Representative Bill Posey's Remarks: Moving From Autism Awareness to Action
APRIL IS AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH--MOVING FROM AWARENESS TO ACTION
HON. BILL POSEY of Florida in the house of representatives
Friday, April 26, 2013
Mr. POSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to draw the attention of the Congress and the American people to the Autism epidemic that is tragically ravaging too many of America's children.
April is Autism Awareness Month, and I am pleased to join with parents, siblings, grandparents, special education school teachers, medical care providers, and interventionists to draw attention to the rapidly expanding autism community.
When I was young, autism was virtually unheard of. In the 1980s rarely did you meet someone who knew someone with autism. Yet, in the 1990s there was an explosion of autism. Indeed, in the course of just my lifetime, Autism Spectrum Disorder has grown from a very rare condition to--according to the Centers for Disease Control--a developmental disorder affecting 1-in-50 school aged children. And, tragically, the rate for school aged boys is a disturbing 1-in-31.
On December 19, 2006, the effort to address this epidemic took a major step forward as President Bush signed into law the bipartisan Combating Autism Act. I look forward to working with my colleagues and the Autism community to reauthorize this program next year. Though the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee each year produces a strategic plan to address Autism, the billion-dollar allocation of resources to autism has not been evenly invested among genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. I must concur with the experts who have been willing to speak out, that the epidemic increase in the rates of autism are not a 'genetic' epidemic. Indeed, you don't have genetic epidemics. While there is likely a genetic component to many who have been diagnosed with Autism, we must seriously consider that there are likely several key factors in autism.
Also, so some who have suggested that the increase in Autism is due to better diagnosis, you don't go from 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 80 in three decades due to better diagnosis alone. And, if that were the case, where are the tens of thousands of autistic adults in their 40s, 50s and 60s. While better diagnosis may be a factor, common sense says there is a real increase and something is causing it.
While some may be borne with Autism, there are many parents who testify to the fact and present cases where their children were progressing normally but something triggered a regression where they lost speech, abilities, and regressed from developmental milestones that they had earlier met. Was that regression due to external factors such as medical injury, exposure to environmental toxins such as lead or mercury, or was it adverse reactions to medications that lead to high fevers, brain inflammation or seizures? We must get answers to these questions.
I was pleased to participate in a November 2012 House Oversight and Government Reform hearing on the Federal Response to Autism. That was one of the most attended hearings I have participated in since coming to Washington in 2009. Indeed at this hearing it was standing room only, and overflow rooms had to be used to accommodate the public. This was a much anticipated hearing from many parents of children suffering from Autism who want clear and unbiased answers to questions surrounding the epidemic.
I, like many in Congress, were frustrated with the lackluster response from the federal witnesses, particularly the CDC witness that was evasive and took more than five months to respond to the Committee's questions. The responses that finally arrived this month were incomplete, often evasive, and showed a complete lack of urgency on the part of the CDC. I was also disappointed that the federal government witnesses did not have the courtesy to remain at the hearing to listen to the testimony of the public panel representing non-profit organizations and academic institutions focused on Autism and Asperger's Syndrome.
Parents, grandparents, educators, health professionals, and highly functional adults on the autism spectrum are frustrated at the federal response to this epidemic. There is much more that we could and should be doing.
Some believe that toxins like thimerosal, which is 50% ethylmercury, have played a role in the rise in autism and neurodevelopmental disabilities. In 2000 there was near universal agreement that mercury should be removed as a preservative for vaccines. Yet, today, nearly half of all annual flu vaccines, which are recommended for children and pregnant women, still contain mercury as a preservative--not simply trace amounts of mercury. It's 2013! Why are we still injecting ethylmercury into babies and pregnant women?
