Perhaps The Media Will Listen?

Through the Autism Hub, I was recently notified about a letter from the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics). They have recently been rather verbal regarding the show, Eli Stone (read Autism Vox for wonderful posts & background on this) and the storyline in which a fictional "mercuritol" apparently causes autism, yada, yada, yada. It's great to see a group so large, actually speaking out about something like this. The AAP feels very strongly that a show like this, and others, further promotes the anti-vaccine agenda, and this is very dangerous (see my video below, if you are unsure what skipping vaccines can lead to). I am glad that such a large, and well-organized group is taking such a stand. I cheered when I read this letter, it's wonderful to think that our side will be told in the media. Parents, and the public, must see the danger in not vaccinating, the harm of placing blame on something that science continues to dismiss, and furthermore, see positive, heartfelt stories of us loving our autistic child and embracing the life we have. Please get involved, if you feel you can. You may leave your contact info in my comments, or email at stopthinkaustismATgmailDOTcom. Here's the letter, and my video is below.

Hello,

As part of our ongoing response to media stories regarding autism and
vaccines, the AAP communications department is compiling a list of
parents who support the AAP and are available for interviews. We are
looking for two types of parents who could serve as spokespersons:

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorders who support
immunization and who do not believe there is any link between their
child's vaccines and his or her autism.

Parents of children who suffered a vaccine-preventable illness. This
could be a parent who declined immunization, whose child became ill
before a vaccine was available, or whose child was ineligible for
immunization.

We are asking for your help identifying parents who would be good
spokespersons. They do not need to be expert public speakers. They
just need to be open with their story and interested in speaking out
on the issue. We will contact candidates in advance to conduct
pre-interviews, to offer guidance on talking to reporters and to
obtain a signed waiver giving us permission to release their name.

If a parent were placed on our list, we would offer their name and
contact information to select media. We hope to build a list of
parents from a wide range of geographical areas.

As the Jenny McCarthy and "Eli Stone" stories illustrate, this issue
is likely to recur in the national and local media. The AAP is
committed to doing all we can to counter such erroneous reports with
factual information supported by scientific evidence and AAP
recommendations.

The anti-vaccine groups often have emotional family stories on their
side. The ability to offer a reporter an interview with a similarly
compelling parent who is sympathetic to the AAP's goals is a powerful
tool for our media relations program.

Please contact me if you have any questions or to suggest a parent to interview.

Thank you,

Susan Stevens Martin
Director, Division of Media Relations
American Academy of Pediatrics

If you've read my blog before, you most likely know my views on my own child's autism & where it may have come from. I strongly believe, I KNOW my child was autistic as an infant, as a newborn. I have no doubt her difficult time at birth was due to her autism, and neurological difficulties. We have a very vivid, very well-documented account of her developmental, physical and psychological health history from her birth. Her autism is apparent all along. I feel she was autistic from the moment we conceived her. I am often asked by other parents if I vaccinated my daughter. I say, absolutely! I tell them my fears of things like measles and other diseases my child would be at risk for without them. People truly don't realize that the diseases that have nearly been made extinct by vaccines are very lethal. In theory, skipping vaccines & possible toxins sounds great. Until your child becomes seriously ill or dies from one such disease.

I feel pictures say a thousand words. Here's my best argument for vaccines:

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com