your apology, when you make it….it won’t be a true apology if you are still doing to children what you did to my son. You still promote what injured Ronan. You still haven’t heeded the warning. You still don’t see the big picture—that one-size-fits-all really does not fit all. You still jeopardize for the greater good.
You can’t help make this all go away until you take a step back. Not until you look at the children you treat as human beings instead of collateral will you be ready. When that happens, and when you rectify what you have helped destroy, then we can talk.
It’s with a heavy heart that I apologize that I cannot truly offer any forgiveness. I pray to God that I can because it’s nearly impossible for me to stop thinking about how Ronan and countless other children ended up where they are today. Someday I hope to have the strength to completely move past the pain and sadness. One day I’ll be able to find forgiveness. Until then I’ll be here waiting for you to offer yours.
Cathy Jameson is a Contributing Editor for Age of Autism.
Wouldn't forgiveness under these circumstances be enabling? Enabling the perpetrators to continue to think well of themselves, continue to keep their heads buried, continue to profit mightily from the incentives the vaccine reps give them to push the vaxes at every opportunity? Permit them to coast along droning on and on about what a complete mystery autism is, but all the pharma experts assure us that autism has always been with us, and that the rate of it has never changed, it's just better diagnosis, better societal acceptance? As their profits double, triple, quadruple, at the same time the numbers of damaged kids (and adults) double, triple, quadruple...
I understand that forgiveness is supposed to heal the soul of the victim, prevent him from embittering his soul with fury and the thirst for revenge. But this is different. Did Jesus not become enraged at the moneylenders in the Temple, selling and making money in a place that should have been sacred? He drove them out. Are we not called upon to leave forgiveness until after the autism purveyors have had their business shut down and driven from our lives? Jesus said that He had come not to bring peace, but the sword. There is a time for every purpose under Heaven. God is at our side as we fight for the lives of all innocent children, and forgiveness is not appropriate while the battle is still raging.
Posted by: cia parker | October 03, 2012 at 10:14 AM
VACCINES CAUSE AUTISM
Autism is such a complex subject. IMO if we had an honest government autism would not be possible. I would say government is the prime factor in autism. This is true in part because an honest government would not allow "vaccination" as it is practiced today.
You see when you look for the prime cause of MOST disease, surely to include cancer, CVD et al it is government. HHS is controlled by the eugenic Rockefeller clan and depopulation is their MAIN goal. Making money is just a means.
This is hard to accept I know but it sure makes fighting ALL "Disease" simple in concept. However as our food supply becomes more poisoned by the day; as our water is still poisoned after 60 years; as our "health care" continues to sell us out, achieving good health becomes trickier and trickier in execution.
Posted by: Lou | September 21, 2012 at 12:34 AM
I will NEVER, EVER forgive the medical industry for what they did to my son! Why should I? After all they have done to make my son and my entire family suffer, and they show NO remorse whatsoever! They just continue to kill and injure scores of children. My fondest wish for them is that they all rot in hell for what they have done and continue to do!
Posted by: Rachel | September 20, 2012 at 12:18 AM
I forgive the doctor that damaged my son. He really did what he thought was best at the time.
Forgiveness is for us, not the offender. God can't help us, if we close the channels cf communication with Him. Not forgiving is living in darkness.
I have to forgive the same people every day....
Posted by: Ceil Chapman | September 19, 2012 at 09:57 AM
Find me a doctor who has real remorse about vaccinating a child and causing injury, and maybe we can talk about forgiveness.
Saying you "forgive" someone who has done something awful and who offers no apology and has no remorse is a way of coping with reality, but I don't think it can be real forgiveness in the true sense of the word. Forgiveness is part of a give and take between the person who was wronged and the wrongdoer. Forgiveness is not a one-way street.
(If I've offended anyone's religion with my views, I apologize and I hope you'll forgive me!)
Posted by: first do no harm | September 18, 2012 at 08:56 PM
Willie!
Exactly!
