# Australia Pro-Vaccine Group Against Free Speech, Won't Allow Anyone to Speak of Dangers



## SeaBreeze (Jan 22, 2015)

Dr. Sheri Tenpenny's speaking engagements in Australia were cancelled, because they did not want her to give information to anyone there regarding the dangers of vaccines.  It's unfortunate that people are not permitted to hear what she has to say, and make their own judgments and decisions regarding the health of themselves and their families.    http://www.smh.com.au/national/heal...-of-hosting-her-seminars-20150120-12tywb.html







US anti-vacciniation campaigner Sherri Tenpenny's Australian tour is in jeopardy after every venue cancelled her appearance._ Photo: Facebook


_​​A high-profile anti-vaccination campaigner's tour of Australia is in jeopardy after every venue booked to host her controversial seminars pulled out.

Sherri Tenpenny, an American osteopath who says vaccines are not safe and effective for children and that they are linked to conditions including autism, was booked to speak at 11 venues in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide in February and March.

According to the organisers of her "Birth Baby and Beyond" and "Raising Healthy Children Naturally" talks, hundreds of tickets have been sold for up to $200 each.


But after a pro-vaccination group's campaign to stop the tour, all of the venues have cancelled.  



An organiser of the events and anti-vaccination campaigner, Stephanie Messenger, could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

However, a note on the website selling tickets for the events says the venues cancelled due to "bullying by vested interests who do not believe in informed consent, free speech and respect for other's rights, and who appear to support censorship of thought and science".


Melbourne surgeon and spokesman for Stop the Australian (Anti) Vaccination Network, John Cunningham, said the cancellations were a "testament to corporate ethics".

"Ethically, the public deserve more, and demand the truth, and the truth is simply that vaccinations are safe, effective, and save lives," he said.

Dr Cunningham had called on Immigration Minister Peter Dutton not to allow Dr Tenpenny into Australia because she posed a threat to public health and safety. But the minister has not commented on whether he would use his powers to ban her entry.

Dr Tenpenny, the author of _Saying No to Vaccines_, was expected to be joined by Australian homeopath Isaac Golden, who promotes the use of natural products to prevent infectious diseases.


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## Warrigal (Jan 22, 2015)

This doesn't mean that Australia is against free speech. Pressure was exerted by the medical profession, not the government.
Venues pulled out under this pressure. She could still have come over and given her talk somewhere else. She still can.

IMO $200 per head does seem a bit steep for the audience, especially at a golf club.


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## SeaBreeze (Jan 22, 2015)

The pro-vaccine groups.  She says her visa may be revoked, so don't know if she can, or would even care to give any more talks there. 



> [FONT=source_sans_proregular]First hour guest [/FONT]Dr. Sherri Tenpenny[FONT=source_sans_proregular] spoke about the dangers of vaccines, and the [/FONT]controversy [FONT=source_sans_proregular]that ensued in Australia, when venues canceled her upcoming seminars, due to a pro-vaccination group's efforts.
> 
> Now, her visa to Australia may be revoked, Tenpenny said, lamenting that free speech was being quashed.
> 
> We know that the National Vaccine Injury Compensation program in the US has awarded damages for autism in children in at least 12 cases, "and autism is just the most extreme form of vaccine injury," with brain inflammation listed as a possible side effect on most of the vaccines, she remarked.[/FONT]


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## Warrigal (Jan 22, 2015)

Two weeks ago there was a call for her visa to be revoked by a pro-vaccination group. They started a petition.
As far as I know her visa has not been revoked by the Health Minister.

Petitions are commonplace over here. They mean little. The truth in this matter is that controversy was stirred up and she pulled out after venues decided it wouldn't be a good thing for them to host her talks. 

An unusual outcome certainly, but nothing that prove that we don't have a legal right to free speech.


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## SifuPhil (Jan 22, 2015)

Does not some arm of the Australian government oversee the medical profession?


