Well, we're moving steadily through week 36 now, and it's time to get serious about some serious things. I'm turning in our Birth Plan to our midwife at today's appointment, and the one question I'm leaving blank is "who is your baby's pediatrician?" I was uncomfortable with the idea of just picking a name out of a hat and hoping one would see me, as is the protocol at the facility I was assigned to by my insurance, so I made another call to a different medical center, closer to us and recommended on a long list of pediatricians given out by the Birth Center. I've already spoken to one doctor, but he is "uncomfortable" with seeing a family who is adverse to routine vaccinations. It's clear that the choice of vaccinating is not as simple as "just saying no," but it is something we must be absolutely clear on and able to back up and discuss. No problem!
There is something terribly wrong with the state of medical affairs in this country. The United States is the most vaccinated country in the world, yet is one of the sickest. Yes, Africa has AIDS and Haiti is buried in rubble, but America is the most powerful, "advanced," and allegedly most free nation. Why are we, and particularly our children, so ill despite all this technology that supposedly protects us? I'm not just talking about childhood diabetes and obesity and viral infections--more like neurological and immunological disorders that have started running rampant in the last 10 years. What has changed? We know our kids' diets are shite, but that hasn't changed much in the last 20 years. The rate and number of vaccinations our children receive is rising exponentially though, and along with that goes the rate of autism, ADHD, SIDS, and what appears to be "shaken baby syndrome." According to the CDC's website, children aged 0-6 should receive no less than 11 "routine" immunizations, and I'm not even counting all the doses those 11 vaccines entail (the deadly dTaP could be administered up to 5 times). The number is about the same for ages 7-18.
Sure, these kids aren't in wheelchairs from polio, but autism, Asperger's, and other developmental disorders leave these children and their families crippled in unspeakable ways. Once healthy and vibrant children suddenly become uncommunicative terrors. They lose the ability to speak, to connect, to interact normally with their family and the world around them. This doesn't just come out of nowhere! When heavy metals, particularly mercury, are introduced into the body and brain at such high levels (such as those of routine vaccinations), neurological damage is likely to occur. What is "likely?" How about 1 in 58 American boys? The number is slightly less for girls, though reasons why are still unknown. The mercury derivative thimerosal we've all been hearing about, despite ideas that it was removed from all routine childhood vaccines in 2001, is still not out of rotation. As of May 2009, the FDA website claims it is still "continuing its efforts in reducing or removing thimerosal from all existing vaccines." This has been going on since 2001, why are they making "efforts?" In the words of Yoda, "Do or do not. There is no try." Why don't they just remove it? Even in those vaccines that are allegedly thimerosal-free, trace amounts still exist. What's worse, the vaccines already on the shelf in 2001 when "efforts" began were never recalled, never taken off the shelf, and still administered to young children. Here we are nine years later at the peak age of autism onset, and were they to be tested, those kids would undoubtedly have extreme levels of mercury in their blood.
Those autism commercials you see on TV have been saying the rate is between 1 in 166 and 1 in 150, but the number continues to grow. It is now somewhere between 1 in 58 and 1 in 38. Ten years ago it was 1 in 10,000! That is an alarming statistic, yet studies are all still "inconclusive," and to even mention the correlation between vaccination schedules and the onset of disorder symptoms is considered so taboo it's like saying the Holocaust didn't happen. What's worse, there have been no major studies by any public health departments on autism rates in unvaccinated children. The CDC won't study Amish children (who are of course unvaccinated) because they think their "genetics" will be too different from those of mainstream kids (shouldn't that be a red flag in itself? What are the reasons that these people would be so genetically different that it would be impossible to study a sound sample?). We are in the middle of an epidemic, and the most powerful nation in the world is going to sit twiddling its thumbs? They come up with excuse after excuse for not studying the unvaccinated population. Why is that? I can only infer that they are too afraid of what the studies will show.
I did find one study, however, conducted by a non-profit organization called Generation Rescue: http://www.generationrescue.org/survey.html
This is a small sample group, 9000 boys ages 4-17 in California and Oregon, but as it is the only sample group we have to learn from, it speaks pretty clearly. Their results found that all vaccinated boys have a 155% greater chance of having some sort of neurological disorder. They are 224% more likely to have ADHD and 61% more likely to have autism. Further, of boys ages 11-17 (as most symptoms do not onset until ages 8-11), they are a staggering 112% more likely to have autism. What the fuck! I draw my own conclusions, feel free to draw yours.
There is a very good reason for the hush-hush attitude of linking severe neurological disorders with vaccines. There is the theory that the manufacturers and distributors of vaccines are humans too, and they may be quite embarrassed and even legally at fault to be exposed as having knowingly caused these crippling disorders in our youth. But I say that's a cop-out. What about the families who have fallen victim to these chemicals (if you believe in victimhood)? What about the families who cling desperately to an explanation for why their perfectly developing children suddenly turned into mush or even died unexpectedly? They were only following the Good Doctor's orders! If the truth were to come out, I think they would say "fuck you" to the "embarrassed" vaccine manufacturers. We must have accountability. Why should the most organized crime syndicates in this society get bailed out and excused (not the mob, but pretty much: AIG, Goldman Sachs, Merck) while individuals routinely get punished, sometimes irreparably, for made-up crimes and accidental fraud? Ever heard of Tax the Rich? They are the richest of the rich in terms of connections, power, and deep pockets. They must be held accountable if they are at fault! But no, the drug companies are big, big, companies. They have big, big wallets, big, big lawyers, and nothing is stopping them from getting their product to the masses right now.
Merck is contracted with 24 vaccine distributors. According to the World Health Organization, there are almost three dozen influenza vaccine manufacturers alone. Continue to add the numbers up, and this is big business. Like, multi-billion dollar business. You think they're going to roll over and call it quits if some serious accusations were to surface about their business practices? There is a bit of a silver lining, though! Despite the Bush administration's attempts to make it illegal to sue a drug company over a drug that's been FDA approved, the Supreme Court ruled last year that it is legal and possible. Though what do we really get in the end of even the success stories? Someone gets paid a few million bucks--the drug company loses about a drop in its bucket of water, and nothing continues to change for the rest of us.
I don't know what to do about the world at large or these large-scale drug pushers. You know, I don't even know what effect vaccinations have had on these diseases they are purportedly protecting us from. Vaccinations might have had a positive effect on debilitating physical diseases--I mean, when's the last time you saw someone with polio (it doesn't matter that hundreds of kids were confined to wheelchairs and ten died after the initial, world-changing round of polio immunizations)? But the risks involved in the rest of the ingredients in vaccinations are far too high to fuck with, in the opinion of both Mike and myself. It does not resonate with our beings to inject a tiny, fragile immune system with remnants of infectious disease, chemical neurotoxins, and heavy metals in the name of preventative health. That is not preventative health. Babies are not born "wrong." We intend on raising a healthy child, and we are just simply not in fear of him contracting a life-threatening illness on his own. Were we to inject him with a life-threatening illness, that would be a different story. All we can do is give an informed and resolute "no" to our pediatrician and look upon this new and perfect little spirit with the respect and reverence he deserves.
P.S. By the way, I HATE that there is a drug ad on my blog right now. If you see it, disregard it. I have no interest in making money off your misery. Fucking Google.
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