Posted by: Benedetta | September 18, 2012 at 04:47 PM
VACCINES CAUSE AUTISM
I have not been keeping up because of my work but I did read this excellant article this am by you Cathy Jameson good work.
This article really does hit the proverbial nail on the head doesn’t it? I mean the context of forgiveness is such that even though we may want to forgive our hearts our minds simply cannot fathom it, forgiveness, for those that knew or should have known about the dangers of vaccines and kept silent, I know my mind cannot. I ask my God to help me forgive people for this everyday and even though I have written it and spoken it, forgiveness, it is simply not in my heart to do it. That is, I do not act as if I forgive them therefore I have not.
My wife, the grandparents and children’s hearts are broken and so that breaks my heart too, when my wife’s tears stream over the baby my heart also cries. I cannot help it I love her.
The problem really is I can forgive you for what you do to me but not for what you do to my wife and children. I do not have the authority, nor would I accept it, to forgive you for hurting someone else, only God can do that and so they must get their forgiveness from God and to do that they must confess their sins to him which they will never do.
“No one owes your son any apology except you. Remember that consent form you signed right before your child was vaccinated? YOU signed that paper authorizing the doctor to vaccinate… …The consent form should make parents stop, decline the vaccines, and go home and do some research before signing. The buck stops with the parent who signs that form and therefore is the one responsible when something goes wrong.”
With respect to the consent form discussion and the callus comment above. This comment and argument is incomplete and therefore false and misleading and should be rejected as it assumes facts that are not true i.e. that everyone was offered an informed consent.
This of course is tantamount to letting a killer off on a technicality. You could do it but it would violate the spirit as well as the letter of the law and all known medical ethics. The individual who would suggest such a conspicous course would have to be closely examined for his own conflicts as well as this prompts questions if not suspicion as to the motivation of such a course.
With regard to any consent the consent has to be an INFORMED CONSENT that means that they must inform you of all of the risk, benefits and complications of the vaccines as well as the fact that you have no real legal recourse and cannot file a legal action and the chances of any legal action being held before a real judge and jury and not the kangaroo court with the special judges that have no oversight. No one was given this consent and I can assure you of that. For example you were not told that 2 billion dollars have been paid out to vaccine injured children, no one was told that vaccines do not last the life of the child and need to be redone later or may not work at all. I doubt anyone who has a little girl would allow a vaccine to be given to their child for a disease that is sexually transmitted primarily among male homosexuals and only confers immunity 4 to 10 years at most. These are not reasonable risk and represent a clear risk without reward scenario.
I was certainly never given these options and I am a physician. When I asked the pediatrician why she gave the vaccines whose efficacy and indications are dubious at best and she replied “that is what is recommended”. This of course goes to the crux of the matter. The American Academy of Pediatrics makes a recommendation and everyone blindly follows, no double blind studies no oversight just their marching orders from the pharmaceutical companies. The AAP is bought and paid for by the drug dealers we refer to as big Pharma and has been thoroughly infiltrated and corrupted along with the FDA and media and scientific journals like the New England Journal as well as publishers like Elsevier who publish fake and fabricated journals pushing the snake oil from Merck. Billions of dollars worth of drug money can wield this type of power, corruption and influence This of course gets back to why we want to forgive but cannot, organized and institutional malfeasance with the aid of the state and federal government. So how do we forgive such a crime of this order? To answer that question and to get any real idea how to go about this level of forgiveness we would have to ask people who have had to forgive misdeeds of this magnitude before.
How many Jews do you think have forgiven Hitler? Where are they?
VACCINES CAUSE AUTISM
Posted by: WILLIE | September 18, 2012 at 01:47 PM
" ... I remember when everyone got the measles, mumps, whooping cough, and chicken pox and we were amazingly healthy. Now we have multiple allergies, autoimmune diseases that are serious and debilitating, and of course autism; but hey at least we didn't get the measles and mumps......"
**************************
When I was a child, I had measles , german measles, mumps, chicken pox, and whooping cough. All of them very benign illnesses at best, and I completely recovered from each one. I have no allergies or autoimmune disorders that I am aware of, and I definitely didn't develop autism as a result of having experienced those diseases .