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## Warrigal (Jan 22, 2015)

In what way? Doctors have freedom of speech too and anyone can organise a petition.
Only the Minister for Immigration can withdraw a visa and he/she won't do that frivolously.
He didn't do it in this case as far as I know and I've been searching for any news that he did.
I haven't found any.


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## SifuPhil (Jan 22, 2015)

No, I meant some organization that polices ethics in the profession, such as the AMA. Surely they would be against their members banning dissenting opinions? 

To me, that seems like unethical, unprofessional and possibly illegal behavior. I'm not talking about the visa - I'm talking about bullying all the venues.


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## Warrigal (Jan 22, 2015)

Medical doctors don't like osteopaths sabotaging the national vaccination program when they are trying to eliminate childhood diseases that result in the deaths of children. They would see themselves as defending public health. 

Dissenting opinions should be aired at professional conferences, not to vulnerable people down at the local golf club at $200 a pop. Some would see this as a sleazy fund raiser for an unscientific proposition that has been disproved by research.

Should the medical profession just sit on its collective hands and keep mum?

Anyway, I believe that social media had a part to play in this and this wasn't driven by doctors.
Parents who vaccinate feel a lot of resentment towards those who don't unless there is a valid medical reason why it is not appropriate for a particular child. As more and more people are scared off vaccinating we are seeing the resurgence of serious disease including diphtheria and whooping cough. Children are dying.

To enrol in childcare a child must have valid proof of vaccinations or a medical certificate to say why not. Parents who use childcare want this to continue but there is pressure from the anti-vaccinators to do away with this requirement. They also apply pressure to the Health and Education Ministers. They would be the people behind Sherri Tenpenny's speaking tour.

What is going on is a tussle between pro and anti vaccination groups. Both are attempting to influence the government, which to the best of its ability, is keeping its distance.

BTW Before we took our year nines away on a bush camp we requested that the parents consider whether their tetanus shots were up to date. It was not compulsory but compliance was close to 100% because Australians on the whole see the value of immunisation programs. In high school the kids received immunisation for tetanus and rubella and now they are being vaccinated against the human papilloma virus (HPV) that has been shown to cause cervical cancer. It's a public health campaign, voluntary but very well supported.

Sherri Tenpenny is a threat to all of that which is the reason for the uproar.


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## SifuPhil (Jan 23, 2015)

Interesting viewpoint. 

Here's a personal story about why I have never received a tetanus shot, even though I have stepped on rusty nails, been bitten by animals, been cut by knives, and essentially subjected my body to every available avenue for the tetanospasmin toxin to enter ... 

1. The tetanus vaccine has NOT changed the course of tetanus infections. The mortality rate of tetanus has been declining steadily in the U.S. since at least 1947, and tetanus shots have only fairly recently (early 1960's) been required, usually as part of the DTaP regimen. 


http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/tetanus.html


Something else has been responsible for the lowering mortality rate - better antiseptic practices, perhaps? 

2. The vaccine is filled with toxic elements, among which are formaldehyde, thimerosal, mercury, aluminum phosphate, dibasic sodium phosphate and sodium phosphate monobasic. 

Bleh - no thanks. 

3. Vaccines such as the tetanus shot have been proven to mess up immune systems. The elevated count of antibodies they produce can actually cause an autoimmune response where the body is weakened, leading to higher susceptibility to disease. 

4. Proper wound cleaning technique all but eliminates the threat of tetanus. I have employed soap and water, hydrogen peroxide and even, on one occasion, colloidal silver. Never got lockjaw.

5. Getting a tetanus shot is no guarantee that you still won't get tetanus. It takes several weeks for the antibodies to build up. I know there is available the TiG shot, and if I were in dire straits I might consider getting it, but I haven't yet reached that point.


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## Warrigal (Jan 23, 2015)

My great uncle Archie died of lockjaw, aged 22, before the turn of the last century (1899?)
He was a farm labourer and was away from home.

