Last year I wrote a blog post called “Why I’m not afraid of measles.” It went viral (no pun intended) and continues to be my most popular blog ever, with over 50,000 hits. It also attracted the ire of pharmaceutical trolls and uneducated people alike who felt it was their duty to call me every nasty name in the book. I even got a death threat, which made me more angry than afraid.
Since then I haven’t said much publicly about vaccination. Instead, I’ve been working behind the scenes to teach people about their international right to informed consent, to advocate for parents and children, and to help my clients discover the meaning of true health.
Last week, however, I was moved and inspired by Robert DeNiro’s incredible display of courage when he appeared on the Today show in support of the movie Vaxxed, which had been pulled from his Tribeca Movie Festival after other filmmakers supposedly complained about its single scheduled showing. Vaxxed is a documentary focusing on how a CDC whistleblower came forward with proof that the CDC had destroyed information linking the MMR vaccine to increased rates of autism by as much as 300%, especially in African-American boys.
I suspect that there is a lot more to the movie being pulled, beyond a few artist complaints, because of how much could be lost if this information goes mainstream and gains traction. We’re talking billions of dollars and the reputations of hundreds of federal, state, and county officials who will have to answer to millions of parents and children.
In honor of Mr. DeNiro’s bravery, I’ll be coming out with an updated version of my measles blog in the next couple of weeks. So much has happened since then, including the passage of SB 277 here in California, despite public protests. Fear is so powerful.
Rather than shutting down people who question our national reliance on vaccination as our sole disease prevention strategy, we need to keep the conversations going. We need to keep asking the hard questions.
The heath of our nation could be at stake.
You can see the video of DeNiro on the Today show here. Fast forward to minute 2:20, when a father’s love and passion break free on national mainstream television. I could have weptfor him.
http://www.today.com/video/robert-de-niro-on-anti-vaccine-film-controversy-let-s-find-out-the-truth-665031235642
And yes, he was absolutely excoriated in media and social media afterwards, simply because he thinks parents have a right to know the truth.
Because everyone has a right to know the truth.
You can watch the trailer for Vaxxed here. http://vaxxedthemovie.com/ Local screenings are being arranged throughout the country.
Stay tuned, my friends. I’m here to be your advocate, to fight for you, and make sure that we get some answers to those hard questions.