My son on the other hand, does not appear to have experienced these diseases... at least not in the classical sense. That may or may not be the result of the vaccines he received, but there's really no way to know for sure... since there is no proof that vaccines prevent diseases of any kind.
What I can say for sure, is that my son is autistic today because of the vaccines he was given. And in spite of all our efforts, he may never recover for that vile and unnecessary assault. The fact that he "didn't get the measles or mumps", is in no way comforting to me.
Posted by: Barry | September 17, 2012 at 08:27 PM
Forgiveness is divine (think 70 times 7),and sometimes that's the ONLY way that we ordinary humans can even mouth the words "I forgive you."
Some years ago I attended a memorial service for Pearl Harbor & WWII veterans. A Marine vet spoke that day. He survived the hellholes of Pacific battlegrounds and Japanese prisons, truly some of the most brutal of the war. He said that it had taken him years (he was in his 80s), but he could say that he forgave the Japanese. But he would never, never, never forget.
Forgiveness is not for the offender, the perpetrator, the betrayer. It is actually for the one who was beaten down, harmed, brutalized. It is for his healing. Forgiveness is so that he (his Mama, his Daddy, his sibs) can gather strength from the hope that is to be found in his life, in his accomplishments, in the absolute joy that is this little boy.
I try not to wait until the feeling comes, to say "I will forgive when I can feel that I can forgive." Or "I will forgive you if you first ..." fill in the blank.
I need to say I forgive you...right now...even if I cannot even look at you, much less forgive you. Forgiveness is my gift--not to you who harmed me and the ones I love--but a gift to my bear cub. Because I need to remain strong and true and hopeful for him, for his Mama, his Daddy, and the other bear cubs.
Posted by: MamaBear | September 17, 2012 at 07:30 PM
I didn't read all the comments, but I think you spoke for all of us who have lived to some extent with vaccine injury. Was I lucky just because my daughter only got an autoimmune disease rather than full blown autism? I guess... I'm still enraged. And recently there was an article in the New York Times about how organic food was no better than pesticide treated food...hmmm. If you have a digestive system that doesn't detoxify easily then you have to eat organic. My daughter can only eat organic, gluten free food. That by the way is the doctors order who specializes in the immune system. If she gets a little gluten she could be throwing up for a week. Let's turn the clock way back to say 1955 and yes, eat whatever you want and you'll probably live to 100, but in this sick generation of children organic, gluten free food might be the difference between profound illness and being OK. That is OK, but not robustly healthy. I remember when everyone got the measles, mumps, whooping cough, and chicken pox and we were amazingly healthy. Now we have multiple allergies, autoimmune diseases that are serious and debilitating, and of course autism; but hey at least we didn't get the measles and mumps.
Posted by: Kapoore | September 17, 2012 at 03:38 PM
We left our GP son after Carter's diagnosis, mainly because of his casual, flippant, uncaring attiude about it, more than the condescending behaviour of the entire staff. He wasted no time poopooing our biomed approach, and we wasted no time hightailing it out of there. My feelings about him are therefor stagnant, unable to progress. They aren't pleasant. Whatever amount of unseemliness is attached to my feelings about him, however, are more than offset by those that we have had sent our way by him and his ilk, and the other professionals the establishment refers us to from time to time, who get really nasty about vaccines and gluten(one supposed autism specialist actually told us he preferred it for Carter). Despite my (what I like to think is a) good nature, I'm at peace with the vileness of what I wish upon our old GP.
Posted by: Carter's Daddy | September 17, 2012 at 10:34 AM
About that time you accept it (peace with the situation) same as forgiveness --
*new symptoms pops up, and they do year after year.
* Difficult situations socially keeps popping up
* Additional vaccine injuries occur - even to other members of the family.
* Coercion to get more vaccines, continues in the years to come.
It's one of those gifts that keeps giving.
Posted by: Benedetta | September 17, 2012 at 09:07 AM
If you were not given a consent form, you may have some legal recourse. If I wasn't given a consent form to sign, I sure as hell would be investigating my legal options.