Is post above your own experience or is it a cut and paste because I have a few observations to make



> [1. The tetanus vaccine has NOT changed the course of tetanus infections. The mortality rate of tetanus has been declining steadily in the U.S. since at least 1947, and tetanus shots have only fairly recently (early 1960's) been required, usually as part of the DTaP regimen.
> Tetanus shots  were used well before 1960 over here. Triple antigen vaccinations were in use from the mid 1950s onwards. Boosters were kept up every five years. I had my last one just before my cruise in December last year. Surely this is the primary but not necessarily the only  reason for the plummeting death rate from 1950 onwards.
> 
> 
> ...


.


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## QuickSilver (Jan 23, 2015)

Anyone hear of the Measles outbreak in traced to Disneyland in california?   It's now spreading to other states...  CA is the anti-vax mecca.  





http://www.npr.org/2015/01/22/379010291/measles-outbreak-at-disneyland-spreads-to-other-states

Measles was deemed irradicated... until goofy Jenny McCarthy decided the vaccine caused Autism... thank you Dr. Jenny


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## SifuPhil (Jan 23, 2015)

QuickSilver said:


> Anyone hear of the Measles outbreak in traced to Disneyland in california?   It's now spreading to other states...  CA is the anti-vax mecca.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Why are you showing a graph of measles outbreaks in the U.K.? 

http://plummetonions.com/2009/01/09/measles-still-rising-in-the-uk/


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## SifuPhil (Jan 23, 2015)

Dame Warrigal said:


> My great uncle Archie died of lockjaw, aged 22, before the turn of the last century (1899?)
> He was a farm labourer and was away from home.



I'm sorry to hear that - my condolences.



> Tetanus shots  were used well before 1960 over  here. Triple antigen vaccinations were in use from the mid 1950s  onwards. Boosters were kept up every five years. I had my last one just  before my cruise in December last year. Surely this is the primary but  not necessarily the only  reason for the plummeting death rate from 1950  onwards.



I only used my own age as reference - I was born in 1958. It's my  understanding that tetanus shots were initially confined to military  personnel somewhere around the beginning of WWII and didn't become  publicly advocated until after the war - therefore, late '40's / early  '50's, as you say. 

If we look at a longer timeline for the U.S. we get this - 



source:  http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/surv-manual/chpt16-tetanus.html

The trend was already going downward 5 or 6 decades _before_ the introduction of the vaccine.



> Not really. The tetanus pathogen is an anaerobic  bacterium. It can't survive unless it is well away from oxygen/sunlight.  A surface cut won't result in lockjaw but a penetrating wound with  something that has itself been dug up from below the soil surface will  provide favourable conditions for the microbes to multiple. How  antiseptic can you be when digging in the garden? Stout boots and thick  gloves would serve you much better. If you remember to use them, that  is.



Stout boots and gloves would, I think, fall under the heading of "better antiseptic practices". 



> Pasteur tetanus vaccine is a preparation containing purified tetanus toxoid adsorbed onto aluminium hydroxide.
> Each 0.5 ml dose  contains: purified tetanus toxoid (1 vaccination dose  q.s. 0.5 ml);  aluminium hydroxide (expressed as        aluminium)  (2.25 mg maximum);   thiomersal (preservative) (0.05 mg maximum);  isotonic sodium chloride solution corresponding to at least 40  immunizing international units.
> 
> One dose (0.5 ml) of Behring Preparation contains adsorbed tetanus  vaccine (tetanol) (75 IU); aluminium hydroxide (1.5 mg) and sodium  p-ethyl-mercuri-mercapto-benzol-sulphate (0.025 mg) as preservative.



Thiomersal contains mercury, hence why its use in the tetanus vaccine was contraindicated by the CDC in 1999.

Aluminum hydroxide has been linked to Gulf War Illness and several other disorders. 

Benzol mercaptans are found in coffee and other flavoring uses - not too worried about that one. 



> Some of that lot are probably in much of the food we consume. They are preservatives.



