Thomas Trains Poison Our Children

I am completely beside myself.

Chandler has been full of lead since he was two. We have been chelating him on and off, but still there is lead. Saw his doc today and got his test from last week. Looke. Lead.

Then I came home to this:

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07212.html



Well sweet Chandler has spent the last 4 or so years with a Thomas train in one hand and another in his mouth.

Every autistic, toxin vulnerable boy anywhere has had one of these trains in his pocket since he had a pocket to put them in.

This is horrible. Who the hell decides to put lead paint on toddlers toys?

David Kirby: What if The Parents Win?

I had honestly not thought that far ahead. I am so used to having all our points ignored, I think I just assumed that no matter how good the Cedillo's case was, that of course the court would not want to set the prescient.

If Parents Win in Vaccine Court, What Do We Tell the World?
David Kirby
HuffPo

Will parents win their case against the government in Vaccine Court by convincing three federal judges that there's enough evidence to support a link between the MMR vaccine, thimerosal and autism spectrum disorders?

I, for one, am not placing any bets. But several thimerosal defenders are now dispatching dire warnings about the looming decline of the nation's public health -- and the pharmaceutical industry's corporate health -- should any of the 4,800 families win their vaccine/autism case in federal court.

"Massive litigation could force companies to leave the vaccine business, threatening the future of one of medicine's greatest achievements," Dr. Paul Offit, chief of infectious diseases at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, wrote in the Boston Globe on June 3rd.

If the claims are successful, Dr. Offit wrote, they "could exhaust the pool of money currently set aside to compensate children who have been hurt by vaccines," and would open the floodgates for private litigation directly against the drug companies, threatening their financial viability and compelling them to abandon the vaccine business.

(It should be noted, at this point, that Vaccine Court claims are awarded in just one third of the cases, and payouts average about $800,000 -- which might cover the proper care, treatment, and special education of an autistic child for maybe a decade. Victory in this particular court does not get you a condo in Maui, just a little temporary financial relief from endless costs).

Critics of the autism claims also contend that a victory in court by any of the families would drive panicked parents away from immunizing their children at all, resulting in new epidemics of infectious disease and lots of sick and dying youngsters

Maybe that's why Dr. Offit -- who incidentally stands to make some money from the recently approved rotavirus vaccine he co-developed with Merck -- referred to the court as a "circus" in his Boston Globe Op-Ed.

While this gives us insight into one pediatrician's contempt for the American legal system, it is somewhat puzzling, given that the first "test case" has proceeded with nothing but respect, decorum and a sobering sense of the Herculean task at hand.

It's entirely possible that all 4,800 cases will go down in flames. But what if some of the parents and their attorneys can beat the tough odds, and make a good enough case to convince the judges?

Irrespective of one's views on the merits of these cases, I think everyone needs to stop and think about dealing with the ramifications -- on a worldwide scale -- of any family victory in Vaccine Court.

Yes, some drug companies would likely face some big lawsuits in civil court. But in the age of Vioxx and Avandia, that almost seems to be a routine cost of doing business.

And let's face it; neither the American government, nor its people, would stand for the wholesale collapse of the pharmaceutical industry -- which does, after all, keep millions of people alive each year. No, I am reasonably sure that Big Pharma, somehow, would muddle through and survive (possibly with a major assist from you, the taxpayer, so think about that one as you stand in the pharmacy prescription line).

But what about vaccination rates? Wouldn't they tumble?

Not if we start to educate parents now about the thorny issues that could arise with a decision in favor of the plaintiffs.

First of all, it's important to remember that thimerosal has been in the news since 2005, when Don Imus began to not shut up about it. Later that year, I appeared on "Meet the Press" to discuss the controversy, and the subject has been raised in innumerable media outlets ever since.

And what happened? Immunization rates rose to new record levels.

We need to show a little more faith and confidence in young parents. If causation from thimerosal is found, new parents might actually breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that childhood shots now contain only residual amounts of mercury (with the glaring exception of 90% of the flu shot, so they might want to put in their order soon for mercury-free influenza vaccine for the 2007-2008 season).

If the MMR triple-live-virus vaccine, which never contained thimerosal, is implicated, then we as a society might want to consider having those shots administered separately. Even though that would mean two more jabs for the baby, it might also calm a lot of jittery parental nerves, and keep immunization rates robust.

Meanwhile, none of the other vaccines that children receive today are on trial here, and parents will almost universally understand that.

I am sure that critics will deride this scenario as being far too rosy, and I hope they are wrong. Nobody wants to see measles, or mumps, or polio sweep the country. But I don't think that will happen.

But I do wonder about the ramifications overseas.

The US has largely removed thimerosal from the routine shots we give our own kids (out of an "abundance of precaution," we are told), but children in the developing world are afforded no such consideration.

Today, millions of children in Latin America, Asia and Africa are receiving American-export vaccines that still contain the full battery of ethylmercury -- in amounts that put children dozens of times over the US EPA maximum daily limit on vaccination days.

Immunization rates are rising in many developing countries, but so are the reported rates of autism. In Mexico, for instance, vaccine rates are now about 92%, UN figures show, while reported cases of autism are also moving upward (proof of nothing, but interesting and disturbing nonetheless).

Several well-placed sources have told me that the CDC and FDA will never agree to an outright ban on thimerosal in vaccines, due to pressure from the World Health Organization, and because the message this would send to developing nations would be untenable: "Yes, thimerosal might cause harm, but we are going to give it to you anyway, for your own good. Trust us. We're Americans. We know what we're doing."

Talk about driving people away from vaccines in droves. The result could be catastrophic, with rising rates of infectious diseases and child mortality to follow.

In other words, we can probably convince American parents to keep on vaccinating, because the mercury here has largely been removed. But what do we tell parents in South Korea, or Brazil, or Nigeria?

Thimerosal is not a necessary ingredient in vaccines. We can still ship multi-dose vials -- which require a preservative but are cheaper to buy and administer -- to poor countries, a noble goal indeed. But the preservative does not need to be based on a deadly neurotoxin.

The MMR shot itself is preserved not with thimerosal (which would kill the live viruses) but with a type of phenol. Why can't we find a non-mercury based preservative for all vaccines? I have never been able to get a satisfactory answer to that question.

But even if we could switch to alternative preservatives tomorrow, and boost global confidence in vaccines, we might still inherit another, more sinister problem to deal with.

On the very last page of my book, Evidence of Harm, I close with these words:

"If thimerosal is one day proven to be a contributing factor to autism, and if U.S.-made vaccines containing the preservative are now being supplied to infants the world over, the scope of this potential tragedy becomes almost unthinkable. The United States, at the dawn of the 21st century, is not exactly the most beloved nation on earth. What if the profitable export of our much vaunted medical technology has led to the poisoning of tens of millions of children? What then?"

We need to prepare for at least the possibility of a parental victory in vaccine court. We need to prepare our own parental population, and we need to think about what we are going to tell the rest of the world.

Vietnam just suspended a certain US-made MMR vaccine after some patients died from it. This could be the tip of the iceberg in terms of social, economic, and physical retribution against the United States.

What do we tell the Chinese and their hundreds of millions of vaccine consumers? What will we say to people in booming India, or next door in Mexico? Will our immigration policy bar parents of autistic kids from coming to America, even if American shots might have made their kids sick?

And then there is the Middle East.

Osama, for one, has a very extended family. We are exporting thimerosal containing vaccines to many Muslim nations. Some vaccines contain not only mercury, but products derived from pigs.

I don't need to tell you where I am going with this train of thought. You already know.

I do not think these court cases should be decided on the larger ramifications. That is just not the way our legal system works. Still, a victory for the families -- justified or not -- will produce endless headaches for the pharmaceutical industry, the US public health establishment, and the WHO.

If just one family wins their case in that Washington courtroom, then we, as a nation, have a lot of explaining to do.

NBC's Ethics Breach Angers Autism Parents

[UPDATE: NBC's web site reporting that she is 'formerly' of Johnson & Johnson. Will get confirmation of this].

NBC's stunt, using a Vice President of thimerosal lawsuit defendants Johnson & Johnson as their Chief Medical Expert without disclosing her real job is media relations for the Corporation, has garnered the ire of autism parents. Lots and lots of autism parents:

Mr. Steve Capus, President NBC News
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112
June 13, 2007

Dear Mr. Capus:

The undersigned organizations are writing to you regarding the concerns among families of vaccine-injured children across the country over NBC's recent coverage of the Autism Omnibus proceedings. In particular, we take issue with the comments Dr. Nancy Snyderman made during yesterday's Today show.

While one would hope a "First do no harm" philosophy would have some bearing on the information Dr. Snyderman provides to viewers, clearly it does not.

Dr. Snyderman's ties to Johnson & Johnson, defendants in vaccine injury litigation, are obviously dictating the agenda in her appearances on your network at the risk of the safety of our children. This conflict of interest calls into serious question your journalistic integrity and credibility.

NBC's viewers were exposed to a blatant falsehood yesterday as Dr. Snyderman claimed that vaccines no longer contain mercury. This is not the case,and this misinformation has unfortunately given America’s parents a false sense of security that vaccines are now mercury-free. This false claim puts all of America's children and the unborn at risk of great harm.