I have been deeply disappointed in the failure of the CDC and the Department of Justice to see that Dr. Poul Thorsen is extradited to the United States to stand trial for orchestrating an elaborate scheme stealing more than $1 million from the CDC-Denmark grant. That money was supposed to be used to investigate the causes of autism and developmental disabilities. Instead it was diverted to personal use by Dr. Thorsen. Thorsen was a key author on 22 of the CDC's key studies related to autism and developmental disabilities.
Before coming to Congress in 2009, I heard from some in the autism community who have advocated for a retrospective study to examine whether there are different health outcomes when comparing vaccinated children and unvaccinated children, including autism and chronic conditions. I have continued to hear these requests over the past four years. At the hearing I asked CDC if they had conducted such a study and they said they've done dozens of studies related to autism but never have looked at a comparison of vaccinated versus unvaccinated. In fact, a recent study they published compared fully vaccinated children to those who were not fully vaccinated, but for some reason it did not include data on completely unvaccinated children. Seems like common sense to do a study comparing vaccinated children vs unvaccinated and this week I was pleased to be joined by my colleague Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) in introducing H.R. 1757, The Vaccine Safety Study Act. This would direct the National Institutes of Health to conduct a retrospective study of health outcomes, including autism, of vaccinated versus unvaccinated children. That should bring an answer to this decades long question.
Whether the number is 1-in-88 twelve-year-olds, or 1-in-50 school-aged children, or 1-in-33 young boys, we can all agree that the number is devastatingly high. We must overturn every stone to get to the bottom of this epidemic. We cannot afford to see this epidemic grow. We must examine every possible risk factor to protect the world's greatest resource: our children. And, we must invest to develop the best interventions to help those who are autistic.
____________________
Thank you for taking a stand in this topic! As a mother I would like answers before I continue my children's vaccines. We should have the right to know how vaccines effect our bodies and our children. We have the right to know if they are truly safe or not, and it is about time someone represents us who can get us these answers!
Posted by: Caroline Gebers | January 10, 2015 at 11:08 AM
Thanks Rep. Posey!
Posted by: Joel Bremson | May 07, 2013 at 07:36 PM
I love you Congressman Posey!!!!!!
Posted by: Katie Wright | May 02, 2013 at 11:01 AM
I called the offices of Bill Posey and Carolyn Maloney and advised their staff that the staff at Homefirst Health Clinic in Chicago is aware of only one diagnosed case of autism among its 50,000 unvaccinated clients. I now need to re-contact them to give them the projection of autism incidence, assuming the current annual rate of increase continues unabated - and to point out that the CDC obviously is aware of these figures, so the feigned surprise with which they greet each newly announced autism rate is outrageous, as is their routine discounting of vaccines as a causative factor:
By 2017, 1 in 10 boys will be on the spectrum; by 2022, 1 in 5; 2027, 1 in 2; and, theoretically, by 2032, all of them - and the girls lag only eight years behind.
Posted by: Shawn Siegel | May 02, 2013 at 10:09 AM
Rep. Posey said "I was also disappointed that the federal government witnesses did not have the courtesy to remain at the hearing to listen to the testimony of the public panel representing nonprofit organizations and academic institutions focused on Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome."
Since these industrial scientists represent the vaccine industry and appear to care less about the victims of vaccine injuries then congress must change the mission of the CDC so the agency advocates vaccine safety rather than vaccine proliferation.
Posted by: Jim Thompson | May 02, 2013 at 02:49 AM
Both Rep. Posey and Rep. Maloney were outstanding during the Fall hearings. I am thankful they are continuing to ask the right questions. Rep. Posey, my family is so very grateful for your courage and dedication.
Posted by: 4Bobby | May 01, 2013 at 10:56 PM
I'm a hard core liberal in Fl and I called his office and gave all my gratitude via the phone after the Nov. hearing. The intern said they loved hearing from anyone on the issue. I think they are figuring out this issue may bring the GOP elusive liberal votes. I would certainly vote for anyone who would tackle this issue the way he has.
