Warning!  Vaccine post ahead. 

I never thought I'd be on the same side of a debate as Jenny McCarthy.  I was perfectly happy to let her stance on the autism/vaccine debate go uncommented on, but in light of Amanda Peet's latest parasitic opinions, I felt the need to open a proverbial can of worms (no pun intended!)

Now, let me say again that we have chosen to cease all vaccines for our children.  R is currently up-to-date and fully vaccinated.  A has received everything up until her 5-year-old boosters.  M received a selective few shots until we wised up, and C has been given none.

Our choice on this matter was made after months of agonizing reading, research and investigation.  We didn't just read about something random on the internet, nor did we continue to blindly accept the information provided on the Vaccine Information Statements provided by the medical professionals.  Taking these sheets at face value does not make you an informed parent.

My problem with Amanda Peet is where she chose to get her information.  The pediatrician that she refers to is Dr. Paul Offit, a member of the CDC advisory committee, vaccine patent holder and paid representative for Merck, a major vaccine distributor.  Conflict of interest much?  Can we find a more biased opinion?  His greatest concerns are his pocket, not the children who are being needlessly injured by the Every Child By Two campaign.  The vaccine injured children are just casualties of war in this crusade against "vaccine preventable diseases".  Maybe "Dr. Profit" would be a more appropriate name.

Speaking of vaccine preventable diseases, studies have shown that the rates of many of these infectious diseases were in the decline BEFORE the advent of the vaccines.  A book by reputable doctor Robert Mendelsohn, points out that if vaccines were responsible for the waning of disease in the U.S., then why is it that the same diseases declined in Europe around the same time despite the lack of mass European vaccinations?  Dr. Mendelsohn's book was published in 1984-- this is not new information!!!

Dr. Mendelsohn is not alone in his plight to stop mass vaccination.  Dr. Stephanie Cave's book also makes the point that while these diseases are becoming obsolete, we are trading them for increases in autoimmune disorders, such as cancers, rheumatoid arthritis, Lou Gehrig's, lupus, and Guillane-Barre syndrome.  That isn't even taking into consideration the increases in diagnosed cases of ADHD, allergies, and the ever-debated autism.  Something is causing these drastic increases and doctors want parents to turn a blind eye.  In the 1960s the rate of autism was 1 in 2,000.  In 2000 it was 1 in 200.  Today in 2008 it is 1 in 150.  That is really scary.

Are parents of children with autism just looking for a scapegoat for their less-than-perfect children?  Possibly.  But there is no disputing that all of these afflictions are on the rise during the same period of time that more and more vaccines are being added to the recommended schedule.  (32 conjugates by age 2) Coincidence?  Maybe.

Amanda Peet points out that you shouldn't be swayed by what celebrities (namely Jenny McCarthy) think.  Ironic, really, since she is now doing a PSA for vaccinateyourbaby.org.  Ahh, celebrity is, as celebrity does, I suppose.

Amanda's advice to parents is to check with your child's doctor for vaccine information.  Sound advice, as long as you remember that doctors often get freebies and kick backs from vaccine companies.  (Formula companies are the same.  That's why doctors have no problem telling you that your child will be just as healthy on artificial milk as on breastmilk.  Just FYI)  Also, doctors don't know everything (even though they often claim to).  The doctors and pharmaceutical companies proclaimed that vaccines such as Rotavirus and DTP (before DTaP) were safe, and they succeeded in claiming many lives before they were pulled from circulation. 

Oral polio is another great example.  It is no longer recommended in the U.S. because it contributed to the ONLY cases of polio in the country in the last 40 years.  But doctors swore it was safe.

Look at chicken pox as well.  When R was a year, and it was time for her cp shot, I hesitated.  It was so new and I was concerned that it wouldn't confer life-long immunity.  The doctor assured me that all the test subjects had life-long immunity so no further booster would be necessary.  Now what?  Boosters at age 7.  How long until an additional booster is needed? Now a disease that is harmless to children is being pushed closer to adulthood and mass vaccination has made it impossible to acquire a natural case.  That's just fabulous for my girls who will have to face the decision of whether or not to be vaccinated as adults before they become pregnant!

I did actually ask our pediatrician his stance on vaccines and I was surprised by his response.  He said that polio is eradicated in the U.S. so he does not recommend that vaccine.  He also said that Hepatitis B is a sexually transmitted disease, and not something that an hours-old newborn, born to a Hep B negative mother, has to worry about.  So why do we give a vaccine to newborns that is primarily a problem for sexually active individuals and drug users?  Don't even get me started on Gardasil!

Well, per usual, this post went off on a tangent of its own.  This is something that I feel so passionately about.  Most parents don't know how they are putting their children at risk by injecting them with these toxic cocktails.  Am I a parasite for leaching off of their children's herd immunity?  Probably.  But, since their children are fully vaccinated, and parents and doctors refuse to acknowledge that vaccines could be faulty in the least, then what do they have to worry about?

So, my message tonight to Amanda Peet is:  Stick to what you DO know.  I'm sure the X-files movie will be fabulous.  My message to parents:  Don't just trust the doctors.  Do your own research about vaccines.  The truth IS out there.