The mercury-based preservative thimerosal has never been fully removed from childhood vaccines as Dr. Snyderman vehemently claimed. A simple check on the FDA's website would have confirmed this: http://www.fda.gov/cber/vaccine/thimerosal.htm#t1. Mercury is still in most flu, tetanus, and diphtheria/tetanus vaccines--and an array of vaccines still contain "trace" amounts. (The term "trace" must be used loosely as this aspect of vaccine production is not being regulated and there is some variation on what constitutes a trace amount. As children often receive multiple "trace" amounts of mercury in one sitting, cumulative amounts and potential adverse effects are as yet unknown.)

While no reputable medical practitioner in this country would allow even "trace" amounts of lead to be injected through vaccines given its known neurotoxicity, physicians continue to allow mercury, which exceeds the toxicity of lead by more than 100-fold, to be routinely injected into humans.

As a physician representing NBC, Dr. Snyderman has failed to tell the truth about mercury-containing vaccines and the known dangers associated with them. There is simply no excuse for such careless and false reporting while this country is in the throes of a childhood epidemic of neurological disorders.

During Monday's NBC Nightly News Dr. Snyderman stated, "there really is no science" behind the autism/mercury link. Vaccines and the mercury-based preservative thimerosal have not been ruled out as a cause of autism. To the contrary, there are literally thousands of scientific, peer-reviewed studies supporting the extreme neurotoxicity of mercury and the relationship between mercury exposure and neurological injury. The following link provides a copious amount of research which contradicts what Dr. Snyderman told the American public: http://www.generationrescue.org/studies.html

The CDC's own study conducted in 2000 clearly shows the agency knew that injuries were occurring to children from mercury-containing vaccines, yet the data was manipulated to obscure the link. Lead researcher Dr. Thomas Verstraeten had this to say regarding the CDC’s thimerosal findings:

"...we have found statistically significant relationships between the exposure and outcomes for these different exposures and outcomes. First, for two months of age, an unspecified developmental delay, which has its own specific ICD9 code. Exposure at three months of age, tics. Exposure at six months of age, an attention deficit disorder. Exposures at one, three, and six months of age, language and speech delays which are two separate ICD9 codes. Exposures at one, three, and six months of age, an entire category of neurodevelopmental delays, which includes all of these plus a number of other disorders." (Dr. Thomas Verstraeten, page 40, Simpsonwood meeting transcript)

The full transcript of this secret, closed-door meeting held by the CDC at the United Methodist Retreat Center, Simpsonwood, can be read at NoMercury.org or PutChildrenFirst.org.

Many European countries have banned the use of thimerosal/mercury in vaccines for many years. Seven states have passed legislation banning the use of thimerosal/mercury in vaccines and similar legislation is pending in over 30 additional states. If there was no science to back up the dangers of using mercury in vaccines, we wouldn't be seeing such legislative efforts to ban its use.

In her most recent NBC appearance, Dr. Snyderman was asked why parents were filing claims on behalf of their vaccine-injured children, to which she answered matter-of-factly, "money." This cavalier statement alone goes far beyond contempt and displays an appalling ignorance of the emotional and financial devastation faced by families of vaccine-injured children. This must be addressed by an immediate apology from NBC to all the parents of children suffering from vaccine-induced illnesses.

We urge you to speak with the growing number of scientists who have published research supporting a causal link between mercury in vaccines and neurodevelopmental disorders, and can provide you contact information for these researchers.

Reporting false information is a disservice to the American people. When it comes to the children and the unborn in this country, we should err on the side of safety, regardless of personal belief, conviction, or backing from the pharmaceutical industry.

Based on the misinformation presented by Dr. Snyderman, and the potential for harm this has brought to bear upon children, we ask for her resignation. We will accept nothing less than a full and public retraction of her false statements, along with an apology from your
network.

We expect an immediate response to our request. We can be contacted
at 828-776-0082 or amy@....

Respectfully,
Advocates for Children's Health Affected by Mercury Poisoning (ACHAMP)
Autism Healing Network
Autism Recovery Resources of Washington (ARROW)
Autism Solution Center, Inc
Autism Society of Oregon – Lane County Chapter
Coalition for Mercury-Free Drugs (CoMeD)
David A. Geier,Vice-President Institute of Chronic Illnesses, Inc.
Developmental Delay Resources (DDR)
Dr. Boyd Haley, Bio-Chemist, Chemistry Department University of Kentucky
Educate Before You Vaccinate
Foundation For Autism Information and Research
Foundation for Mercury Injured Children
Generation Rescue
John Wilson, MD Great Smokies Medical Center
K Paul Stoller, MD, President, International Hyperbaric Medical Association
KindTree Productions, Inc
Mark R. Geier, MD, Ph.D., FABMG, President Genetic Centers of America
Maryland Autism Recovery Coalition
Mercury Free Maryland
Moms Against Mercury
Moms of Hope
National Autism Association
No Mercury
SOAR! Salem Oregon Autism Resources
Talk About Curing Autism (TACA)
Texas Autism Recovery
TN4SaferVaccines
Treating Autism in the UK
UnInformed Consent
US Autism and Asperger Association
World Mercury Project

Media White Wash of Vaccine Hearings

So the media coverage that I have looked at has been a mile wide but only an inch deep. Most outlets are just reporting the "no link" party line, with the notable exception of Sharyl Atkinson at CBS.

Fox's John Gibson interviewed Dr. Raj for his show. Dr. Raj did not know how to pronounce thimerosal but she was sure that it was safe. Not the kind of "expert" advice that I am gonna bet my child's brain on.

And can I ask, what sort of deal with the devil has Paul Offit has made that people still consider him a credible source for objective advice on vaccine safety? The man holds a vaccine patent with Merck! But no one seems to care! ABC's website quotes Paul Offit, again telling us that vaccines are made of bubble gum and raindrops, with out disclosing the conflict of interest.

But the prize for most egregious conflict of interest goes to NBC for their coverage of the vaccine trials with their expert Dr. Nancy Snyderman. Nancy, who is just looking out for our best interests, assures us that there is no connection what so ever and thimerosal is out of all vaccines except for one (she thinks) which only has a trace amount. (Check the CDC's web site to see if she is right). Also Nancy is a Vice President at Johnson and Johnson who are currently being sued for their Rhogam shot for pregnant women that contained thimerosal. NBC forgot to mention that.

[UPDATE: NBC's web site reporting that she is 'formerly' of Johnson & Johnson. Will get confirmation of this].

[Internet chatter had indicated that she had been suspended by NBC for making a Tylenol commercial, but she was reportedly on the air today the 13th.]

One story after another say "no evidence". Has any one in the media stopped to ask themselves, "Then what are these parents going to be presenting in court from 9am to 6pm for two weeks?" And if it is open and shut and there is no evidence to support the theory, then why will it take the Special Masters a year to render their decision?

"Hmmmm...", some smart journalist somewhere should be thinking. "I wonder if I should listen in on the hearings and see what the petitioners have to say".

Michael Dorausch has noticed reporting irregularities as well:

Vaccine Related Autism Cases Killed in Press
planetc1.com-news@11:24 am PST email to the editor
by Michael Dorausch, DC

When it comes to the press, the near 5000 parents suggesting vaccines were the cause of their child's autism and who are seeking compensation from a federal vaccine fund, have a better chance of getting Paris Hilton elected as president in 2008 than they do getting their stories told without bias in the news.

It was late Saturday night when I noticed the first 50 or so articles appearing on Google News, related to hearings that began on Monday, involving parents of autistic children that believe vaccinations are the cause of their child's disorder.

These were all pre-release articles and they were being distributed by major newswires, appearing in the most local of papers, both on Sunday and Monday. By Sunday afternoon there were about five hundred indexed in Google News, and the court cases had not even started.

The articles were written by different authors but nearly every one of them contained the same information, all content probably being derived from the same original source. You can do a Google News search to view articles that were published on Sunday, a day before the court hearings began.

The theme in nearly every article painted a picture of scientists versus activists. In every article I viewed there was a suggestion that scientists had strong evidence, citing government supported studies, that vaccinations have nothing to do with autism. In my opinion, the majority of articles also portrayed activists as hysterical parents that were not interested in science, but instead fear a government conspiracy cover-up.

In all articles I viewed, the scientific evidence cited comes from government supported studies and some even featured comments from "experts" that have ties to vaccine manufacturing. What I expect you won't see in the news are any independent studies that may suggest otherwise. However, what you may see in the news will be researchers and scientists that have taken a stance against the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal (thy-MEHR'-uh-sahl), having their credibility attacked.

Regardless whether who is wrong or right, both parties deserve an equal voice. In my opinion, methods used in creating and distributing current news, make this nearly impossible.

It would be nice to someday see an author actually do research on a topic such as this, and deliver a story that was equally weighted, providing unedited quotes from both governmental and nongovernmental scientists, parents, activists, researchers, and others knowledgeable on the topic. Getting it published and distributed in the major media is a whole other story.

UPDATE: After reading his article again, I have realized that no media outlets are reporting on the trial, just that there is a trial. Are the parents the only ones listening in on the trial?

Isn't this case is far more important than all of the celebrity trials of the last 20 years combined? Either parents are right and we are poisoning generations of children, or parents are wrong and we are threatening the vaccine program that can save lives.

Yet court TV's web site makes no mention of the hearings. They do however have a front page article on how fans were disappointed that Tony Soprano didn't get wacked.

UPDATE: About.com to the rescue! Lisa Jo Rudy is covering the trial and even interviewing a lawyer for the petitioners. Thanks for the balance Lisa.

Hey Kids... Get Vaxed! Its So Kewl!!

This seems to me to have an ethical problem or two:



Brought to you by Paul Offit, M.D.... vaccine patent holder and Big Pharma.

