Government tries to Sweep Autism/Pharmaceutical Industry Link Under Rug

There are a few Republican politicians with some ethics left. Previously here I pointed to Sens. McCain and Lugar as examples of US Senators who often tell the truth while their party line is to tell the American People the lie du jour. They must do so sparingly for fear of retribution. You can add another to the list of Republican politicians who have not yet sold their soul to the devil. Recently the federal government has been working hard to conceal the scientific evidence linking vaccine preservative thimerosal to the epidemic of neurological disorders among American children including autism. The New York Times reported an "unusual" "invitation-only" press conference in which representatives of the three federal agencies involved in the cover-up, the CDC, the FDA and the National Institute of Child Health Development, defended the use of thimerosal in vaccines. Following that press conference, Republican Congressman Dave Weldon, who is sponsoring legislation to ban thimerosal, denounced the trio for misleading the American public.

"It seemed that this was an effort to assuage public concerns, but I think parents are much smarter than some people give them credit for," said Mr. Weldon, who was a practicing physician before his election to the House in 1994.

Thimerosal is now discontinued in most American vaccines (with the exception of flu shots), but it is still being given to millions of children in the developing world with the help of our tax dollars. Powerful pharmaceutical companies who contribute a great deal of money to politicians have a vested interest in keeping the suspected link between thimerosal and autism and other neurological disorders among our children (and now the world’s children) under wraps. Congressman Weldon is breaking with his party to expose the dangers of this substance which has no medical benefit being injected into children’s veins. Don’t get me wrong, vaccines are a valuable weapon in the fight against childhood diseases, but if we are alarmed enough to remove thimerosal from vaccines in the US for fear of its effect, why is it permissible to administer it to poor children in other countries? Weldon’s bill seeks to remove thimerosal from flu shots, but I would recommend our removing it from the vaccines our US companies give to third world children as well paid for with our tax dollars.

Joe