Vaccines and Autism

CNN is running a story today that questions the link between Thimerasol in vaccines and Autism. The following link is the only thing I could find from them and it’s 4 years old:

http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/parenting/11/03/mercury.vaccines.ap/

 My son has Autism. He had the shots before I knew any better and I regret it… Regardless of whether a cause/effect is ever proven or disproven I wouldn’t take the chance if I had a do-over. The odds that an American Child will get one of the life threatening diseases that these vaccines protect against is so small that the risk is worth it in my view.

I will not vote for any candidate in this Presidential race that is in favor on mandating vaccines. My son will never have another vaccine with Thimerasol despite it being too late to avoid Autism.  It is your right as a parent to see the ingredient list in anything that will be given to your child. Find out if there are any Mercury derivitives and reject it if there are.

Autism isn’t devistating. It’s a challenge that I wish we didn’t have to deal with but he is wonderful just as he is.

Hillary Clinton Promised to Find Out What Causes Autism

A couple of nights ago I had CSPAN on while drifting to sleep and a Clinton Speech in New Hampshire came on. She brought up Autism– without being asked anything about it– and promised to find out what causes it. Was I dreaming?

Can she make that promise while endorsing mandatory vaccines? Seems a bit contradictory since vaccines (Thimerasol) seem to be the most likely cause. (At least Ron Paul’s health-care plan gives us a choice on vaccinations… ) There are certainly other theories– older father, environmental causes, and heredity are just some of them. Another theory for the explosion in autism diagnosis is the expansion of the definition. In past generations, people who were high functioning might have just been considered eccentric.

I don’t have any answers and,  apart from living with an autistic child and reading everything Temple Grandin writes, I have no expertise.

While I applaud Mrs. Clinton’s ambitious promise to find out what causes Autism, I’m skeptical that she can actually do it.  And, if it matters so much to her why hasn’t she done anything as a member of Congress?Don’t they hold the purse strings?

Any politician would be fool to claim apathy towards those of us who’s lives are affected by Autism– but, what have any of these folks done? Huckabee got a $400 haircut to benefit Autism Research– big deal. Richardson actually expanded services in New Mexico. What have Edwards, Clinton, Obama, McCain, Romney, Paul, Thompson and rest of the pack done?

Hillary Clinton talks about her track record– accomplishments– what has she done for the “least of these”? Am I missing something? Has she done something that I’ve missed?

I welcome your comments and am an undecided Ohio voter. I do vote and will vote for the person who, in my view, is the strongest on the Economy and on Autism.