"PKIDs is funded by parents, individuals, corporations and foundations – this includes unrestricted grants from pharmaceutical companies.

As a parent group, our highest priority has always been to seek the best care for our own children and to prevent other children from being harmed by infectious diseases. The policies we set and the paths we take to accomplish our goals have been and will always be determined by the parents we serve and our Board, independent of other organizations, pharmaceutical companies, governments or multi-lateral agencies."

Welcome Thi-Curious

I have lots and lots of new visitors today because of the Vaccine Omnibus Hearings and apparently the Wall Street Journal is linking here, so to those of you who have come to learn about Thimerosal and it's relationship to autism, I would like to bring your attention to a few posts that will be of interest to you.

1. A brief history of thimerosal that I wrote two years ago to educate some Senators.

2. A discussion of the fatal flaws in the two studies that are used most often to prove that thimerosal in vaccines has no relationship to Autism.

3. A good primer on what is going on in the hearing this week.

4. Your source for daily updates on the hearing.

5. Information for those of you who would like to listen in on the hearings for yourself via teleconference.

6. A picture of my beautiful 5 year old son Chandler who regressed into autism following his 18 month vaccinations.



Thank you for visiting and let me know if I can be of assistance.

Jenny McCarthy Reps TACA

The first mom that I met that pointed me toward biomed was Lisa Ackerman of TACA. I am eternally grateful to her. The works she has done has been wonderful.

I understand that Jenny's son has fully recovered. I couldn't be happier for them.

Jenny McCarthy to represent autism group

By Sue Thoensen
Reader Feedback - Currently 1 comment(s) Comments
Talk About Curing Autism, a Newport Beach-based organization helping families with children affected by autism, has announced that actor Jenny McCarthy will be its new spokeswoman.

McCarthy, whose son Evan was diagnosed with autism in 2005, is the author of the book "Louder than Words — A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism," set to be released in September.

McCarthy will be involved with the group's fund raiser "Ante Up for Autism" in October. She will participate in live online chats via the group's website and will post her own ongoing blog once the book has been published.

Lisa Ackerman, founder and director of Talk About Curing Autism, said her organization is blessed to have "such an outspoken friend" in McCarthy, and that "her story, her son's journey with autism, and her efforts to advocate and reach out to help families affected by autism should be commended."

For more information, call Talk About Curing Autism at (949) 640-4401 or go to www.tacanow.org.

Let the Games Begin

EVENT INFORMATION
-----------------

Company: US Courts
Event Title: Cedillo v. Secretary of Health and Human Services. Case #98-916V. (Day 1)
Event Date: Jun 11, 2007
Event Time: 9:00 AM EST

You previously registered for the following event

EVENT INFORMATION
=================

Title of Event: Cedillo v. Secretary of Health and Human Services. Case #98-916V.(Day 1)
Speaker:
Event Date: Jun 11, 2007
Event Time: 9:00 AM, EST
Conference ID: 8882103
Daily audio and transcripts can be obtained at:

http://www.uscfc.uscourts.gov/omnibus-austim-proceeding

For general information visit:

http://www.uscfc.uscourts.gov/vaccine-programoffice-special-masters

To access the audio conference portion:
* US/Canadian participants dial: (888-638-9716)

* Please tell the operator you are calling to join the autism hearing.

VAP on Vaccine Omnibus Hearings

Vaccine Autoimmune Project (VAP)
June 10, 2007

The first Autism-Vaccine trial from the group of 4,800 will be heard in the Federal Vaccine Court on June 11, 2007:

United States Court of Federal Claims - Office of Special Masters Cedillo v. Secretary of Health and Human Services Case No. 98-916V ftp://autism.uscfc.uscourts.gov/autism/cedillo.html

Theresa Cedillo is a dear friend to everyone at VAP, and her daughter, Michelle, has suffered greatly from adverse reactions to vaccines. Her story is not just a "case", it's unbelievably heart-wrenching.

With the permission of the Cedillo's, VAP will provide updates of the trial beginning June 11 by posting daily transcripts and, if available, audio. Dr. Yazbak will include commentaries.

http://www.vaproject.org/vaccinetrials/us.htm

The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) is a federal program that was passed by US congress in 1986 to compensate families for injuries and death as a direct result of vaccinations.

The program "shielded" vaccine-makers so they would not go bankrupt as a result of being sued for vaccine-injuries. It also enabled vaccine manufacturers to add countless inadequately tested vaccines to the child vaccination schedule. Patients pay a 75 cent excise tax for each vaccine and that adds $200 million to the compensation fund each year. The pharmaceutical companies do not have to pay for the vaccine injuries they cause. Tax payers do.

Our children, Jonny and Sierra are also in the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) and their cases will be heard by the Federal Vaccine Court. Both developed Autism and immediate life-threatening damages and long-term illnesses as a direct result of their vaccinations.

Jonny and Sierra's story - published May 8, 2007 Vaccine Induced Autism:
http://www.vaproject.org/personalstories/jonny-sierra.htm

For countless families, these years have been unimaginable as they've waited for their children's stories to be heard. The near 5,000 cases are just a mere fraction of children who experience serious adverse vaccine reactions. Most do not get accepted into the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program because there is just a small window of opportunity due to the very limiting restrictions for filing. For those who make it into the National VICP, the federal court can never grant true justice or fair compensation to the children who have been harmed by vaccinations.

All vaccine-injured children are left to needlessly suffer. Families are left with the outrageous bills, system discriminations, and pain. As a result too many children go without the care they require and many are eventually institutionalized.

VAP Co-Founder and Director, Ray Gallup shares his son's story Eric's story and the Autism Epidemic:
http://www.vaproject.org/personalstories/erics-story.htm

It costs $3.2 million to take care of an autistic person over his or her lifetime. Caring for all people with autism over their lifetimes costs an estimated $35 billion. 1 in 150 children has autism, a figure the CDC estimated several years ago but only recently published. 1 in 6 children suffer from a developmental disorder.

Ray Gallup has been tracking the Autism statistics for the community since 1998:
http://www.vaproject.org/statistics/autism-statistics.html

Words cannot begin to describe this nightmare and the ruthless harm countless children have endured across the globe. As more vaccines have been added to the vaccine schedule, more and more children suffer form serious injuries, illnesses, and death. All childhood disease of enormous proportions is rapidly on the rise. This outbreak coincides with the increases in the mass-vaccination schedule.

VAP extends it heart and support to the Cedillo's. We hope that everyone will share their prayers with this family.

Thank you,
Barbara and Butch Labrecque
Ray Gallup

Vaccine Autoimmune Project (VAP)
Funding science and care for the inflicted
http://www.vaproject.org
Barbara Labrecque
Butch Labrecque
Ray Gallup

PARENTS TO:
*JONNY ~ "RECOVERED" AUTISTIC ENTEROCOLITIS, ORGAN DISEASE, GI/BOWEL
DISEASE, "LNH", PANCREAS DISEASE, METABOLIC DISEASE, IMMUNE
DYSFUNCTION, ALLERGIC GASTROENTERITIS, MITOCHONDRIAL DISEASE, OCD &
ANXIETY, POST-VACCINE ENCEPHALOPATHY DAMAGES
*SIERRA ~ "RECOVERED" AUTISTIC ENTEROCOLITIS, APRAXIA, AUTOIMMUNE
ENTEROCOLITIS, ORGAN DISEASE, GI/BOWEL DISEASE, "LNH", PANCREAS
DISEASE, METABOLIC DISEASE, IMMUNE DYSFUNCTION, ALLERGIC
GASTROENTERITIS, ALLERGIC ENTEROPATHY, PROTEIN-LOSS ENTEROPATHY, POST-
VACCINE ENCEPHALOPATHY DAMAGES, SURVIVED ON A FEEDING MACHINE 3 YEARS

Barbara H Labrecque
Child Advocate
bnblabrecque@stny.rr.com
607-734-0036
President, Vaccine Autoimmune Project (VAP):
http://www.vaproject.org
Founder, Recovering Autism
Founder, TOXIC HUMANS
RecoveringAutism meetup:
http://autism.meetup.com/223/about/
1 in 6 children suffers from a developmental disease ~
1 in 150 have Autism...
There is NO such thing as a "genetic" epidemic!
Just gimme some TRUTH!

Sigh...

Autism walk in Purchase to draw thousands for research, awareness
June 10, 2007

Thousands of walkers - including individuals with autism, their families and friends - are gathering this morning to raise money for autism research and to increase awareness.

The 6th annual Westchester/Fairfield Walk Now for Autism began at 9:30am at Manhattanville College in Purchase.

All proceeds from the event benefit Autism Speaks, the nation's leading autism advocacy organization.

According to organizers, last year's Westchester/Fairfield walk event drew more than 9,000 walkers and raised nearly $1 million.

6 injured, 1 dies after US Made MMR

HCMC Suspends US-made Vaccine After Worker’s Death

The Ho Chi Minh City Health Department has or­dered city hospitals and health centers to stop using a batch of US-made vaccines after a worker died and five others fell ill after getting vaccinated.

Six women workers from the Tango Candy Company were hospitalized Tuesday 30 minutes after be­ing getting a shot of MMR, a vaccine to protect people against measles, mumps, and rubella (German measles).

One worker, Huynh Thi Kim Hoa, experienced breathing difficulties and a fall in heart rate, and she later fainted and slipped into a coma. Hoa was taken to Gia Dinh Hospital where doctors said she had suffered a brain hemorrhage.

