Jacob Rogers is a third-year media major who writes “Inner Thoughts” for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper.
I was diagnosed with autism when I was 2 years old.
I was a toddler during the early stages of the anti-vaccination movement in the early 2000s. Autism is not well known and there was already concern and even fear about the disorder.
That feeling is still alive in 2024.
When I was in kindergarten, the anti-vaccination movement started gaining traction, and there was a lot of uncertainty around autism. It got to the point where my classmates’ parents suggested that I might be sick. Luckily for me, that rhetoric didn’t last long, and now it’s back and stronger than ever.
A survey of 1,500 U.S. adults conducted by the Annenberg Center for Public Policy at the University of Pennsylvania found that confidence in vaccines dropped from 77 percent in 2021 to 71 percent in 2023. The survey also showed an increase in the number of people who believe the MMR vaccine is a potential vaccine. The number of people with autism will increase from 9 percent in 2021 to 12 percent in 2023.
These may be small increases in skepticism, but keep in mind that this has happened in just two years. This trend will likely increase further in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The rise of anti-vaccine rhetoric and the phenomenon first occurred in 1998. British doctor Andrew Wakefield and 12 of his colleagues have published a case series in The Lancet suggesting that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine can cause behavioral regression and pervasive developmental disorders. . children. As a result, many in the medical community exposed the flaws in the study, and Wakefield’s medical license was revoked because the data were fraudulent.
Regardless of this, some parts of the general public became skeptical of the vaccine, and publicity for this study led to a decline in MMR vaccination. This ultimately led to celebrities like Jenny McCarthy gaining influence as anti-vaccine activists.
McCarthy, a former Playboy model turned actress, claims her son’s autism was caused by the MMR vaccine and that feeding him a healthy diet helped “cure” his autism. There is. Her celebrity influence has boosted the anti-vaccination movement, and her charisma has helped her appear rational and articulate.
In an interview with PBS’s Frontline, McCarthy said, “If you asked 99.9 percent of parents of autistic children, would measles be better than autism, we would enroll them in treatment for measles. ” he said openly.
Suggesting that vaccines cause autism or that you would rather your child have measles than autism is inherently ableist. Mr. McCarthy is essentially suggesting that autism is a terrifying and dangerous disease that requires greater concern than polio or the flu.
As an autistic person who is fully vaccinated, my autism is not a fatal disease.
Jacob Rogers holds up a sign that says, “Vaccines are not the cause of my autism!” Oct. 14 in the Arts and Journalism Building. A study by the Annenberg Public Policy Center showed that the number of people who believe the MMR vaccine can cause autism increased from 9% in 2021 to 12% in 2023. Andrew Berger, DN
This has been a common argument among anti-vaccine activists for years, and has also led to a growing interest in embracing “natural” and pseudo-environmentalism. Wellness influencers have begun promoting the natural immunity theory and recommending “organic” alternatives to drugs.
An article written by Dr. Tracy Vories for Indiana University of Pennsylvania states, “Concerns about vaccines are now so closely tied to concerns about being ‘green’ that autism is no longer an environmental concern. “It’s starting to be seen as a problem. Vaccines are being seen as environmental pollutants.” This is quite literal; to opponents of childhood vaccines, autistic children are seen as victims of mercury contamination. ”
Anti-vaccine skepticism in this field has dramatically changed anti-vaccine rhetoric. Over the past five to 10 years, anti-vaccination has become more politicized than ever before. There are growing calls for individual freedom over vaccines, even if it puts public health at risk, in a movement known as the “vaccine choice movement.”
The country was shut down in 2020 due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, but the country was eventually able to obtain a vaccine for the virus that was made mandatory like other vaccines.
Comments from conservative-leaning news outlets and politicians led to an immediate mistrust of the vaccine. It’s not just the right-wing press, we’ve seen this trending online as a popular podcast host suggested people should do more research on vaccines before taking them. This argument has been used to justify questioning the effectiveness of the MMR vaccine. For years.
This rhetoric is having a significant impact on the public’s perception of the safety of coronavirus vaccines, according to a Pew Research poll. Poll shows 69 U.S. adults have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by August 2021. In 2024, only 28% of Americans will be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Perhaps the most prominent anti-vaxxer is currently Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been given a platform by former President Donald Trump. Kennedy is an environmental lawyer and a candidate for the Democratic nomination for US president in 2024.
Kennedy founded Children’s Health Defense in 2007 and used it to stir up anti-vaccine skepticism abroad.
In December 2019, Samoa was facing a severe measles outbreak, resulting in a complete government shutdown for two days. The Ars Technica article detailed a visit by RFK Jr. and Children’s Health Defense to Samoa to try to convince the Samoan Prime Minister at the time to question the MMR vaccine.
This comes after two young Samoan men were reported to have died due to complications from the vaccine in 2018. In reality, the nurse who administered the vaccine to both men tried to cover it up by lacing each syringe with a lethal dose of muscle relaxant.
None of these facts matter to RFK Jr. or his organization, and Samoa’s vaccination rate has dropped to just 31 percent. More than 3,700 people in the country have contracted measles and more than 50 young children have died.
The anti-vaccination movement is stronger than ever, and what was once considered extreme is now considered mainstream. With Kennedy potentially becoming the next Secretary of Health and Human Services, we can’t help but encourage him to educate the public about the importance of vaccines.
Contact Jacob Rodgers via email at jacob.rodgers@bsu.edu.