Posted by: Kathryn | May 01, 2013 at 10:54 PM
This is wonderful! Thank you Congressman Posey!!
(This may be obvious, but if they do proceed with a vax/unvax study it should definitely specify no vaccines in utero in addition to the childhood shots for the nonvax group.)
Posted by: healthforchildren | May 01, 2013 at 10:00 PM
I'm not American BUT thank-you Hon. Bill Posey.
I do hope your words resonate and reach our shores here in Australia.
Elizabeth Gillespie
Posted by: AussieMum | May 01, 2013 at 08:27 PM
It is decidedly Unscientific to presume research outcomes. Why do they keep getting away with that kind of 'science'?
Posted by: Zed | May 01, 2013 at 07:48 PM
Center for Disease Control and Prevention is a miss nomer.
They do not control "Noncommunicable Diseases." They only report.
I'm always surprised why this is never reported or stated by representatives.
Posted by: zL | May 01, 2013 at 05:26 PM
Anne posted Offit's comment:
"[A vaccinated/unvaccinated study] is unethical. There's not an institutional review board in the world that would approve that kind of study, because we know that vaccines work ..."
Duh .. the only thing "unethical" about this study is pretending WE know that vaccines work .. when .. in fact .. WE .. have no idea if "vaccines work" .. because .. WE don't WANT TO KNOW the potential long term consequences of those vaccines.
Let history be our guide ....
In January (2008), a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study showed that more than 1,500 children under the age of 2 had to be taken to an emergency department due to serious health problems after taking these common remedies in 2004 and 2005. Three of these children died. Pediatricians and other medical experts say the removal of infant cough and cold medicines from store shelves comes not a moment too soon, and nearly all agree that any benefits of the drugs do not outweigh their risks.
Admittedly, this was a very small sample of hospital admissions .. which means the numbers of victims nationwide was far more than reported .. yet .. that everyone involved .. the CDC, pediatricians and medical experts .. knew in 2004/2005 the "benefits of these drugs did not outweigh their risks .. and .. DID NOTHING .. for three more years .. goes far beyond UNETHICAL .. IT BORDERS ON CRIMINALITY.
And .. so . the question arises: Why haven't pediatricians demanded the CDC launch a similar "retro-investigation" following vaccines?
Obviously, just as they did with infant cough and cold medicines .. the CDC has the necessary data, resources and expertise to identify how many vaccinated children .. within months of their vaccinations .. were diagnosed and hospitalized for ANY of the "new normal" chronic autoimmune disorders .. such as .. severe asthma, peanut allergies, juvenile type 1 diabetes, to name just three of MANY more .. and .. compare those vaccinated/diagnosed/hospitalized children with unvaccinated children who were similarly diagnosed/hospitalized?
Make no mistake .. it is not "ethics" that stops this study .. because .. the CDC already has the data, resources and expertise to conduct the study .. they lack only the WILL to do it.
Posted by: Bob Moffitt | May 01, 2013 at 03:12 PM
Thank you Mr. Posey... hang in there all day every day !
I cannot imagine a Congressman not being able to get re-elected because he was standing up against the vaccine industry who would then fund the opposition candidate.
I thought Romney might have been elected should he have made some strong statement on the Autism epidemic and its likely cause...
Of course, he did not want to even release his tax returns which was a bit too much for many to handle...
Posted by: cmo | May 01, 2013 at 02:01 PM
Carol, yes, the Republicans overall seem to get this issue more.
Posted by: Jen | May 01, 2013 at 02:00 PM
I passed the The Congressional Record
link on to my Representative. For convenience, here it is spelled out:
http://beta.congress.gov/congressional-record/2013/04/26/extensions-of-remarks-section/article/E576-1
Posted by: Dan E. Burns | May 01, 2013 at 01:56 PM
The results of this study will be reliable only, if it is offered to be conducted by the scientists, who have proven that they are uncorruptable by pharma-CDC mafia. If it is given to crooks and fraudsters, it will be a joke.