The 20-year-old died Friday morning.

Hospital director Do Hoang Giao said Hoa's condition was not caused by the vaccination but was the result of defective blood vessels around her brain. The bleed­ing could have been trig­gered anytime.

The five others also suffered breathing difficul­ties and were also taken to the hospital. Doctors discharged them that evening.

The batch in question, H1666, was manufactured by American drug company Merck Sharp & Dohme Inc. on October 24, 2004, and expires in November this year.

The city Preventive Health Center said it im­ported 10,000 doses of the vaccine, more than 1,000 of which had already been used.

The idea that the MMR had nothing to do with her death is just a little difficult to swallow.

She fell ill 30 minutes after the following the vaccine. Since she was 20 years old, she had lived through 350,400 (actually more since this was following her birthday) - 30 minute intervals without her "defective blood vessels" in her brain hemorrhaging.

That means that when she collapsed, she less than a 1 in 350,400 chance of this happening to her at that moment.

So we are to swallow that it was just coincided with the vaccination by chance and was completely unrelated?

More importantly, we are to believe that the docs actually believe that themselves?

Questioning The Plan of Autism Speaks

Since Autism Speaks is coming under such close examination, I thought I would bring to you the keen observation of an anonymous poster on the Evidence of Harm List.

He is the one who wrote the AS 990 report.

The question asked here is simple, "what is the plan of Autism Speaks".

They are raising tons of cash. They are spending none of it on treating children. They are spending none of it on helping adults. Autistic adults are not even allowed to speak at their events. They are drying up all the donations for the smaller groups that are treating and providing services. They are spending millions on infrastructure.

AS has the dubious distinction of being so universally disliked in the autism community that they bring together two groups that are butting heads constantly, the biomed parents trying to cure their children of ASD and the Neurodiversity movement that says ASD is an alternate and equal cognition and should not be cured. The opposing clans have seem to only two things in common, they love people with autism and they hate Autism Speaks.

With all this going on, we need to answer this question right quick.

The question is answered on the AS web site by:

Dr. Gary Goldstein
President, Kennedy Krieger Institute
Clinical Scientific Advisor, Autism Speaks

In an article entitled:

Dr. Gary Goldstein discusses the current focus of autism research and the urgent need to conduct long-range clinical trials.

("Urgent" need for "long-range" trials? Is that like "hurry up and wait"?)

Analysis of Dr. Goldstein's comments:

So what is AS's real plan?

Its not treatment.
Its not working with other autism groups.
Its not providing services.
what is going on?

The answer is found on their web site. Gary Goldstein of John Hopkins is the Medical Director is the real power and the gatekeeper the money. He gives a lot of it to himself and his friends. The plan is ONE BILLION DOLLARS over the next FEW YEARS.

Now does everyone understand what is going on. The research institutions have their own foundation.

So what are Gary's plans? - read about them below quoted from the AS web site.

SUMMARY: He says that TREATMENT will only begin AFTER the research is completed - hundreds of millions of dollars and after years and years.

From Gary Goldstein - Medical Director of Autism Speaks:

"But there needs to be a huge national campaign directed toward the general public.

Hundreds of millions of dollars each year. This is what Autism Speaks is capable of doing. They have the seed money to launch a general campaign. Again, this requires a lot of money-you need advertising, media, public relations.

As I said before, getting these clinical trials going is incredibly expensive. But these clinical trials are imperative-only then will we be able to compare results and develop appropriate treatments.

Another effect will be the ability to get money from drug companies."

His new $3 million autism database is to have parents sign up for NON TREATMENT research. Unwittingly thousands of families with a child with autism are signing up!!! Most of them believe they are going to have treatment.

NOW DOES IT MAKE SENSE?

He then goes on to discuss the human trials that Kennedy Kreiger, Dr. Goldstein's institution, has done on children in the past:

Human Trials - is this a good idea? Is it SAFE? Will it help real children?

A national magazine recently wrote a article summarizing HOW human trials are done by John Hopkins. An exerpt is as follows:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=john+hopkins+penthouse+lead&btnG=Search

"What Hughes (a mother of a lead toxic boy being studied) - and more than a hundred other low-income, predominantly African- American families from Baltimore who were also recruited - didn't know was that the kids would be used as guinea pigs in study so shocking that the Maryland Court of Appeals later compared it to both Nazi experiments at Buchenwald and the notorious 40-year-long Tuskegee study in which poor lack men were allowed to die of untreated syphilis. In August 2001 the court accused Kennedy Kreiger (John Hopkins) of deliberately encouraging inner-city landlords to rent lead-contaminated buildings to families with children under age four"the group most vulnerable to lead poisoning, since little kids often put paint chips or house dust in their mouths. Yet the consent form never mentioned the terrible risks of this toxin: stunted growth, nervous-system damage, impaired hearing, mental retardation, even death."

I could not find the link to that article, but I found this quote in a NYT article:

"Dr, Gary Goldstein, the chief executive of Kennedy Krieger, defended the study and the institute's record in treating and preventing lead poisoning in the poor neighborhoods of Baltimore."

Read the whole thing.

The NYT article and several others the unethical study can be found here.

[UPDATE: One commenter understood this section to mean that I was implying that AS was involved with studies that ignored safety guidelines. I want to be sure that no one else gets that impression. AS is IN NO WAY implicated in the Baltimore lead study and did not even exist at the time. My concern is that KKI who did the study, is getting the bulk of AS's money and Dr. Goldstein, who defended the lead study, heads the AS board and is dispensing the money to his own institution, KKI.]

So....

We have hundreds of thousands of sick children and adults who require treatment and services, each one of which will require an estimated $15 million dollars worth of care over their lifetime. The autism rate is estimated to be growing at %12 per year and now is 1 in 150 according to the CDC.

And the Autism Speaks solution seems to be this:

Vacuum up all available donations, skim a healthy chunk off the top for lavish salaries and expenses, hand the rest to Gary Goldberg (defender of unethical studies on poor children) so that he can hand it to his own institution to build a three million dollar database and do long term genetic studies that not improve the life quality of even one of the hundreds of thousands struggling with autism, but which will either fail to find the gene, wasting millions, or succeed in finding a gene (which they now believe to actually be a confluence of hundreds of genes), giving people the option of "curing" autism by killing their unborn child who MIGHT develop autism eventually.

Autism Speaks has the power to do immense good. Right now they are doing immense harm.

I really hope they are listening.

I know I have been downright brutal to AS this week, but I think the criticism is fair and deserves a response by AS.

UPDATE: Be sure to read the comments section as I have added some information about AS spending decisions.

I Love The South Carolina State House

Finally! Some rich white guys who get it!!

From SC Politics Today:

House overrides autism veto; bill now law

The House easily overrode Gov. Mark Sanford's veto of a bill Thursday extending insurance coverage to children with autism.

The vote was 114-0.

After voting, House members turned toward the balcony and gave families representing children who have the disorder a standing ovation.

Before the vote, Rep. B.R. Skelton, R-Pickens, chastised the governor for striking down the measure.

"He has four healthy children and I don't think he has ever met anybody who didn't have healthy children," Skelton said.

The Senate had previously overrode the veto, also unanimously.
The governor' s office maintains the provision will raise health care costs.

Monica Bice: Why I Hate Autism Speaks

To say there has been a negative reaction in the autism community to the revelations concerning Autism Speaks over the last two weeks is putting it mildly. Both parents and adults with autism have become more openly hostile to the group.

Monica Bice, autism mom/activist (aren't we all) had this to say yesterday after reading the Autism Speaks 990 Report.

First and foremost, I was at a critical period in Jade's diagnosis when I saw "autism everyday". We were about 6 mos into the diagnosis. I watched that, as if I wasn't depressed enough already. I felt as if Jade's future was hopeless, especially since we could not afford ANY therapy but what Medicaid covers (which is not much at all some ST and OT), and could barely afford biomed.

I cried for days. They perpetuate depression and hopelessness at a time when parents need to be ENCOURAGED so that they may be happily functioning in their role as a parent of a child with an ASD. I wanna scream when I think of how I sat for days crying, when I should have been playing with Jade.

WTF was Singer thinking? [Alison Singer, AS Executive V.P. Communications and Awareness and autism mom interviewed on "Autism Every Day", told the interviewer that she considered killing her child and herself at one point. Sadly, homicidal/suicidal ideation in caregivers is a reality for some, and is an issue that should be discussed and tackled, but Alison did so in the presence of her daughter and has been harshly criticized for it. -ed] As if Jodi could not hear nor understand what she was saying? That poor little girl. I suppose if I viewed Jade that way, and spoke of killing her in front of her, she would not have made the gains she has.

And she gets paid by them, I think I am gonna be sick.

In contacting autism speaks through the number on their website, their phone reps know nothing about autism but what is on their website, which isn't much.

I have yet to meet anyone from AS that has a child, or family member with an asd.

Espeaks is a joke, more self promoting garbage that doesn't help any parents.

Last year, I was told our regional chapter would start funding local programs. I just got the same story last month, 'next year they will'. I doubt it.

Last year, another mom in my group and I brought our kids and met with Congressman Bilirakis, and convinced him to co-sign the Combating Autism Act. AS took credit for this on their website.

As I was to be part of the committee for the AS first Tampa walk last fall, which coincided with Donna Williams visit to the bay area, I asked Donna if she would take part in the walk, perhaps speak. I was so embarrassed when I had to relay the news to Donna that AS informed me that the walk was not "the right venue" for her to speak at.

