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Vaccines — A Global Perspective
The above is an actual comment we received on my most recent blog In the Name of “Protection.” The commenter left a name, but I think I’ll just call her our Friendly-Neighborhood Commenter, or FNC for short. That blog was about my reaction to a meme implying that children should be vaccinated by force, over the objections of their parents, for their “protection.”
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In the Name of “Protection”
I encountered the meme you see here on a Facebook group that I belong to. This post is my response. I’m going to assume intellectual honesty here and commend the poster for actually caring about children’s health. If that’s true, and this person posted this because he cares -- not because he’s making pots of money on his investments in pharmaceutical companies, or he’s getting paid to tout their safety in public forums, or he’s a physician who simply cannot accept the truth of the harm that he’s done in the name of the “greater good” -- then that’s a huge positive.
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No One Knows. Or Do They?
Yesterday I read yet another article on how parents who put off having children are to blame for the neurological problems that children are facing in ever-increasing numbers, How Older Parenthood Will Upend American Society. Granted, the author never said it flat out, but it was the strong subtext. So what was the response in the autism community to this “insightful” article? I think disgust might be a reasonably accurate description. Mama Mac’s comment was “Bullshit! Older parents don’t make autism. Autism makes parents old!”
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Heartbroken: When Friends Don’t Hear Your Story
I live in Brooklyn, New York. You know, one of those states that got pounded by Hurricane Sandy. My favorite grocery store was flooded long before the peak of the “storm surge” that did so much damage. And I’ve been studying my little heart out for a certification exam that I did not get to take last Friday, because there was no easy way to cross the river into Manhattan. So I'm not in the best of moods at the moment, and, consequently, not feeling much like writing. I like writing when I feel “fired up.” Not only do I not feel “fired up,” one could say that I feel…
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Critical Thinking 101: The Vaccine Debate
It appears that there is a great deal of consensus today that a large segment of the population is deficient in critical thinking skills. The funny thing is that I see this opinion espoused by people on all sides of every issue. It even comes from some people I consider to be entirely devoid of critical thinking skills. Apparently, there is no consensus on what constitutes critical thinking.
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Mirror Neurons and Imitation: Another Piece of the Autism Puzzle?
We’re always hearing about how autism is a puzzle. “They” don’t know what causes it or what treatments are most effective. If you listen to what “they” say, you would believe that there is nothing that can be done to help your child. But a number of pieces of the puzzle have been worked out by parents and researchers that have received little to no publicity.
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Autoimmune Disease and Military Service: Friendly Fire?
This country has recognized since the end of World War II that human beings have an inalienable right to bodily integrity. It sounds perfectly reasonable, doesn’t it? But would it surprise you to know that at least one huge sector of United States citizens is excluded from these principles written into the International Bill of Rights? And would it further surprise you to know that this sector is the very group charged with safeguarding the liberties of this “free country” – the American military?
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Calling All Nurses — Our Sister (and Brother) Revolutionaries
Today is National Nurses Day. As I have one sister-in-law, two ex-sisters-in-law, two nieces, and a cousin who are all nurses -- not to mention the two good friends who recently became nurses, and the three CNMs (Certified NURSE Midwives) that delivered my babies -- I thought this was a good opportunity to celebrate the nurses in my life -- and to issue a challenge.
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Autism Awareness — Infrared Style!
If you’re reading this blog, you know by now that the CDC released new autism prevalence numbers last Thursday. Yesterday I attended the “Autism is 1 in 88” press conference presented by grassroots autism advocacy organizations. If you haven’t seen it, I recommend it. Each and every speaker comes across as intelligent, knowledgeable, and fed up.
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The Vaccine Program: “Victim of Its Own Success?
Since today is St. Patrick’s Day and, as my father’s sisters were all born in Ireland (my mother's family got here a bit earlier, but they're pretty much all Irish as well), I figured my father would be turning over in his grave -- and if not him, certainly my grandfather -- if I didn’t take the opportunity to post on St. Patrick’s Day.
writer and editor