I'm worried for you if you consume mercury and aluminum as part of your daily diet. 



> Illogical. Auto-immune diseases seem to be  triggered when the immune system has nothing to work on. It then turns  on the healthy cells. Isn't the whole point of the vaccination process  to build up antibodies specific to the particular disease you don't want  to get?



Check out antiphospholipid syndrome - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22235053



> Most likely because the wounds were too superficial or the object that caused the wound did not carry the spores.



Not superficial - some of them, such as the sword that went into my kidney, achieved impressive depths of penetration. Others, such as rusty nails and dirty knives, penetrated enough to cause copious blood flow. 



> No guarantee, but there's also no guarantee that you won't die in a car  accident while wearing your seatbelt. So punk, do you feel lucky?



Yet these vaccinations are being required by the government / medico-legal system. They are in effect telling us we HAVE to have them in order to be safe, when much evidence exists to the contrary.

If I were the type to follow such orders, no, I would not feel safe.

Besides - I don't ride in cars anymore. layful:


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## Warrigal (Jan 23, 2015)

You need to weigh the risks against the advantages. I did not rush in to get my children vaccinated against measles, even though measles can have some serious complications associated with it. The reason for that was that the new vaccine was having too many complications of its own.

Both of them contracted measles and I nursed them through it. Today, now that the vaccine is safer, I would probably choose it.

Over my life time I've been immunised against whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, tuberculosis, polio, hepatitis A, typhus and yellow fever. My daughter is a nurse and it's important that she keep her immunisations current for herself and for her patients.

That's what we have to keep in mind. Mass vaccination benefits the community at large as well as individuals.


By the way, benzol mercaptans also contain mercury. That does not necessarily mean that the mercury atoms end up in body tissues. You probably absorb more mercury every time you eat fish or oysters.


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## SifuPhil (Jan 23, 2015)

Dame Warrigal said:


> You need to weigh the risks against the  advantages. I did not rush in to get my children vaccinated against  measles, even though measles can have some serious complications  associated with it. The reason for that was that the new vaccine was  having too many complications of its own.



I guess that's it in a nutshell - we all have to decide based upon our experiences and beliefs.



> Both of them contracted measles and I nursed them through it. Today, now that the vaccine is safer, I would probably choose it.



Even  though I received a measles vaccination I still came down with German  measles - it blew out my hearing, but aside from that I'm still alive -  no thanks to the vaccine.



> Over my life time I've been immunised against whooping cough,  diphtheria, tetanus, tuberculosis, polio, hepatitis A, typhus and yellow  fever. My daughter is a nurse and it's important that she keep her  immunisations current for herself and for her patients.



I can see healthcare workers getting vaccinated - they've decided to play the game, so they should follow the rules.



> That's what we have to keep in mind. Mass vaccination benefits the community at large as well as individuals.



That's the conventional wisdom all right, but what about when the  side-effects start kicking in? What happens to the community then?



> By the way, benzol mercaptans also contain mercury. That does not  necessarily mean that the mercury atoms end up in body tissues. You  probably absorb more mercury every time you eat fish or oysters.



Well, the word "mercaptans" has the "mer" root in it. All mercaptans  are fond of mercury - in fact, it is mercury that is used in filtering  out mercaptans from various compounds. I think that if you ingest that  mercury it IS going to be in your body.

Yes, you get mercury when  you eat certain foods, but that is an individual choice - the  government isn't ordering you to eat tuna every day.

Not yet, anyway.


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## QuickSilver (Jan 23, 2015)

> Even  though I received a measles vaccination I still came down with German  measles - it blew out my hearing, but aside from that I'm still alive -  no thanks to the vaccine.



SifuPhil..... just for sake of correctness....  Measles and German measles are two different viruses.. being vaccinated for one does not prevent you from getting the other.  SO your measles vaccine wouldn't have prevented German Measles.  