WTF? a person with autism SPEAKING (for free I might add) at an autism SPEAKS event, is not the right venue?

Do they want us to have no hope?

I am also very embarrassed that my team raised approx. $20k for this walk. Yet, in April, my entire county could only raise about $8k for our public schools annual autism walk, to fund their autism program.

The schools need the money before AS does. I guess without the "brand name" and marketing power, we were not able to do more. I mean, we couldn't afford fancy pre-walk dinners and events, or give away thousands of dumb ass magnets. Besides, most companies that I contacted, had already given to the AS walk, and were not able to give more.

Lastly, when I asked if AS could help me with state legislation to pass two bills my senator and I worked on, I was told they currently do not lobby at the state level. uh, why the hell not? One to create a program to make Project Lifesaver available statewide and another to create a program to use scholarship money to fund an early intervention program, as Florida has none.

Sadly, both bills died in committee, as I don't get a dime for what I do with AWARE and can't do as much for my community as I would like, nor do I know what the hell I am doing regarding legislature. Hell, I skipped my US govt class (it coincided with my sleep), and have had to learn the ropes on my own. If AS had helped, I am certain these bills would have gone through.

We could have used their help to convince legislature not to make the severe cuts to Florida's developmental disabilities funding.

I mean, why would they want to help people with ASD?

As far as I can tell, they simply want to eliminate them.

Insurance Has To Cover Autism in South Carolina!!

Wow. Wow.

From John Gilmore of A-CHAMP:

A coalition of parents of children with autism have won a stunning victory in South Carolina. Ryan's Law, a bill that will require private insurers to pay up to $50,000 per year for health care and services, including ABA, for people with autism overcame a Governor's veto today to become law. This is a victory of national significance. If this law can pass in South Carolina it can be passed in any state, if we have the organization, drive and fortitude displayed by the parents in South Carolina.

I am speechless in admiration for these indomitable advocates.

Lorri Unumb, the architect of this brilliant campaign, wrote this account of today's events:

As I’m sure you’ve heard by now from multiple sources, “Ryan’s Law” is finally law! Yippee!!! The last 24 hours have been an amazing, incredible roller coaster ride, as have the last 2 years.

As you all know, the governor vetoed our bill after 10:00 last night. (See veto message here: http://www.scgovernor.com/uploads/upload/S.20.pdf)
Despite this late notice, more than 50 of you showed up at the State House first thing this morning, wearing autism shirts, name tags, buttons, and highly visible ribbons made this morning by Margie Williamson (thanks, Margie!) We stood at the top of the State House escalators and accosted every possible legislator to ask for their vote one more time! We even had a little impromptu pep rally in the lobby when Sen. David Thomas, Sen. Joel Lourie, and Rep. Skipper Perry stopped by to thank us for our presence, encourage us, and give us last-minute tips on obtaining the needed 2/3 vote for an override.

The Senate acted on the veto first, probably by 11:00 or so this morning. Sen. Thomas of Greenville asked for unanimous consent to override the veto. There were a few comments and then a real scare when a senator from Anderson asked to hold up the vote for a while. Grumbles and mumbles ensued, and some other senators were clearly frustrated with him. He then backed off a little and said he just needed 2 or 3 minutes to study the governor’s veto statement. Things got confusing, but Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer honored his request, moved on to another bill, and then came right back to our veto issue. Senators Thomas and Malloy then pulled a 1-2 punch and managed to get the veto unanimously overridden without even going through a formal vote. All was said and done before we knew it, so our balcony gang crossed the lobby into the House chamber.

In the House, we waited for a LONG time while the House discussed lots of other matters. Then, I was sure our chance of getting on the agenda was lost when Speaker Pro Tem Smith and Speaker Harrell delivered long, passionate speeches as part of a tiff, shall we say, that’s going on this week between the House and the Senate. At that point, I was afraid we’d get lost in the crossfire and the debates over the two major bills they can’t agree on. Fortunately, our primary sponsors – Skipper Perry this year and Nathan Ballentine last year – pulled the Speaker aside and asked him to please take up the autism bill right before lunch. Speaker Harrell did just that.

Rep. Perry made a brief plea to the members for a quick, clean override. The Speaker was ready to call for a vote, and then another representative rose to speak. My heart stopped, because I had not spoken to this representative and had no idea what he wanted to say. I held my breath as Rep. B.R. Skelton started:
“My mama taught me that if you don’t have anything nice to say about a person, you don’t say anything at all. Well, I can’t think of anything nice to say about the governor’s veto of the autism bill.” I breathed a sigh of relief.

He then went on to relate what a constituent had said to him this morning. The constituent, a grandfather who called on behalf of Ryan’s Law and whose identity I don’t yet know, gave Rep. Skelton an ear-full about what he thought of the governor’s veto and questioned whether the governor had ever met a family without health insurance. It was pretty brutal, and it brought audible reactions from the House members. Although I was obviously glad that Rep. Skelton felt moved enough by this constituent’s message to speak on our behalf, I began to worry that the critical words were going to anger the governor’s buddies in the House and backfire. I worried even more when the next speaker to rise was Rep. Jim Merrill, the House Republican Majority Leader and a Sanford friend. Rep. Merrill said he didn’t think we needed to get into personal attacks (a paraphrase; I can’t remember his exact words), but that he thought we should nevertheless override the veto because the parties had worked so hard to reach a compromise on this important issue. With that, the Speaker called the vote. I was prepared for a voice vote (ayes v. nays), but then someone called for a roll call vote. A roll call can be a little dangerous – the governor can see which of his friends cast affirmative votes against his veto – so I got nervous again. As each legislator cast his or her vote, his or her name on the display board changed colors. “Green” meant a vote in favor of the override, and I can’t tell you what color signified a vote to uphold the veto, because there were none! 114 members voted, and, one by one, 114 names turned green on the big board.

And then the tears began to flow. But it wasn’t just Marcella and me crying this time. (Lisa, unfortunately, was in Texas today and didn’t get to witness in person.) My husband beside me started tearing up. Derrick and Sandrine Howle in the front row were crying. Everywhere I looked around in the balcony, a parent, a grandparent, an aunt, a cousin, a friend of a child with autism was weeping. Just then, all members of the House rose to their feet, turned toward us in the balcony, and erupted into applause. They gave us an emotional standing ovation for the tireless efforts of this grassroots gang, and they clearly felt proud of helping us override what some called a “cruel” veto.

Tears, hugs, and celebrations continued in the lobby of the State House, with senators and legislators coming out to greet and congratulate us. So many expressed the sentiment that they were honored to be part of this effort, which to them represented the political system at its purest – citizens petitioning their government for help and succeeding (though not without great difficulty and heartache).

I cannot begin to thank you enough for making this grassroots effort possible. We have worked for two years with no budget and no lobbyist – seemingly impossible conditions in today’s political world. But we had passion, determination, and an incredibly worthwhile cause. Each and every one of you who wrote an e-mail, sent a letter, made a phone call, or visited your legislator made a difference. Like I said above, I don’t even know who the grandfather is that called B.R. Skelton today, but that one call inspired Rep. Skelton to make an impassioned plea on our behalf. You never know which phone call or e-mail made the difference for each legislator, so every one of you is to be commended for every single act you took in support of Ryan’s Law.

Also, I would be remiss if I did not extend my super-special thanks to Lisa & Cliff Rollins, Marcella & Steve Ridley, Derrick & Sandrine Howle, and Dan Unumb, without whose encouragement and advocacy this would have never happened.

I’m not going to plead with you to write any more letters or make any more phone calls, but I’m sure your legislator would love to get a note of thanks if you feel so inspired. They deserve to be thanked for unanimously trumping the governor’s veto less than 24 hours after it was issued.

Although I obviously wish my son Ryan were not struggling with autism, I am today very grateful and honored to be part of this autism community.

With deepest gratitude,
Lorri J

Kirby on HuffPo: See You In (Vaccine) Court

See You In (Vaccine) Court
by David Kirby
The Huffington Post
Posted June 7, 2007 | 07:05 PM (EST)


On Monday, one of the most important legal proceedings in American medical history will get underway at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington. There, a special panel of three judges will begin hearing evidence to support -- and refute -- the hypothesis that mercury in vaccines and/or the live-virus measles-mumps-rubella shot caused autism or autism-like symptoms in some American children.

Monday will mark the first time ever that evidence of autistic harm from childhood vaccines is examined and cross-examined in a court of law. This is far from a slam dunk case for either side, and the stakes - professional, financial, emotional - could not be more intense.

These three judges from the federal "Vaccine Court," as it is called, are about to dip into the raging, contradictory waters of the vaccine-autism contretemps, knowing they must emerge on the other side, each with their own acutely anticipated decision about causation. Ultimately, they must deliver judgment on some 4,800 claims that have been languishing in the system for years.

I do not envy them their task.

Technically, at least, this is not a trial at all; it is an "Autism Omnibus Proceeding" in a no-fault, supposedly non-adversarial adjudication. The judges are not judges, but "Special Masters;" plaintiff families and their lawyers are called "petitioners," and the defendant, called the "respondent," is not some drug giant, but the Department of Health and Human Services, represented by well-funded attorneys at the US Justice Department.

Any claims awarded in Vaccine Court are paid from a 75-cents-per-vaccine tax footed by consumers, leaving vaccine makers free from liability.

