Can we stop the vaccine crap

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I see way too many of these on here. Fact is there is no connection between vaccines and heavy metal posioning. Even if there was, heavy metal posioning may result in some autistic symptoms, but not actual autism. Even if both of those facts weren't true. Stating that as a reason to stop vaccinations implies that autism is a bad thing that must be elimated. Fact is, most Aspies are glad they are, and there is no way I'm ever going to view my gift as something that makes me inferior.

These topics do nothing but cause animosity among the WP community and in no way supports aspergians.

it may be useful to do a brief recap of the 'vaccines cause autism' thing:

1. The incidence of diagnosed autism has been rising rapidly in the developed world for some time - in this period, the diagnosis criteria were expanded, childhood therapies mean that it's a diagnosis that parents are more likely to seek than in the past, and there is increased awareness of autism.

2. Autistic behaviour is normally first noticed in early childhood; a number of vaccines are administered at several points in childhood, so statistically sometimes they'll be noticed fairly shortly after one vaccine or another. Also, vaccines give parents something to blame (and there have been cases of parents blaming vaccines when videos have shown autistic behaviour in their child before vaccination).

3. A guy called Wakefield published a deeply flawed study claiming a link between MMR vaccines and autism. It has been complelely discredited and refuted by better-designed, much larger studies, but it started off a hysteria.

4. Autism rates have kept on rising where thimerosal has been removed, and where vaccination rates have remained constant. (if vaccines were the cause, a stable vaccination rate would lead to a stable autism rate; if thimerosal specifically were the cause, the rates would be falling). Note that the original argument for vaccines having something to do with autism was that it would explain why autism rates had risen.

5. Studies of identical and non-identical twins show autism is about 80% genetic in origin, and some of the genes involved have been identified. It is also known to run in families.

6. A hysteria of 'vaccines are a Western plot to sterilise Muslims' has hindered the eradication of polio in some Muslim countries.

7. The peer-reviewed literature is clear: there is no evidence of any link between vaccines and autism.

8. As for heavy metals, the baby boomers grew up with a lot more lead than later generations (leaded paint and fuels), yet had a lower incidence of diagnosed autism.

well this isn't about whether they do or dont, I'm saying I do not think these topics are healthy for the forum

Anti-vaccines campaigners often try to claim the moral high ground by pointing out the interests of big pharma in vaccines. However, there is also a lot of money to be made by the other side - trial lawyers seeking to sue big pharma (they don't have to scientifcally prove their case, they just have to get a jury to agree remember the OJ case, anyone?), anyone selling chelation therapies, etc. Plus, the attention-seekers and the people who get a huge ego boost from supposedly not being a sheep (i.e. disagreeing with mainstream medicine regardless of the evidence).

Really, the science from that case was so incredibly contaminated, it didn't count for much at all. Despite the fact that he was obviously guilty, they screwed up too much.

But I agree. There are a lot of vaccine/anti-vaccine threads, and all it's causing is fighting. No one's listening to anyone else.

I think that everyone has their own opinion, and they should be able to state it.

However, in the wise words of the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, "Everyone is entitled to his own opinions, but not his own facts." These threads tend to become dominated by people who believe their own intuitions are somehow superior to reproducible studies. Pointing out facts to them is, of course, useless - their minds are made up, and mere reality will not sway them.

Good quote (disclaimer: I know nothing about Sen. Moynihan). Yes, these people will claim a small, deeply flawed study conducted by a crook to be proof and no amount of much better designed, much larger studies will convince them otherwise; likewise anyone who agrees with their position deserves instant credence, even when they're obviously hugely biased, obvious loons or when they have obvious conflicts of interest, but anything a mainstream scientist has to say is suspect. One anti-vax website claims that that the diagnosed incidence of autism has increased makes it 'self evident' that vaccines are to blaim. Well, it's so much easire to claim something is 'self evident' than to discuss actual evidence.

You want us to censor the minority opinion?

That's no different from any of those sites you guys complain about.

I like to think that we at WP hold ourselves to a higher standard than that.

Yes, yes, we are the enemies of FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDUMB because we're sick and tired of having to deal with personal attacks from someone who is religiously convinced that his "facts" are more solid than actual facts.

Excuse me, I have to go burn my WP flag. And my bra, too, just in case. It might have mercury in it.

If that's the treatment you give people who disagree with your views, I'm not surprised you're having a problem in return. If there were true cases of unprovoked personal attacks, why were they not reported?

I look at many of these threads. This conflict is not a case of pro-aspie saints vs. anti-vax demons.

I want to second what gwenevyn said. Agression and sarcasism breeds agression and sarcasism in return.
btdt

We do not censor posts solely on the basis of content. People are free to express their views and opinions here. We leave the censorship to other sites.

No, my problem is not with WP, nor am I calling for censorship. My problem is with the anti-vax fanatics.

A lot of people here are fanatics. We don't hold it against 'em.

yes they are entitled to their opinions, but thats not what it is. To them its a statement of fact. On both sides. We shouldn't keep the minority from mentioning it, I mean anyone. No opinions will be altered, no agreement met. Having these threads only further divides us, it amounts to trolling

Besides, do we really need 5 of them active at once?