Measles... or what is called two week Measles... is caused by the Rubeola virus

German measles... is caused by the Rubella virus

http://www.drreddy.com/shots/measles.html



> The rubella virus is not related to the rubeola virus, and being immune to one kind of measles does _not_ make you immune to the other kind.


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## Warrigal (Jan 23, 2015)

Adding to what QS said, rubella in the first trimester of pregnancy can damage the developing foetus and a common outcome is blindness and/or deafness of the baby. It is to ward off these outcomes that all adolescent girls are vaccinated against it before they become sexually active. This protects not only the future pregnancies, it also reduces the level of infection in the population in general. A person may have rubella and not notice it because the symptoms are usually not severe. Consequently they may unknowingly transmit it to many other people.
 Vaccination has now been extended to boys in an effort to eliminate the disease altogether. 

Measles after a few days is obvious to anyone. The patient looks and feels unwell. During this time the patient is vulnerable to secondary infections, the most dangerous of which is meningitis. Children can and do die of this.


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## SifuPhil (Jan 23, 2015)

QuickSilver said:


> SifuPhil..... just for sake of correctness....  Measles and German measles are two different viruses.. being vaccinated for one does not prevent you from getting the other.  SO your measles vaccine wouldn't have prevented German Measles.
> 
> Measles... or what is called two week Measles... is caused by the Rubeola virus
> 
> ...



Correct. 

But I'm pretty sure I remember the then-current phrase "Rubella Umbrella" (I'm talking early '60's here) which was the marketing for the German measles vaccine. As a result, I'm fairly certain that that is the vaccination I received, along with the required polio vaccine on the sugar cube. 

Thankfully I never contracted polio but I DID get Rubella.


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## SifuPhil (Jan 23, 2015)

Dame Warrigal said:


> Adding to what QS said, rubella in the first trimester of pregnancy can damage the developing foetus and a common outcome is blindness and/or deafness of the baby. It is to ward off these outcomes that all adolescent girls are vaccinated against it before they become sexually active. This protects not only the future pregnancies, it also reduces the level of infection in the population in general. A person may have rubella and not notice it because the symptoms are usually not severe. Consequently they may unknowingly transmit it to many other people.
> Vaccination has now been extended to boys in an effort to eliminate the disease altogether.
> 
> Measles after a few days is obvious to anyone. The patient looks and feels unwell. During this time the patient is vulnerable to secondary infections, the most dangerous of which is meningitis. Children can and do die of this.



Again, yes, the _good_ effects of vaccination against childhood diseases cannot be denied, even if only because we have an instinctual need to protect our children.

But I still believe you have to weigh the mounting evidence against that instinct.


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## QuickSilver (Jan 23, 2015)

I was never vaccinated against measles... either kind.  I had regular measles at age 10 and German measles at age 13..  Fortunately it did no damage.. But I remember being very sick.


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## Warrigal (Jan 23, 2015)

Mounting evidence? 
The claims about the vaccination/autism link have been thoroughly investigated and found to be groundless.
But like zombies, they refuse to stay dead.

This is but one of many: http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/he...ation-and-autism/story-fneuz9ev-1226923177732


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## Warrigal (Jan 23, 2015)

QuickSilver said:


> I was never vaccinated against measles... either kind.  I had regular measles at age 10 and German measles at age 13..  Fortunately it did no damage.. But I remember being very sick.


I was never vaccinated for measles, mumps, chicken pox or rubella and I got the first three and survived. Those vaccinations did not exist then and neither did the polio vaccine until I was a teen. We saw many kids with partial paralysis in those days and the newspapers frequently did stories about people living in an 'iron lung'. As soon as it became available Mother made sure my sister and I got our shots. Thanks Mum.

When pregnant the second time I came in contact with a child whose sibling has German measles. It was at a kid's birthday party. I thought I was out of the danger period but I miscalculated by 2 weeks and had to have a gamma globulin injection as a precaution. It looked like the amount you would give to a horse and hurt like hell. Today women are vaccinated in their teens and advised to check their immune levels later before trying to conceive. We don't see the same number of children with congenital deformities caused by rubella as we did before the vaccine was available.