But if even one case of causation is determined, then private lawsuits in civil courts - where the drug makers themselves are on trial - would soon flood the dockets. (Ironically, if families lose in Vaccine Court, they are free to sue in civil court. Having autistic kids appear before sympathetic juries is Big Pharma's big nightmare, and it's why a secret rider was attached to the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to bar thimerosal cases from civil court and force them into Vaccine Court).

Over the next three weeks, evidence on both sides of the first "test case" will be picked apart to its bare bones, with one gaping exception. Petitioners were just denied access to the government's vast vaccine safety database of HMO patients, which was used by CDC officials to conduct a four-year study that ultimately found no link between thimerosal and autism. Earlier versions of the study, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, however, clearly showed increased risks for many neurodevelopmental disorders, depending on the dose of thimerosal administered.

No wonder a special panel convened by the NIH recently issued a harsh critique of the CDC's data collection and management, saying the study contained "several serious problems... weaknesses and limitations" that "reduce its usefulness" in proving or disproving causation.

And so, numbers culled from the government's massive database will be submitted as Exhibit A for the defense, though the other side will be forever barred from seeing the actual raw data, in order to replicate what the CDC researchers found. (Exact replication is impossible because original datasets, culled at taxpayer expense, somehow "went missing" and are no longer available for re-analysis - a possible felony violation of the federal Data Quality Act).

On the other hand, the burden of proof for plaintiffs is lower in Vaccine Court than other federal courts, which could even things out a little.

Nearly all of the government's evidence will be "epidemiological" in nature - based on large population studies of computerized data. These include the CDC study, plus similar research done in Sweden, Denmark and the UK which found that, if anything, thimerosal had a "neuro-protective" effect on children by apparently reducing their risk of autism.

Petitioning attorneys will counter that Federal Court rules regard epidemiology alone as being "insufficient" to disprove causation, and will surely use the NIH panel's critique of the government's own database as a roadmap toward defanging the CDC's conclusions. To begin with, the CDC found an autism rate of just 11-per-10,000 children at the largest participating HMO, where the actual rate is currently 73-per-10,000. Why so many excluded children, they will likely ask, and how did this affect the rate of outcomes?

As for Denmark, petitioning lawyers will argue that autism case numbers increased after 1992, when thimerosal was removed from childhood vaccines, mostly because the Danish government happened to switch from counting inpatient-diagnosed cases only - about 13% of the total - to counting all inpatient AND outpatient cases nationwide. By 1999 the total number had "gone up" to about 200 children a year, in a nation of 6.2 million people - well below the current US rate of 1-in-150 kids, and not exactly a raging epidemic.

The lawyers might also point out that incidence and prevalence rates of autism actually declined in Denmark during 2000, and again (we now know, only through FOIA) in 2001. And they could cite a media quote from Dr. Irva Hertz-Picciotto, professor of public health at UC-Davis School of Medicine and chair of the NIH panel that critiqued the CDC study. Flawed as the CDC analysis was, she called it "an improvement on other studies, including the two in Denmark, both of which had serious weaknesses in their designs."

For their side of the argument, family lawyers will present thousands of pages of published "biological" science, as opposed to epidemiology. They will examine data from animal models, test tube studies, and examinations of children with autism; they will try to present a plausible biological mechanism by which mercury (and to a lesser extent, MMR) could cause autistic-like symptoms -- at the molecular, cellular, and clinical level.

Among this evidence is research suggesting that:

1) Many children with autism, probably due to genetics, are deficient in certain sulfur-based proteins that defend against heavy metal accumulation in humans. The proteins, which include glutathione, are called "thiols," and sometimes "mercaptans," from the Latin mercurium captans, or literally "mercury capturers."

2) Many children with autism show signs of heavy metal accumulation, including elevated levels of proteins called "prophyrins" a bio-marker of lead and mercury toxicity. They also present with low levels of mercury in baby haircuts, (versus control children) suggesting a heavy metal "efflux disorder" that prevents the proper metabolism and excretion of heavy metals.

3) Exposure to extremely low doses (micromolars) of thimerosal, previously thought to be safe, shut down 25% of brain stem cells, in one lab study.

4) In another, low-level exposures of a few minutes duration killed many of the immune system's "dendritic" cells, disrupted production of immune-system messenger chemicals called "cytokines," and caused inflammation.

5) Meanwhile, many children with autism show signs of immune deficiency AND hyperactivity, as well as cytokine imbalances and inflammation, (they also show signs of chronic autoimmunity, where the immune system attacks the body and brain).

6) Organic ethylmercury from thimerosal crosses the blood-brain barrier in primates, where it quickly converts to inorganic mercury, which can remain trapped in the brain for decades.

7) Inorganic mercury trapped in primate brains caused neuro-inflammation (ie, rapid brain growth) by activating "glial" cells in the brain.

8) Autopsies on autistic human brains found chronic inflammation, apparently linked to the brain's immune system and produced by activation of its "glial" cells.

9) Another autopsy study also showed ongoing neuro-inflammation, possibly from heavy metal exposure, and signs of autoimmunity. (Other studies have found rapid brain growth in infants with autism.)

10) Thimerosal can disrupt a chemical process called "methylation," critical for gene expression, neural function, memory and attention, and the production of sulfur-based "thiol" proteins like glutathione.

Plaintiff lawyers will also show data from a study of birthday videos proving that many kids with autism were meeting or exceeding developmental milestones at age one, only to have tumbled into a wordless, autistic world by age two. They will also show home videos of plaintiff children, before and after their own regression, and in many cases, of the same children a few years after experimental treatments - including chelation (for heavy metal removal) and methyl B-12 (for repair of methylation) - that seem to have vastly improved their condition.

At this point, government lawyers will surely try to discredit these biological studies, one-by-one. They could succeed, though it will be tough, given the data's provenance. Lead authors come from institutions such as Harvard, Northeastern, Columbia, UC Davis, Johns Hopkins, and the Universities of Washington, Arkansas, Kentucky and Rochester, and their papers were published in peer-reviewed journals such as Molecular Psychiatry, and the NIH's Environmental Health Perspectives.

The defense also has a few biological studies to support its side, including one showing no difference in the mercury levels of blood and hair of typical vs. autistic kids. But the mean age in this study was four years old, and mercury does not linger around in blood or hair for that long.

Another study showed the thimerosal containing drug Rho-Gam (given to pregnant women, and not a vaccine) did not increase the risk of autism in children, though this study was funded by Johnson & Johnson, the product's manufacturer and a potential thimerosal litigation defendant.

Likewise, the plaintiffs might offer some epidemiology, including one study from the University of Texas showing increased rates of autism in school districts near mercury-emitting coal power plants, and another, funded by the CDC itself, where children with autism in the SF Bay Area were 50% more likely to be born in the region's most mercury-polluted tracts, suggesting "a potential association between autism and estimated metal concentrations."

Finally, expect to hear hours of testimony about California. Mercury was phased out of childhood vaccines (except the flu shot) a few years ago, the argument goes, so there should have been a drop in autism rates by now, especially in California, which keeps the most reliable autism statistics. It's a very powerful contention, but it may be too early to make any final conclusions.

Among the youngest children, 3-to-5-year-olds, the number of cases was still increasing after the first quarter of 2007. These kids were born and vaccinated between 2002 and 2004, after thimerosal was removed from vaccines, right?

It's true, most companies started making preservative-free vaccine in 2001, but they also continued making product with thimerosal, as a backup during the transition period. Little, if any of those mercury-containing vaccines were ever recalled: They remained on the market, until they were finally used up or expired, in 2003.

Government lawyers will likely point to a 2002 survey of vaccine providers, conducted by the CDC, showing that just 2% of the pediatric shots contained thimerosal. But this was a survey of providers under CDC contract only, and CDC had a record of buying mercury-free vaccines for its clients (ie, state, county and other public health clinics) even before 1999, when the federal government called for the removal of thimerosal from the pediatric schedule "as soon as possible."

It's not clear how many of the CDC contract providers surveyed were in California, where the vast majority of children receive care in private practices and large HMOs. Moreover, the CDC survey was merely a "convenience sample," which are so inaccurate in representing the general population they are virtually never used in published data. In fact, the US DOJ itself defines them as "rarely useful in evaluation and usually hazardous."

Meanwhile, the state has quietly been tracking the number of autism cases by birth year, as well as age group, meaning we can look at the very youngest children entering the system. In the first quarter of 2003, there were 170 children with autism in the state system born in 2000 (or, roughly, three-year-olds). In the first quarter of 2004, the number of three-year-olds increased 8.2% to 184. In 2005 the same number went up 13%, to 208, and in 2006 it jumped nearly 27% to 264. But this year, among kids born in 2004, it was 251, a 5% drop.

This could be attributable to some quarterly reporting glitch, and the caseload could easily be made up in the next quarter (that data will be out in mid-July). But if the deficit continues, the 2004 birth cohort could finish out as the first in which case numbers actually fell. (A similar trend might be emerging at Northern California Kaiser, a major HMO).

Of course, it would take tremendous resources to get to the bottom of this, lawyers might argue. One would need full medical records on each of those 251 kids born in 2004. Did any receive thimerosal still left in California vaccines (or prenatally via Rho-Gam)? How many were exposed to mercury in flu shots during pregnancy and as infants? And in a population that is now one-quarter foreign born, how many children immigrated from countries where immunization with thimerosal is now routine? (Vaccination coverage in Mexico is now 92%).