Posted by: no vac | May 01, 2013 at 01:32 PM
Bill Posey for President!
Posted by: Linda | May 01, 2013 at 12:08 PM
Wow...I'm glad I was sitting down as I read this. I was amazed. This man is informed. He doesn't sound like he just heard the word autism for the first time. He doesn't blindly trust that officials are doing everything possible. He knows about regressive autism. He said, "We must get answers."
He was at the lame House hearing in Nov. 2012 where federal officials told us they're still clueless about autism but they're really looking into it.
Did Posey really write that the Coleen Boyle was "evasive"? And that her response was "lackluster"? He also noticed that the feds took off before parents testified and he called that discourteous. He referred to autism as an epidemic. Posey said he had talked to Dr. Dave Weldon. He knew about thimerosal and Poul Thorsen,
SEE Posey questioning Coleen Boyle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNWTOmEi_6A
Posey actually told Coleen Boyle, "You've wasted two minutes of my time," when he asked her if CDC had done a vaxed/non-vaxed study and she tried to pretend they had.
He knows about the shameful infant mortality rate in the U.S.
Posey asked Alan Guttmacher of NIH about thimerosal, but luckily for Guttmacher, Posey's time was up and he didn't have to answer.
Anne Dachel, Media
Posted by: Anne Dachel | May 01, 2013 at 11:08 AM
Wow.. Posey and Carolyn Maloney of NY are introducing a bill calling for a vaxed/non-vaxed study. This will put the question in the news once again: Do vaccines cause autism? Officials and doctors will try and counter this with arguments that this kind of study is unethical. Even asking the question is wrong--parents will be scared and won't vaccinate. Children will be put at risk.
In March, 2011, I actually got to ask Dr. Paul Offit about a vaccinated/unvaccinated study on the website of the Chicago Tribune:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-health-chat-vaccines,0,7750657.htmlstory
12:02 [Comment From Anne DachelAnne Dachel: ]
Why has there never been an independent comparison study of fully-vaccinated and never-vaccinated children? This should be done in the U.S. by no one connected to the drug industry of the federal health agencies. If never-vaccinated children have the same health concerns as fully-vaccinated children, including a one percent autism rate, the proof would be there for all to see. With so many parents now afraid to vaccinate, the study group is out there. Why aren't you calling for such a study? Anne Dachel Media editor: Age of Autism
Tuesday March 22, 2011 12:02 Anne Dachel
12:05 Paul Offit:
The best way to study vaccine safety is prospectively. Obviously, you could never ethically do this study prospectively because it would be unethical to withhold vaccines, which are known to prevent suffering, hospitalization, and death. Some retrospective studies are starting to emerge. One published by Charles Woods and Michael Smith in Pediatrics looked at fully vaccinated and relatively unvaccinated children and, not surprisingly, found no difference in neurological outcome. But all of the biological evidence for autism points away from vaccines, so calling for such a study seems off the point and largely unfair to parents of children with autism.
Offit was more emphatic here:http://www.thinkingautismguide.com/2011/01/interview-dr-paul-offit.html
"[A vaccinated/unvaccinated study] is unethical. There's not an institutional review board in the world that would approve that kind of study, because we know that vaccines work, we know that if you don't give a large number of children vaccines that some of them are going to get whooping cough or chicken pox, some of them may be hospitalized or even killed by the diseases -- you can't do that kind of study."
Come on. This is a desperate argument. You don't need to have a study group that you raise without vaccinating to see if they come done with autism. The unvaccinated population is already here. Scientists compare large populations all the time. Even the most uninvolved person out there can see the logic of looking at kids who are fully-vaccinated and kids who've never been vaccinated. This will settle the debate immediately. Everyone in medicine and public health should be screaming for the study to be done. And if they're not---we need to ask why.
Anne Dachel, Media
Posted by: Anne Dachel | May 01, 2013 at 11:05 AM
I am super-Democratic, but I would totally switch for him.
