| While the British General Medical Council (GMC), the | | | | and its possible relation to this vaccine."[3] |
| equivalent of a U.S State Medical Board on steroids, is | | | | It was impossible to predict that this single, |
| taking Dr. Andrew Wakefield to task for daring to | | | | observational paper would lead to years of vile phlegm |
| suggest that autism could be caused by the MMR | | | | being spewed at him for the mere suggestion of an |
| vaccine, the number of children with autism in the U.K. | | | | association between a vaccine and autism. He |
| continues to climb. | | | | concluded this part of his story with a reflection that, |
| On July 8, 2007, researchers from Cambridge | | | | had he foreseen the onslaught that was to follow, |
| University's Autism Research Center in London | | | | perhaps he would have treated the children without |
| released a report estimating that one in every 58 | | | | fanfare and without publishing his findings. |
| children (not just boys) in the U.K suffers from "some | | | | The personal and professional attacks began shortly |
| form of autism disorder" compared to previous | | | | after his case report was published. Undeterred, his |
| estimates of one in 100.[1] The reality of that statistic | | | | research continued. He told of a time when he |
| should make one gasp: Nearly two percent of the | | | | hand-delivered well-designed studies to a top Merck |
| citizens of the U.K. will become mentally handicapped | | | | executive, imploring him to examine the data that |
| adults. | | | | strongly suggested an association between the |
| The current population of the United Kingdom is | | | | measles virus and autism. In a follow up conversation |
| estimated to be nearly 61 million.[2] Two percent of the | | | | with this very senior executive, Dr. Andy asked, "Did |
| population, more than 1,200,000 adults, eventually be | | | | you bother to read any of those studies I gave you?" |
| living on drugs to manage their behavior. In twenty | | | | The Merck executive flatly replied, "We don't have to." |
| years, more than a million persons will be taken from | | | | We don't have to? Does that mean Merck makes the |
| the ranks of teachers, engineers, shop owners, | | | | rules about the MMR? Does that mean Merck can |
| doctors, lawyers, policemen and firemen. In addition, a | | | | defy the research? One thing was certain: The good |
| significant portion of the population will be employed to | | | | doctor had poked a stick in the eye of an unfriendly |
| care for adults incapable of caring for themselves. | | | | giant named Merck. The giant joined forces with his |
| Many adults with severe autism could live very long | | | | powerful buddies in the Public Health Department and |
| lives. Some may have asthma and others bowel | | | | British National Health Service. Together, they worked |
| disorders, but unlike children with a true genetic disorder | | | | every angle to ensure that any connection between |
| such as Down's syndrome, autistics could live well into | | | | the MMR vaccine and autism would not be accepted. |
| their 70s or 80s. Who will care for them? Feed them? | | | | At the close of his speech, Andy directly addressed |
| Bathe them? Who will wipe their bottoms? Persons | | | | the conference speakers and the activist parents in |
| with autism have not lost their health; they have lost | | | | the room. He chose his words carefully and delivered |
| their minds. What if one in 58 children were suddenly | | | | them with laser focus. He asserted that those who |
| going blind or becoming deaf? If vaccines were the | | | | work tirelessly to expose the truth about vaccines are |
| suspected cause, would doctors robotically continue to | | | | the last hope for seriously ill, vaccine-injured children. |
| vaccinate and explain away the travesty by | | | | "We must continue," he said, "no matter how difficult |
| announcing a desperate need for more seeing-eye | | | | the road, no matter how serious the consequences. |
| dogs and cochlear implants? How much destruction of | | | | We must fight for these children....because if we put |
| human life is necessary before the medical profession | | | | down the flag and surrender when the going gets a |
| stops genuflecting to a methodology that should have | | | | little bit tough, who else will do it? Who will dare pick up |
| become a relic of history, similar to leaches and blood | | | | the torch and carry it forward if we quit? There will be |
| letting? | | | | no one...no one. And the next generation of |
| The United Kingdom is a relatively small country. What | | | | children...and the next...will be forever lost." The |
| will its society look like, with 1.2 million autistic adults in its | | | | profoundness of his words hung in the air; there was |
| midst? Imagine this as the opening scene of a movie, | | | | no movement for a very long time. Each person knew, |
| set in 2037: | | | | unequivocally, he spoke the truth. One by one, the |
| ...The opening camera shot scans a British street, | | | | hands came together. The applause crescendoed to a |
| typical and narrow, bustling with activity. As the | | | | roaring, well-deserved standing ovation. |
| camera zooms in, it becomes apparent that something | | | | That night in Dallas was in November, 2003. The |
| is disturbingly wrong. Dozens of adults with blank | | | | dogged determination of many to expose the truth |
| stares are wandering aimlessly through the streets | | | | about vaccines is beginning to make a difference. The |
| flapping, drooling, and shouting frequent, unintelligible | | | | world is waking up as the problems are no longer |
| words. Shopkeepers are concerned for their safety | | | | anomalies. Parents are questioning the once-size-fits-all |
| as these over-sized, unemployed adults, mostly men, | | | | vaccination policies dictated by the minions of pharma. |
| bang on doors and nearly break windows, searching | | | | Moms and dads are standing firm, resisting the |
| for food and shelter. Overwhelmed social workers do | | | | pressure from White Coats to vaccinate. They are |
| their best to keep these strong, frightened creatures | | | | refusing to inject their precious babies with more than |
| under control... | | | | 100 vaccine antigens prior to kindergarten. They are |
| This science fiction story may become a reality show | | | | deciding that their children can be healthy with plenty of |
| in a few short years. Perhaps Dr. Wakefield had a | | | | sleep, exercise, clean hands, fresh water, and good |
| similar vision of the future as he tried to stop the | | | | food. |
| triple-vaccine jab from ruining the future of his country. | | | | Whistleblowers and brave hearts are more often |
| Several years ago, Dr. Wakefield and I were speakers | | | | executed than honored for their courage. By refusing |
| at an autism conference in Dallas. On Saturday | | | | to recant his scientific findings to save his license to |
| evening, Andy delivered the keynote speech at a | | | | practice medicine, Dr. Wakefield is facing the tyranny |
| dinner that doubled as a fund raiser for the sponsoring | | | | of medical power. Barbara Loe-Fisher, co-founder of |
| organization. I remember his words, and his stately | | | | the National Vaccine Information Center, described it |
| British accent, as clearly today as the night he spoke | | | | this way: "The spectacle this British Medical Inquisition is |
| them. | | | | creating for the world to see will have repercussions |
| He told the story of his journey from a classically | | | | far beyond the martyrs it will make. People are not |
| trained pediatric gastroenterologist into the world of | | | | stupid and they will not soon forget that medical |
| autism. Parents implored him to examine their children | | | | doctors inside and outside of the British government so |
| who had developed autism and severe bowel | | | | feared one man's scientific discovery about |
| disorders soon after receiving the MMR vaccine. Was | | | | vaccination that they felt they had no choice but to |
| there a connection? Colonoscopies were performed | | | | destroy him and anyone who stands with him." |
| and the tissue samples from the each of the children | | | | Keep up the good work, Andy. Your bravery is an |
| surprisingly contained vaccine-strain measles virus. In | | | | inspiration for all of us to continue to warn others of |
| 1998, he was the lead author in a paper published in | | | | the real culprit behind the global autism epidemic. |
| The Lancet which concluded, "We did not prove an | | | | Thanks to your steadfast determination, parents are |
| association between measles, mumps and rubella | | | | wiser and children are healthier. To thousands around |
| vaccine and the syndrome described...Further | | | | the world, you are our hero. |
| investigations are needed to examine this syndrome | | | | |