Is immigration helping keep the California numbers up? We don't have that data. But we do know that, since 2003, the rate of increase among white and black children was 48.6% and 51.6%, respectively. Among Asian children, however, it was 79%, and among Hispanics, 84.2%. Probably something worth looking into (as well as the effect of aggressive early intervention campaigns, which have consistently brought down the average age of diagnosis and would likely drive up the number of three year olds in the system).

But again, this is epidemiology coming out of California, and the Special Masters are looking at specific children with specific claims before their court. Officials from the state have been warning all of us (and that includes me) not to read too much into these numbers.

At the International Meeting For Autism Research last month, California health officials presented their data along with this caveat: "Limitations of the database and lack of individual exposure data prevent conclusions, based on these data, about thimerosal as a cause or modifier of autism in a specific subgroup or child."

It is entirely possible that thimerosal itself did not cause the autism epidemic, but that is not what is on trial here. Even so, for the sake of argument, let's say that a "specific subgroup" of people with autism, maybe 1%, was affected by mercury in their vaccines. With an estimated 1.5 million Americans with autism, that would mean 15,000 people severely impacted by thimerosal.

But, if causation can be shown in even 1% of cases, this would provide tremendous hope for the other 99%. Yes, some cases may be purely genetic in nature. But for everyone else, if we can show how thimerosal caused "autism," we might be able to do the same for, say, pesticides, PCBs, flame retardants, jet fuel, environmental mercury in air, water and fish, or any combination thereof.

It's a tough call and, like I said, I don't envy these Special Masters, though I do thank them for opening the proceedings to the public.

And I will see you in Vaccine Court.

----------------

David Kirby is author of the book "Evidence of Harm." Many of the studies cited here can be found on his Powerpoint slides at www.evidenceofharm.com

I Take Back Every Nice Thing I Have Ever Said About Autism Speaks

I read this today and it just made me sick. I don't even have the words to comment on it.

I am a professional that has reviewed many non profit organization's IRS Form 990s. Autism Speaks Form 990 raises serious red flags. Serious. This is all from the official filing for 2006.

1. Three members of the Board of Directors received $2.5 million for their own organizations.

2. The President Mark Roithmayr, just received a 5 year contract for about $2,000,000 including bonuses with no prior background with autism.

3. The grants are primarily going to those representing institutions that are reviewing the grants. There is no indication that these conflicts are independently reviewed

4. The location of this small and new foundation is in very expensive downtown New York facilities (2 Park Avenue) rented for $200,000 by the institution that is run by the Chairman of Autism Speaks.

5. A expense of a Private Jet plane for $57,000 was noted. This is very unusual for a new non profit groups.

6. The head of the scientific review received the majority of the funds for 2005 for his institution for a data base - almost $3 million

Since the funding is now from the public - and the advertising and promotion tugs at the publics heart strings with images of families in need - the funds collected MUST be about those it raises the money for.

The following are all taken from the Form 990 filing

Web Site $830,000
Software for the computer $514,000
Lawyers $440,000
Computers $337,000
Public relations $285,000
Office annual rent $200,000
HR consultant $110,000
Editorial Consultant $76,000
Private Jet Plane for someone that entertained $57,000


Mark Roithmayr* $360,000
Peter Bell [$240,000?]
Alison Singer $168,000
Mr Ringall $150,000
Andy Shik $110,000

Remember all the above also gets significant fringe benefits that
probably add.

Mark Roithmayr also can get $50,000 more with a bonus a year benefits

Here is the AS 2005 990. Here is the 2006 990.

Further discussions on AS allocation of funds, choices and ethics can be found here, here and here.

Read all post on Autism Speaks here.

Bob and Suzanne Hurt Another Autism Family

Note: Anyone wanting to send supportive emails to Katie Wright can do so through the National Autism Association at naa@nationalautism.org

So last week they hurt their own daughter, this week they are hurting another autism family.

I don't believe that Autism Speaks are the bad guys. I believe that they are the confused guys.

The world of autism is absolutely no place for the cut throat business tactics of corporate America. We are all struggling on a daily basis and our families tip over easily, so you just don't screw with each other.

I feel for the Wright family right now, I really do. They come from a place of privilege, where only the strong survive, and they really don't understand the struggle that most families are living under. I really believe that they want to serve kids and families, and that they think they are serving them. But you can't screw one or two families for the greater good of "Autism Speaks". You just can't. It shows that your priorities are not in order.

This is a crucial time for them. Things are coming to a head for Bob and Suzanne. They are either going to soften and become teachable, learn from the families that they started AS to serve, and really begin putting their millions to work to actually serve them...

OR

...they are going to become hard to the message that they need to hear, that autism is preventable and treatable, and join their NAAR friends in their descent into irrelevance as people wise up to the party line as more and more kids recover.

I sincerely hope it is the former. I hope so for their sakes, for Katie and Christian's sakes, and for Chandler's sake.

Their struggle to stay blind to the truth that children are regressing into Autism after vaccination and improving under the DAN protocol hurts my son. The longer they hold out, the longer it will take to get Chandler's treatment covered by insurance. The longer it will take for pediatricians to get the message that this treatment is out there and that it works. The longer it will take for the availability of treatment to go up and the costs to come down.

If the corporate model worked for curing Autism, NAAR and CAN would have cured it already. They raised millions every year and did not get one inch closer to a cure. They have not produced one medical intervention for my son.

Almost all of the interventions that are recovering and even curing autistic kids have come out of The Autism Research Institute, which for a long time worked out of Bernie's house and then a storefront strip mall. They didn't give a crap about what anyone thought of them, they certainly have not poured millions into web sites and office space like AS has, they just spent what little money they had on finding direct interventions to help children now. And it worked!!

Imagine what ARI could do with AS's NYC office space budget.

Here is the Wright's new problem. They are jacking the director of "Autism Every Day", who is the mother of an autistic child:

Celebrity Autism Group in Civil War
By Roger Friedman
Fox News

Autism Speaks, the celebrity group founded by former NBC chairman Bob Wright and his wife Suzanne, is in the middle of a family feud and a dispute over whether they have swiped an award-winning film from its director.

The charity is unusual because in a short time it has raised millions of dollars and called upon such celebrity friends of the Wrights like Jerry Seinfeld and Paul Simon.

The Wrights created Autism Speaks just three years ago when their grandson, Christian, was diagnosed with the malady. But since then they have had such a severe falling out with their daughter Katie, Christian's mother, that the Internet is now buzzing with a new scandal.

This week, the Wrights posted a press release on the Autism Speaks Web site in effect disowning daughter Katie's comments in a video interview she gave to a critic of Autism Speaks. Katie Wright also appeared on the "Oprah" show in April, where she talked about the split in philosophies with her parents.

Even the press release issued by the Wrights itself caused a buzz because it initially read: "Katie Wright is not a spokesperson for Autism Speaks. Our daughter's personal views differ from ours and do not represent or reflect the ongoing mission of Autism Speaks. ... Her appearance with David Kirby was done without the knowledge or consent of Autism Speaks." Ouch!

Only later, when the statement seemed too harsh, the Wrights changed the release, adding of Katie: "She is our daughter and we love her very much."

But the damage was done.

With the scandal quickly overtaking the cure of autism as a subject, comes a new dilemma. Filmmaker Lauren Thierry is accusing the Wrights of appropriating her award-winning film "Autism Every Day" for their own purposes. Thierry made the film, which was shown at Sundance this year and is in this month's Nantucket Film Festival, after the Wrights saw an earlier, shorter version they liked.

Thierry says Suzanne Wright then commissioned a feature version, and told her "money is no object." While the Wrights paid all the film's costs, they never came to terms with Thierry, the director says. They systematically cut her out of the promotion of the film, she says, when the Wrights took it on the media rounds.

This was odd considering Thierry and husband Jim Watkins, an anchorman for Channel 11 in New York, have a good PR hook of their own: They are parents of an autistic son.

Thierry wants to be paid for making "Autism Every Day," but when the Wrights sent her a contract, with a blank space for the fee, it also included a proviso that Thierry could not do any publicity for it. Thierry countered by sending a bill for $104,000 including $64,000 for labor and $40,000 for intellectual property. For that amount she was willing to allow the Wrights buy her out. Ironically, Thierry had already told the Wrights she would be splitting her fee with an autism school in New York.

The Wrights countered, through their executive, Alison Singer, that Thierry was paid $30,000 and that they have compensated her in full. But Singer can't produce any evidence of this.

"Alison Singer sent me a check for $30,000. I never cashed it and sent it back. There was never an agreement for a fee," Thierry said.

Singer, who at first told me about paying Thierry, is now playing her cards close to the vest.

"Autism Speaks feels it inappropriate to publicly disclose its details," Singer said.

The chaos surrounding Autism Speaks is not surprising. In short order the new group has shut down or subsumed a number of other, older organizations that used to do the same work, but without the resources of the Wrights. Sources at the long standing Nordoff-Robbins Foundation, for example, have complained recently that their fundraising sources have dried up since Autism Speaks came on the scene.

In her video interview, Katie Wright criticizes not only Autism Speaks but also a group they took over, the National Alliance for Autism Research, for which has organized marches and vigils for 20 years. Katie Wright now believes that vaccinations and the environment may be responsible for autism — a controversial theory among others who say it is a genetic disorder.

Whichever side turns out to be correct, the split in the Wright family cannot be good for the cause of autism.

"The whole reason for Autism Speaks was because of Christian," one critic said. "And now the Wrights are dissing his mother, their own daughter."

Singer says none of that is true.

"The Wrights started Autism Speaks for all families, not just their own," she said.