From the VaccineEthics.org page:
"While not a replacement for a meaningful dialogue between healthcare providers and parents, information statements produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are required to be made available to parents whose children are vaccinated."
http://www.vaccineethics.org/issue_briefs/consent.php
From the CDC website:
"Vaccine Information Statements (VISs) are information sheets produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that explain to vaccine recipients, their parents, or their legal representatives both the benefits and risks of a vaccine. Federal Policy requires that VISs be handed out whenever (before each dose) certain vaccinations are given."
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/default.htm
Posted by: CureNOW | September 17, 2012 at 08:29 AM
The others who mentioned that forgiveness is something we decide to do for ourselves to clean out the anger and bitterness, so the onus is on us, not on the offender. Having said that, I was just thinking this morning about how much damage has been done to my daughter. She was already cognitively delayed because of the Down Syndrome. How much of this delay is part of vaccine injury too? This thought opened a new bag of sadness that I didn't know I had. It's like the acceptance is there, then something happens and it starts all over again. Have I forgiven? No, not yet. I need to, but it's so hard. I will have to decide to do that at some point.......
Posted by: Julie Leonardo | September 17, 2012 at 07:51 AM
I wasn't given a consent form either. I had told the pediatrician that I didn't want my baby to get the hep-B shot, but he forgot to tell the nurses at the hospital, and they gave it to her at midnight her first day of life without asking permission. She reacted with encephalitis and autism. I talked to a man a few weeks ago who said they had put it on the birth plan of both of their daughters to not give them to hep-B vax at birth, but their charts show that they were both given it anyway. They didn't react noticeably, but one later reacted to the H1N1 vax with autism.
The priest at the Newman Center said a year ago on 9-11 that he still hadn't been able to forgive. Some things are unforgiveable. Sorry, God.
Posted by: cia parker | September 16, 2012 at 09:11 PM
A GREAT TEACHING FORGIVENESS - WHY OFFENSES MUST COME AND HOW FORGIVING THEM PERFECTS US.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcgyjfE21HY
Posted by: Adam M | September 16, 2012 at 08:23 PM
It's hard to forgive someone who is not sorry for what they have done. Your son's doctor is just like every other "devil's priest" who blindly follow the teachings in medical schools today. Vaccines mean money. They are taught that vaccines save lives. To admit that vaccines are killing our children would be a travesty to the medical community. Please know that it is stories like yours that push me forward to tell people not to vaccinate. Your stories help prove that vaccines are harmful. I speak to mothers and fathers all the time about the dangers of vaccines. I forward your stories all the time to show others how you and your son and family are suffering. I am truly sorry this happened to your son and the many other children damaged by vaccines. But know this....something good will come from your suffering. I will continue to get this information out to everyone who will listen. I am praying for Ronan and for you.
Posted by: Bev | September 16, 2012 at 08:19 PM
Forgiveness is for when things change.
If people are going to behave the exact same way they always have, forgiving them is impossible. Even a small show of good faith or compromise can foster forgiveness.
However, when there is nothing, there can be nothing. That's just the way it is.
Posted by: AL | September 16, 2012 at 07:42 PM
Hey, CureNOW, I consented to a risk I believed to be--and was TOLD--was about 1 in 100,000.
It turns out the risk is 1 in 54 for boys?
I never consented to that risk.
Posted by: Terri Lewis | September 16, 2012 at 07:34 PM
To cureNow: I was never ever given a consent form. I was just told by my ped that Noah had to have his shots or he wouldn't be allowed into daycare. I don't need to forgive myself, I need to forgive those in a position of authority who knowingly did this to my son. If I don't forgive others then I can't expect to be forgiven. That being said, it is HARD for me to forgive. However, I will never forget. And whenever I see a person with a baby I make sure they know they have a choice to vaccinate or not. And to do some research and not just blindly trust the ped. I tell them my Noah's story about being born healthy (high on the apgar scale), meeting all milestones, happy, healthy, alert and aware baby until 18 month shots then gone. My husband hates it when I do this as it embarrasses him when I go up to total strangers but I don't care. It's my duty to tell new parents that they have a choice and to do the research and become informed. I wish someone would have told me...