Posted by: Carol | May 01, 2013 at 10:18 AM
Thank you Mr. Posey!!!
Posted by: Louis Conte | May 01, 2013 at 09:40 AM
This is an act of political courage completely untypical of our age. May Congressman Posey's name resound in history!
Posted by: John Stone | May 01, 2013 at 08:52 AM
Senator Posey said:
"This would direct the National Institutes of Health to conduct a retrospective study of health outcomes"
The Natitonal Institutes of Health will direct
The National Institutes of Health
Is not the National Institues of Health the one you are sueing when you apply for the vaccine injury compensation court?
Besides I see no reason -- Unlike the rest of you all - to do a study on vaccinated vs unvacc.
Because - I think you would have to include grandparent and parents in that study- and human beings takes a life time.
There is plenty of evidence already. This is playing thier game to stall. Vaccines do cause autism, and if not autism it messes up the pituitary that is atttached to the hypothalmus not with just a tube --- but lots and lots of blood vessesl and since vaccine injury seems to start with vassculitits and all this study is just a stall.
And in the end
they will find anohter someone like Thorsen.
Posted by: Benedetta | May 01, 2013 at 08:42 AM
Thank-you for your bravery Mr Posey .
May your stand encourage the rest of us to resist vaccine tyranny with more vigour .
Posted by: White Rose | May 01, 2013 at 08:36 AM
I would also like to add that lets make sure an uninvested, unbiased, independent research team do the study NOT the CDC or any government agency linked to the vaccine industry!!!!! These people have been playing statistical manipulation games long enough. We need the truth this time!
Posted by: Shelly | May 01, 2013 at 07:23 AM
I want to know how they will "police" this study to make sure the data isn't mangled, as that's been the ongoing theme in my 10 years in the trenches.
Also, I'd be happy to compare my fully unvaccinated 5 year old 2nd sons health record born to and old Dad and pissed on old Mom but, I FEAR my Gubment. I'm seeing more and more cases of children taken by CPS for medical neglect.
I remain a skeptic.
Posted by: Renee | May 01, 2013 at 07:20 AM
Great speech from Mr. Posey! On another note, the BBC is reporting that the initial test to determine the cause of death of the man who had the measles is inconclusive:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22357546
'A total of 84 people have been treated in hospital since the outbreak began last November while a post-mortem examination into the death of a man from Swansea who was suffering from measles proved inconclusive.'
Translation: It wasn't the measles that killed him but give us more time to spin it as such.
Posted by: Greg | May 01, 2013 at 06:34 AM
God bless Rep. Bill Posey for having the courage to ask questions that far too many of his colleagues are unwilling to ask .. such as ..
"the billion-dollar allocation of resources to autism has not been evenly invested among genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors"
"some who have suggested that the increase in Autism is due to better diagnosis .. common sense says there is a real increase and something is causing it"
"was that regression due to external factors such as medical injury, exposure to environmental toxins such as lead or mercury, or was it adverse reactions to medications that lead to high fevers, brain inflammation or seizures"
"The(CDC)responses that finally arrived this month were incomplete, often evasive, and showed a complete lack of urgency on the part of the CDC"
"failure of the CDC and the Department of Justice to see that Dr. Poul Thorsen is extradited to the United States to stand trial for orchestrating an elaborate scheme stealing more than $1 million from the CDC-Denmark grant"
"Seems like common sense to do a study comparing vaccinated children vs unvaccinated and this week I was pleased to be joined by my colleague Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) in introducing H.R. 1757, The Vaccine Safety Study Act. This would direct the National Institutes of Health to conduct a retrospective study of health outcomes, including autism, of vaccinated versus unvaccinated children"
I have a new "hero" in Congress .. and .. his name is Bill Posey!!!!
Posted by: Bob Moffitt | May 01, 2013 at 06:22 AM