She agreed, however, that the couple would not have known about autism at all had their own family not become involved in it.

Meanwhile, Thierry says she remains unpaid and that, despite the Wrights' assertions, she is paying her own expenses. When she goes to the Nantucket Film Festival later this month, it's the festival that's picking up her travel and accommodation expenses.

UPDATE:

Lisa Jo at About.com comments.

Legal Times: Vaccine Omnibus Hearings

UPDATE: Welcome Wall Street Journal Readers. For helpful background on the Thimerosal, Vaccine research, and daily hearing updates, visit this post. Enjoy!

Test Case Linking Vaccines and Autism Reaches Federal Court
Tuesday June 5, 3:02 am ET
Tony Mauro, Legal Times

The family stories are remarkably, painfully, similar.

They begin begin with toddlers developing well, and happily. Then they are taken to the doctor's office for routine vaccines which, in the early 1990s, often were bundled together.

A week after the shots, the devastation begins: loss of speech and eye contact, high fever, constant pain, screaming, bowel problems, no sleep. The children no longer respond to their names; later, they are diagnosed with autism or related disorders.

"Words alone cannot explain the trauma of watching your only child's health deteriorate to such a degree before your eyes," Theresa Cedillo of Arizona writes in an e-mail to Legal Times.

On June 11, the case of Michelle Cedillo, Theresa's daughter, goes before an extraordinary tribunal assembled by the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Its goal is to determine, for the first time in a judicial proceeding, whether the combination of certain vaccines and thimerosal, a mercury-based vaccine preservative, can cause autism -- a set of disorders that is gaining attention as more and more children are diagnosed, as many as one in 150 children born in the United States. The government has long denied such a link exists.

In her first comments to the media since her case began in 1998, Theresa Cedillo tells Legal Times, "The profound downward change in Michelle's health began seven days following the MMR [measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine]."

Of her daughter, now 12, she adds, "Her childhood has passed right before our eyes spent in hospitals and doctors' offices, not in parks and with little friends. The trauma of the sheer human suffering she endures every day is beyond explanation and understanding, filling us with overwhelming anguish."

Michelle, her mother says, "will require a very highly skilled and involved level of daily care as she continues to age ... It is our hope that she can gain some type of communication skills in the future."

Cedillo v. Secretary of Health and Human Services was picked as a test case from more than 4,800 autism claims that have been filed with the little-known court, which sits anonymously overlooking Lafayette Square near the White House. The outcome of the case, the court hopes, will guide the disposition of other claims and prevent the need for repetitive discovery and expert witness testimony.

The determination also could shake -- or bolster -- public confidence in the vaccine system and affect autism litigation worldwide.

During three weeks of testimony, the hotly contested issue of causation will be advanced and picked apart by expert witnesses. A sign of the emotions infused into the case: The court sealed the names of the witnesses, for fear they would be harassed.

The trial before three special masters will take place in a 400-seat courtroom that may be filled with parents and their lawyers, as well as lawyers and lobbyists for the pharmaceutical industry, which has a huge but indirect stake in the case. Special arrangements have been made to enable out-of-town parents to listen to the trial by phone, and transcripts and audio of the trial will be made available online.

"There's never been another case like this," says Kevin Conway of Boston's Conway, Homer & Chin-Caplan, one of Cedillo's lawyers.

TOO STRONG A CASE?

The proceeding is more than five years in the making. The plaintiffs lawyers and the government, with an occasional assist from pharmaceutical companies, have been jockeying over discovery issues for years. On May 25, the special masters denied a long-pending request by the plaintiffs for access to a massive vaccine database developed by the government's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and private managed-care organizations.

"It's infuriating," says Conway, asserting that the database would have been an important resource for Cedillo's witnesses. Instead, he says, about 250,000 other documents have been released over the years, which Conway describes as "a haystack without a needle -- useless."

Some lawyers also question whether Cedillo's was the right one to pick as a test case. Michelle's extreme reaction, while not rare among claimants, may not result in a ruling that that will help children with a less severe or more delayed injury. "Her case may be too strong," says Curtis Webb, a plaintiffs lawyer from Twin Falls, Idaho. "I wonder if a ruling in her favor will let other kids win."

Rita Shreffler of Nixa, Mo., is one of the parents who hopes to be in the audience for at least some of the trial. Shreffler is the mother of Andrew, 15, and Mary, 13, both of whom have autism -- both, she believes, the result of childhood vaccines.

"They were totally normal until about 18 months," she says in a phone interview. After their routine vaccinations, "I saw them slip away. There were really drastic personality changes." Andrew cried constantly, she recalls. "I swear he didn't sleep for three years."

Shreffler, now executive director of the National Autism Association, has joined the upcoming claims court litigation on behalf of her children. "If you look at the scientific evidence, it's a no-brainer" that the mercury in the thimerosal preservative caused or contributed to their autism. "My son got a level of mercury injected into him, which, under [Environmental Protection Agency] guidelines, would be safe only if he weighed 1,100 pounds."

That mercury was delivered in the form of thimerosal, a preservative that is nearly 50 percent mercury.

With the addition of more vaccines -- for Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) and hepatitis among others -- to the typical regimen in the 1990s, children were exposed to more and more mercury.

"We were set up for disaster," says Cheryl Gaudino of Attleboro, Mass., another parent who believes there is a vaccine-autism connection. In 1997, when he was 13 months old, Gaudino's son Ryan was given the Hib and MMR vaccines during a doctor's visit for an ear infection. He'd had several rounds of antibiotics for earlier illnesses, so his immune system was already compromised, she says.

Within days, Ryan had an intense allergic reaction and developed vasculitis. "That means the valves in your veins leak," Gaudino says. "There is pooled blood under the skin. He looked like a burn victim." A photo from that time confirms her description.

Ryan recovered, but then lost language skills and continues with severe problems. "He can get out some of his wants," says Gaudino. "He will screech; he can hit himself; he can hit you."

'NO EVIDENCE OF HARM'

The question of whether thimerosal leads to autism did not surface widely until the late 1990s. Parents and autism groups now point angrily to both government and drug company documents that show questions were being raised years earlier about the safety of the mercury preservative. Environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote a controversial Rolling Stone article in 2005 accusing the government of "whitewashing" evidence of thimerosal's effects.

But the government, while phasing out the use of mercury preservatives in most vaccines, still says there is "no evidence of harm" from thimerosal. A 2004 study released by the Institute of Medicine, founded as part of the National Academy of Sciences, said the accumulation of scientific evidence "favors rejection of a causal relationship."

For many, that closed the debate, but for parents, bolstered by new studies that reach the opposite conclusion, as well as their own experiences, the connection is still apparent. Future test cases before the claims court will examine whether thimerosal alone, or the MMR vaccine alone, can also cause autism.

The Cedillo trial is a crucial moment not only for the causation issue but for the vaccine compensation system, devised by Congress in 1986 to limit the liability of vaccine makers.

Broad-based vaccination is one of the success stories of the 20th century, effectively killing off diseases ranging from smallpox to polio that used to afflict millions. The compensation system was meant to handle the rare but inevitable injuries that result from allergic and other reactions to vaccines. Under the 1986 law, instead of suing manufacturers, those injured by vaccines file claims against the government in the federal claims court -- which some call the "Vaccine Court."

Special masters acting as trial judges hear individual cases and award damages once a causal connection has been made. Pain and suffering damages are capped at $250,000, but lost wages, medical and educational costs, and lawyers' fees can all be compensated. Awards can top $1 million, and more than $750 million has been paid out since the program began.

But nobody envisioned the torrent of autism claims.

"This is the biggest group of cases we've ever handled," says Gary Golkiewicz, the court's chief special master. Cedillo and future test cases, says Golkiewicz, "will be critical in presenting the issues so we can get these decisions out as quickly as possible."

More than 5,100 autism-related claims have been filed since 1999 (some have been withdrawn) compared to 2,700 for all other vaccine claims since the program started operating in 1988.

If causation is shown, where will the money to compensate victims come from? Under the program, patients pay a 75 cent excise tax for each vaccine, which adds $200 million to a compensation fund each year, for a current total of $2.5 billion.

So the autism litigation, even if successful, won't actually cost the pharmaceutical industry a dime. And no drug-company lawyer will have a formal role in the upcoming trial. Yet the drug companies will be watching.

A PRO-VACCINE CAMPAIGN

One concern the companies have is the effect the case might have on public confidence in vaccines generally, says Randolph Moss, a partner at WilmerHale who advises pharmaceutical industry clients on vaccine issues. "This trial is a big deal from a public health perspective," Moss says. "There could be very dramatic public health consequences if the judges were to conclude, despite the strong scientific evidence to the contrary, that there is some connection between vaccines and autism or similar neurological disorders."

The CDC has voiced similar concerns, and pro-vaccine groups are approaching the media in advance of the June 11 trial.

But Jared Hansen of Framingham, Mass., sees an inherent conflict of interest for the CDC. "The same agency that is responsible for promoting vaccines is also assessing their risk," Hansen says. "It's a real tangle."

Hansen is another claimant in the upcoming autism litigation. His sons Jacob and William both have autism. Their problems began soon after they received standard vaccinations as toddlers. Jacob was not diagnosed with autism until after William was born and had received vaccinations.

Hansen says his main hope for the trial, which he will follow on the Internet, is that "the science finally gets a hearing." He has an open mind about it and says more research is needed.

"There is science to be done, yes," he says. "But with children involved, shouldn't we err on the side of safety?"