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## SeaBreeze (Jan 23, 2015)




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## Warrigal (Jan 23, 2015)

I listened to it all and I have to give her this - she is plausible and nothing she has said would warrant denying/cancelling her visa. In reality she has not been banned, her visa has not been revoked. She can seek other venues that will be less concerned about controversy and come in again.


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## SeaBreeze (Jan 23, 2015)

I think she mentioned something in Australian freedom of speech excluding anything that may affect "public health", is that true?  If so, in this case of vaccination discussion, freedom of speech may be limited there?


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## Warrigal (Jan 24, 2015)

Not true. We have people in Australia delivering the same message as Terri Tenpenny. They are out of step with mainstream medicine but they are able to get their message out. 

http://avn.org.au/

Interestingly, Australian osteopaths don't support her position http://www.osteopathy.org.au/data/Policy_Docs/Vaccination_Policy_Statement.pdf

Neither do the homeopaths  


> *Is homoeopathy an alternative to conventional immunisation? **
> *[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]No. Although homoeopathic preparations and schedules have been developed claiming to prevent childhood infectious diseases such as pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, diphtheria, measles, mumps and rubella (German measles), homoeopathic peak organisations still support the need for children to be vaccinated conventionally
> [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]
> Homoeopathic preparations use nosodes, which are diluted to such an extent that no trace of the original nosode remains. Unlike immunisation using conventional vaccines, there is no reliable evidence to support the claimed protective effect of homoeopathic „immunisation‟ (see „How effective is homoeopathy in preventing infectious disease‟).
> ...



I'm afraid Terri Tenpenny is out of step with orthodox medicine AND alternate therapies but SHE HAS NOT BEEN BANNED, nor has she had her visa cancelled as far as I know.


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## Warrigal (Jan 24, 2015)

Additional, the American Osteopathic Association is in favour of vaccination of children and talks about "the rash of unfounded claims about the risks of vaccination". They support vaccination programs as a public health matter. Categorically, they say that 



> “First, parents need to know that* vaccines save lives*,” explains Jan N. Widerman, DO, an osteopathic pediatrician from Philadelphia.
> 
> According to Dr. Widerman, the use of vaccinations has been* one of the biggest medical breakthroughs of the 20th century*, turning hundreds of thousands of infections, paralysis, and deaths per year into a mere handful.
> 
> “When my patients question the necessity of vaccination, I remind them that it is because of vaccines that we are on the verge of *eliminating diseases like polio *from the world,” says Dr. Widerman. “Without vaccines, potentially deadly diseases and illnesses such as hepatitis, diphtheria, and tetanus could spread to large portions of the population and become serious threats to public health.”



http://www.osteopathic.org/osteopat...ns-library/general-health/Pages/vaccines.aspx


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## SifuPhil (Jan 24, 2015)

Dame Warrigal said:


> Mounting evidence?
> The claims about the vaccination/autism link have been thoroughly investigated and found to be groundless.
> But like zombies, they refuse to stay dead.
> 
> This is but one of many: http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/he...ation-and-autism/story-fneuz9ev-1226923177732



I just wonder how he could blatantly disregard the legion of studies found at such sites as AVN.  These are all professional, peer-reviewed studies ... how are they found to be "groundless"? 

In science, you only discredit a hypothesis by repeating the experiment. Did he do this? I think not. He just made a sweeping generalization based upon his opinions.

And homeopaths and osteopaths? Who listens to _them_?!?


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## Warrigal (Jan 24, 2015)

> And homeopaths and osteopaths? Who listens to _them_?!?



Well, not me as a rule but Sherri Tenpenny is herself an osteopath.


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## SifuPhil (Jan 24, 2015)

Dame Warrigal said:


> Well, not me as a rule but Sherri Tenpenny is herself an osteopath.



Ah, that's interesting - I didn't know that. Thanks.