Posted by: Michelle | September 16, 2012 at 07:27 PM
We (mostly) don't have any personal relationship with them, so let them worry about their own souls.
Francis Collins is supposed to be a devout Christian, God help us!
Posted by: Miserere Nobis | September 16, 2012 at 07:04 PM
The thing about forgiveness is you don't do it for the person who offended you, you do it for yourself. We are asked to forgive for our own hearts, to release the burden of anger we carry. I have had to bear many wrongs in my life, including the murder of my father, and never once did I recieve an apology from the offender. I forgave those people to ease my heart. The pile of offenses against American children is so high, we cannot expect apologies, we can advocate for the future children, and take Care of ourselves so we have more energy to survive the battle.
Posted by: Peds doc | September 16, 2012 at 06:45 PM
I'm not forgiving anyone, who asked for my forgiveness or ever will? Those that are the perpetrators of this crime "KNOW" and continue to lie. To lie is to keep the funds that should be aimed at curing autism in a search for a "cause" that already has an answer. The lying bastards will never get any forgiveness from me, how many more will they maim before someone comes forward with the truth. No!, more devastation to a generation will be dished out before they are willing to lose a dime.Would I consider capital punishment, yes. I recall over 15 yrs ago, when my nephew was the first in our area to be diagnosed, his pediatrician told my clueless sister that she could have exemption for vaccines for the rest of the kids. She said why? They knew then and they were under some oath to stop that offer, it could point toward guilt. NO forgiveness from me.
Posted by: barbara j | September 16, 2012 at 06:03 PM
"Here’s something else I haven’t been able to accept. Not because I turned it down but because this too hasn’t happened yet—no one has yet to apologize to my son for the opportunities he’s missed, for the childhood he’s lost, for the pain and the complete health he may never regain."
No one owes your son any apology except you. Remember that consent form you signed right before your child was vaccinated? YOU signed that paper authorizing the doctor to vaccinate. When you were presented with the consent form, before even signing it, did it send up any red flags for you? Did you stop and think that perhaps because they were having you sign it, complications associated with vaccination could occur? That's why people are asked to sign a consent form for certain medical procedure whether it's removing a mole, open heart surgery, or vaccinations... something can go wrong and it makes the person aware that there are risks. The consent form should make parents stop, decline the vaccines, and go home and do some research before signing. The buck stops with the parent who signs that form and therefore is the one responsible when something goes wrong. That goes for every parent who signed the consent form and believes their child is vaccine damaged, including me.
Posted by: CureNOW | September 16, 2012 at 05:34 PM
We should not forgive and forget as long as the medical abuse of children is ongoing. The anger motivates us to fight with this system of medical terrorism. We should not stop, until we get justice. We owe it to our children and to all children of the world.
Posted by: no vac | September 16, 2012 at 04:55 PM
I can forgive people for honest mistakes, but what happened to my child was anything but a mistake.
While most doctors were not aware of this dirty little secret, they've had more than enough time to get their sorry asses up to speed. I'm sure my son is just one of many that have regressed into autism under his doctors care. She would have seen this pattern in many more children than just mine. And unless she's a complete moron, there is no way in the world that she would not yet have made the connection to vaccines.
I know that vaccines caused my sons autism, and it's a travesty that NEVER should have happened. Forgiving and forgetting is out of the question. A crime forgotten, is a crime that will be repeated.
Forgetting this crime should be the last thing on any of our minds. These sickos attacked our children for God sakes, people should be rioting in the streets over this !!
The important thing right now, is finding a way to stop this from happening to another generation of nnocent little children.
