Barbara Loe Fisher and Dr. Andy Wakefield: On the Front Lines of the Fight for Freedom

In this interview, two trailblazers in the grassroots health freedom movement defending the right to make voluntary choices about vaccination, Barbara Loe Fisher and Dr. Andy Wakefield, talk about the history of raising public awareness about the risks of childhood vaccines and how the autism epidemic affected public perception of those risks. Despite opposition from mainstream institutions and media, they played pivotal roles in the 1980s and 90s in informing the public about why it is important to take a stand for the right to know and freedom to make voluntary vaccination decisions.

As co-founder and president of the National Vaccine Information Center, Fisher was the first to warn about an association between vaccination and autism in the seminal 1985 book she co-authored with Harris Coulter, DPT: A Shot in the Dark, which highlighted the suffering of vaccine injured children and critiqued the mandatory vaccination system. Since 1982, she has advocated for protection of informed consent rights in U.S. vaccine policies and laws in defense of the human right to autonomy.

A British gastroenterologist and research scientist, Dr. Wakefield published an article in 1998 calling for more research into a potential association between MMR vaccine and autism. He is now a filmmaker, whose 2016 film VAXXED and 2020 movie 1986: The Act highlighted the costs to families and society when the risks of vaccination turn out to be 100 percent.

In this conversation, Fisher and Wakefield talk about their shared experiences in the late 20^th century trying to raise public awareness about vaccine risks, including the challenges they have faced and the strategies they have used to do that into the 21^st century. From the importance of seeking and sharing information to the need for action, Fisher and Wakefield offer invaluable insights into the ongoing fight for health freedom.