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## SeaBreeze (Jan 24, 2015)

QuickSilver said:


> Anyone hear of the Measles outbreak in traced to Disneyland in california?   It's now spreading to other states...  CA is the anti-vax mecca.



Information about measles.  http://healthimpactnews.com/2015/the-truth-about-measles-the-mainstream-media-is-suppressing/


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## Warrigal (Jan 24, 2015)

Reading the information about measles I have a couple of thoughts.

#1. I always understood that the risk was not dying of measles. Rather it was contracting a co-infection such as meningitis which can kill very rapidly if not recognised and treated. 

#2. The measles vaccine was developed first and was problematic at in the early stages, as I noted earlier. For that reason I declined measles vaccination for my children.

#3. There is a vaccine for meningitis now and I took a dose when we were travelling overseas because at that time people were being quarantined if someone on their plane was later identified with the disease. It was happening a bit too often for me. However, there are a number of strains of meningitis and immunisation for all of them isn't possible so it is still a risk, but a lowered one.

IMO, measles is still a childhood disease that may not warrant wide spread immunisation but watching the resurgence of whooping cough and antibiotic resistant strains of TB I wouldn't argue that vaccination is not necessary anymore. That is dangerous thinking IMO when so many people travel the globe today.


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## Warrigal (Jan 27, 2015)

Something interesting about the tactics of the Australian Vaccination Skeptics Network Inc.

Over here proof of vaccination will be necessary .. 





> ... from 2016 to enrol in childcare unless their parents declare they have a medical reason or personal, philosophical or religious objection. To document a conscientious objection, parents must take a Medicare form to a GP to receive counselling about the risks and benefits of immunisation. The doctor can then be asked to sign the form, which must be sent to the federal government's department of human services. The same form is required for families wanting to claim the Family Tax Benefit A, which is designed to assist with the cost of raising children.


Apparently some GPs are refusing to sign the documents. How big a problem this is I don't really know.

In response, the Australian Vaccination Skeptics Network Inc (formerly known as the Australian Vaccination Network, is spruiking the "Church of Conscious Living" as a religion that is opposed to vaccination.


> A post on its facebook page recommends it for people who may not want to join the US-based Church of Christian Science "in order to get their children into preschool or childcare." The Church of Christian Science is the only religion known to discourage vaccination.
> But the the Church of Conscious Living, founded eight years ago, is not registered as a church or charity with the federal government's Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, but rather a business with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.
> 
> Furthermore, it appears to have been set up purely for people to claim exemption from vaccination. An AVN newsletter in December 2007 said the church was being created to make sure people's rights to refuse vaccination are not eroded.
> ...


Apparently this will be of no avail to the parents but it is a good little earner for the new "church"



> A spokeswoman for the federal department of health said although it would "closely look" at the church, vaccination was not compulsory and parents could use any reason to refuse it.  "Setting up a church will not alter the requirement for parents to discuss vaccination with a doctor and obtain a signed objection form," she said.
> 
> The spokeswoman said there was no legislative or legal obligation for a doctor to sign a conscientious objection form, but the Australian Medical Association advises doctors to respect a patients' right to decide for their children after "the issues and risks have been explained to them". It says if a doctor refuses to sign any such forms, they should make people aware of this in the waiting room before a consultation so they do not pay for a consultation and leave disappointed.
> 
> http://www.smh.com.au/national/heal...ents-to-join-fake-church-20150127-12zcrc.html


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## Sid (Jan 27, 2015)

As I understand the parents make the choice but have to sit and listen to the risks and benefits.  I like that. I think efforts should be to help parents make informed choices not force them to make certain ones.


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## Warrigal (Jan 27, 2015)

That's the general idea because a lot of parents have just become complacent and don't get around to it.
Immunisation rates had been declining, and not necessarily because parents were objecting, just forgetting.

In the end, no-one is forced into getting their child immunised and provided they go through the process, they are not penalised in any way either.


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