Posted by: Barry | September 16, 2012 at 04:55 PM
I don't think you have to forgive them. Perhaps, regarding the doctors, it is believing... Believing that there are really inept, arrogant, unintelligent, asscovering folk out there pretending to care about children. The ones not helping are like boogie men. They don't care if your child has slipped away from you in the night, and they don't care if they are responsible, since they are told by their club they are not. They have crowd mentality... They aren't smart. They can't see past their credentials and their childhood of being told they are brilliant becuase they can memorize stuff. Believe they are there,,, not acting smart... and beware the boogie doctor. Spread the word of warning,,,, but you don't have to forgive them. Accept they are there then just keep being the incredible parent you are.
Posted by: Billie | September 16, 2012 at 02:45 PM
Cathy, this is a brilliant piece. It points out the reality of the whole controversy: If the autism epidemic is the result of an unsafe, unchecked vaccine schedule, someone---lots of someones---need to be held responsible. How willing are experts, officials, and mainstream doctors going to be in accepting what their roles have been in this disaster?
It's so much easier to pretend that there's no problem--autism has been here like this. Autism is a mystery we just don't understand yet. Autism is genetic and it's not really so bad to be autistic. Studies show no link. Vaccines are safe, vaccines save lives.
We've heard it all for years. Despite the Pace Law School report on the 83 autism/vaccine damage cases that were compensated, despite Dr. Bernadine Healy, despite Hannah Poling, they're adamant: THERE IS NO LINK.
They've painted themselves into a tiny corner. It's now far too late for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics to announce that they suddenly suspect YES, vaccines may indeed be linked to autism. The evidence has been mounting FOR YEARS--they just chose to ignore it.
It is now an article of faith for mainstream pediatricians as well as CDC officials. THERE IS NEVER GOING TO BE A LINK. WE ARE NEVER GOING TO WILLINGLY ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR DAMAGING A GENERATION OF CHILDREN.
That doesn't mean the cover-up and the denials will continue. THEY CAN'T. There will be recognition of what's happening to our children. THERE HAS TO BE. We have no future if we don't. We can't somehow adjust to a million more dependent adults in the coming years. If one in every 54 boys has autism, are the other 53 will have to support the one with autism for the rest of his life.
As a nation, we're sick--and getting sicker. It isn't just the ASD and learning problems among our children, it's everything that's happening across the population. It's the diabetes, allergies, asthma, cancer, MS, arthritis, Parkinson's, and obesity along all the other chronic conditions plaguing this nation. Politicians talk endlessly about health care---BUT IN REALITY, IT'S SICKNESS CARE---BECAUSE WE ARE SICK.
We're subjected to toxic vaccines, chemical garbage disguised as food, and medicines with side effects worse than the condition they're supposed to treat. We need to wake up to everything. It becomes easier to accept that vaccines are harming kids when we realize the dangerous ingredients that are allowed in our food.
I too want recognition for what's been done to our children under the guise of disease prevention. I want lots of apologies for the attacks on parents who dare to link vaccines to autism. I want lots of apologies for the failure of health officials to do their job and protect our children. I want lots of apologies from doctors who willing closed their eyes to the damage they witnessed firsthand and pretended didn't happen.
Cathy, reading this piece reminded me of the last chapter from David Kirby's Evidence of Harm.
http://www.amazon.com/Evidence-Harm-Vaccines-Epidemic-Controversy/dp/0312326440
I've never forgotten what he wrote there. The chapter is called, "Paying the Piper" and it was about who will be held responsible for this disaster. And we heard about Lyn Redwood and her son, Will, and how he was doing in his recovery.
At the end of the chapter, Kirby wrote, "Lyn wanted justice and compensation for Will and the tens of thousands of other kids and their families. Their lives had been mangled and their future left uncertain. ...
"Lyn wanted something else. She wanted recognition. She wanted someone in a position of authority to tell the American people--and the world--that a generation of children had been placed at unnecessary risk, at times with devastating consequences. Lyn wanted someone to take responsibility,...
"And there was was one more thing. .... She wanted an apology."
The same goes for me.
And I hope that when the truth is finally recognized we can forgive. I also hope that we never forget.
