On 3 Mar 2009 at 8:57, [email protected] wrote: > Here is an email a former student (who argues with me constantly about > all kinds of psychobabble) sent me. She has been adamant for years that > vaccines cause autism and will not listen to any of my evidence. >> > I don't for one minute believe there is evidence to support the > contention that vaccines cause autism, but leave it to wiser folks to > pick this one apart
Student's e-mail: ------------------------ > Read the latest stories in the Huffington Post written by David Kirby > and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. featuring the Banks family who recently won a > landmark case against the government<snip> ----------------------------- Both Paul Brandon and I replied to this query both suggesting that the student was sadly misguided (big surprise). I did discuss in my post two recent cases involving the US government "vaccine court", the Hannah Poling case, and the results of three test cases on behalf of more than 5,000 parents of autistic children. But I didn't know about Banks. Now I do. It was a positive decision in favour of Bailey Banks, whose family claimed that he was harmed by vaccination. The case was decided in July 2007 but for procedural reasons wasn't announced until late in February, 2009. Naturally, the anti-vaccination nutters saw conspiracy in this delay. Decision at: www.uscfc.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/Abell.BANKS.02-0738V.pdf But the case hardly gives comfort to the vaccines-cause-autism true believers. For one, the injury was acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, which in turn produced what was diagnosed as pervasive developmental delay. This is a broader classification than autism. What happened to Bailey Banks is an extremely rare reaction to vaccination. In all the excitement of the true believers in celebrating this win, they somehow fail to mention that in the main event, the three test cases on behalf of 5,000 parents alleging that vaccination caused autism in their kids, the three judges of the court issued strongly- worded statements totally dismissing the claims. My primary source for the Banks information is an informative essay in Newsweek by the respected journalist Sharon Begley at http://tinyurl.com/b429p9 Begley also has an excellent long historical review of the controversy in an earlier Newsweek piece at http://www.newsweek.com/id/185853/page/1 This would be the perfect place to send Annette's student. Except that true believers won't listen. Stephen ----------------------------------------------------------------- Stephen L. Black, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, Emeritus Bishop's University e-mail: [email protected] 2600 College St. Sherbrooke QC J1M 1Z7 Canada Subscribe to discussion list (TIPS) for the teaching of psychology at http://flightline.highline.edu/sfrantz/tips/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