Anne Dachel, Media
Posted by: Anne McElroy Dachel | September 16, 2012 at 02:14 PM
I truly do think forgiveness is something we do for ourselves, the injured party, and not for those who committed the offense. We do it so we don’t have to hold on to hurt and bitterness so we can move forward. I also think to engage in the act of forgiveness is important so that I may be granted forgiveness.
Forgetting, on the other hand, is a whole other issue because it involves trust. Can I trust this person again? Are they going to make changes? If they don’t or won’t, then we have to make the choice whether to continue the relationship. Your choice.
But if we are being honest, much of this starts with questioning and forgiving ourselves. Why did I accept at face value everything I was being told? Why do we trust these people implicitly? When did we abdicate the responsibility for our own health and hand it over to this ideology of modern medicine?
It’s human nature to want to be trusting and to defer to authority. Many of these doctors are doing the same thing that we did; trusting that the info they are receiving is accurate and that the practices in place are proven to be in the best interest of the patient. I know of someone who is in a profession (non medical) where she has to make a lot of decisions critical to families. She had posted on FB a status saying she had to take her child in for shots and the child was sick at the time. My husband sent her a private message asking her to please wait, that our child who regressed had been vaccinated just after a course of antibiotics. She replied back that she had read the ‘literature’ and she didn’t see a reason to wait. I thought about this for a long while and it seemed to me that if she had to question authority on this, then everything was open to question. And you can’t have that; because then maybe the decisions you make are open to question.
And that is what I think happens to doctors and others in the medical field.
The change is not going to come from doctors, it is going to happen because patient/consumers start to assert their rights and revolt against this system.
Posted by: Rise up | September 16, 2012 at 01:50 PM
I hear your pain in this article....understandably so. The point of apology may be just that....making a literary point. But to forgive is for YOU, not the other person ~ the doc and the system. S/he may never fully understand or admit the error. And you don't necessarily forget when you forgive. To forget may allow the same agregious behavior back into your life or the lives of others. Forgiving and forgetting are two very different things when there is no remorse on the part of the offender(s).
The anger may still be there. Forgiveness is finding some sort of peace in your heart......it doesn't mean forgetting and allowing the wrong actions of others to continue. In fact, some of the anger may still be there and that is OK. It is calling you to action. If you look at anger as a question to yourself....it is NOT "do I have a right to be angry?"...it is "do I have a responsibility to be angry?". When looked at this way, you can see that you have a responsibility to be angry....to demand better care for your son.....to prevent docs from doing this to other kids......to open the eyes of other parents to make their OWN decisions rather than automatically deferring to "the experts". And since forgiveness is for you....to get that peace in your heart....you can't expect an apology from the offender. It may never come. And s/he will have to live with that burden. Let the burden go of yourself...and don't forget. Be responsibly angry, not righteously angry. Continue to do the great work you are doing for your son and letting your story out there to help others along the path, or to avoid the path. God bless you and may you one day find that peace in your heart. I am standing with you, though not in the same circumstances, and raising my voice louder and more publicly to do the same. And just remember, forgiveness is a process.....it is all easier said than done.
And for what it's worth....I am so sorry that this happened to your son and family. It didn't have to be, but it is. Wishing you and your family strength for your journey.....
Posted by: Nina | September 16, 2012 at 11:56 AM
I don't forgive or forget regarding Eric but I'm not bitter as some people have said I am here. I have moved on because I realize when Eric was home with us we didn't get any help from anybody. We received help from a lawyer and that was because we paid him $5,000.00. Eric is in an out-of-state residential center and we visit him every other weekend. By the way, a lot of families don't visit their kids there because we were told we were one of a few families that do visit. We can't take Eric out or take Eric home because aggressions would start all over again. So we are at a point where we realize Eric is in a better place for him and us. Of course, I won't forgive or forget what happened to him and whenever I have a chance I tell other people I come in contact with, Eric's story from our prospective. My way of not forgiving or forgetting, let the public know the truth of what happened to Eric and accept our situation as best we can.
Posted by: Raymond Gallup | September 16, 2012 at 11:19 AM