NVIC Vaccine News

The Vaccine Injured: Where Has Compassion Gone?

By Barbara Loe Fisher
Published December 07, 2011 in Public Health Law & Courts


 

During this season of remembrance and thanksgiving, I am grateful for the blessings that I have had in my life, including the hard times, when I learned that faith and hope can overcome fear and doubt. Adversity can make us stronger but it is also an opportunity to feel and offer compassion to others to ease their suffering. 

In great numbers,1 Americans reach out to help victims of hurricanes,2 floods, earthquakes,3  poverty,4 violence5 and disease.6  Journalists often profile individuals, who are suffering from adversity: the earthquake survivors in Haiti;7 the victims of hate crimes;8 children living in poverty dying from starvation and neglect.9 These stories of human suffering are reminders of why we should listen to our conscience10 and act in compassionate ways to lessen the suffering of others.

The ability to have compassion for others is an antidote to cruelty, inequality, injustice, and tyranny.  

Valuing Individual Life, Freedom & Compassion

America was founded by men and women immigrants, who had personally suffered oppression and adversity, and knew how important it is to treat individuals with respect and compassion. There is a ringing endorsement in the U.S. Declaration of Independence for the individual’s right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,11 and in the Constitution for the right to freedom of speech and personal religious beliefs.12  Perhaps it is that fundamental appreciation for the value of the individual, which is part of our history and culture, that has taught us to value conscience and compassion.

Vaccine Injured Not Treated with Compassion

So it is sad to see what happens in America today when babies, children and adults react to vaccines and become permanently injured or even die.13 14 15 16 When healthy people suffer complications from infectious diseases, they are treated with compassion.17 18 19 20 But when healthy people suffer complications from vaccination, often they are not treated with compassion.21 22 Many times, vaccine victims 23 24 25  are victimized all over again by those, who deny the reality of what happened 26 27 28 or use a utilitarian 29 30 31 rationale to dismiss them as acceptable losses in the War on Infectious Disease.32  33 34 35

Media Failing to Protect Vaccine Injured & Safety Advocates

In the past decade, this persecution of a growing minority of vaccine-injured citizens has been facilitated by the fourth estate,36 the free press, which has historically served as a check and balance on inequality and injustice in America.37 The vital function of a free press, ensured in the U.S. Constitution, is failing to do what it could do to protect the health and lives of the vaccine injured38 39 or defend freedom of speech for citizens calling for inclusion of vaccine safety and informed consent protections40 in public health policies and laws,41 42 43 while the chronic disease and disability epidemic destroys the health and economic stability of our nation44 45 46 47 48 and the public health community has no answers, so the band plays on.

Institute of Medicine Acknowledges Vaccine Safety Science Gaps

The Institute of Medicine issued an historic report this year that acknowledged there is not enough quality vaccine science in the medical literature to determine whether or not many of the vaccines routinely given to children and adults cause more than 100 different types of brain and immune system dysfunction.49

These are serious inflammatory brain and immune system disorders, which are part of the exploding chronic disease epidemic in America, and range from heart and blood disorders to strokes, sudden infant death syndrome, asthma, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, GBS, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, diabetes and encephalitis that can lead to seizures, learning disabilities and autism.

Institute of Medicine Acknowledges Individual Biological Susceptibility

In that historic report, the Institute of Medicine also acknowledged there are pre-existing biological susceptibilities that can make some individuals more vulnerable than others for suffering harm from vaccination, such as genetic variations; age or developmental stage at the time of vaccination; coinciding illness or other environmental exposures.50

If one-size-fits-all vaccine policies and mandates are putting an unknown number of biologically susceptible individuals at risk for injury and death, why do so few doctors care or want to do something about it?

Doctors Denying Medical Care to Families

It is disturbing to watch doctors, who we have always believed to be the most compassionate among us, coldly turn away families questioning the government policy of giving children 69 doses of 16 vaccines.51 52 Families wanting to choose or delay vaccines, are being denied medical care even if children have experienced previous vaccine reactions or have become chronically ill and disabled after vaccination and could be made sicker if more vaccines are given.53

How unethical.

Doctors Tell Employees: Get Vaccinated or Be Fired

It is shocking that health care professionals are being threatened by doctors running hospitals and medical facilities that, if they do not obey orders to get an annual flu shot, they will be fired 54 55 56 -  even if they are pregnant; have had previous vaccine reactions or have medical conditions that could be made a lot worse if they get more vaccines.57

How heartless.

Doctors Strip Parents of Legal Right to Make Vaccine Decisions for Minor Children

It is hard to accept that doctors we have trusted are pressuring our elected state legislators to pass laws stripping us of the legal right to make medical risk decisions for our children so minor children can be given vaccines without a parent’s knowledge or consent.58 59

How dangerous.

Pharma Funded Doctor Associations Attack Vaccine Safety Advocates

It is frightening to know that medical trade associations and doctors taking money from drug companies60 61 62 63 are mounting disinformation campaigns to demonize vaccine safety advocates64 and censor public access to information about health and vaccination so the American people cannot make fully informed vaccine decisions.65

How ignorant.

Mainstream Media Facilitates Public Attacks on Advocates

And it is tragic to witness the mainstream media facilitating the public attack on vaccine victims and those calling for a move away from one-size-fits all vaccine mandates66 67 that punish individuals, who are biologically vulnerable to vaccine reactions in part because of the genes they inherited.68 69

How cruel.

Vaccine Makers & Doctors Giving Vaccines Shielded from Liability

In 1986, Congress passed a law acknowledging that vaccines can and do cause brain and immune system damage and that more should be done to protect individuals from vaccine injury and death.70  In that law, Congress shielded drug companies selling vaccines and doctors giving vaccines from civil lawsuits when someone is seriously injured or dies after being vaccinated.

So why are doctors, who are shielded from liability, so unwilling to treat vaccine injured children and their families with compassion or understand the need for people to have the freedom to protect themselves and their loved ones from vaccine injury?

Loss of Compassion Leads to Exploitation

When you enter the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., you see an inscription that says “The first to perish were the children…. From these a new dawn might have risen.”71

The loss of compassion and, then, freedom in any society always begins with people looking the other way when those in power justify exploiting a vulnerable minority for what they say is the benefit of the majority.

NVIC: Three Decades of Defending Informed Consent Rights

It has been 30 years since the parent co-founders of our non-profit charity, the National Vaccine Information Center, launched the vaccine safety and informed consent movement in America. We were parents of children, for whom the risks of vaccination had been 100 percent, and we took on the mission of preventing vaccine injuries and deaths through public education and defending the human right to informed consent to medical risk-taking.

That is still our mission.

During this holiday season, please consider sending a donation – no matter how big or small - to the National Vaccine Information Center so we can continue to fight for the freedom for Americans to use every government vaccine, a few vaccines or choose other preventive health care options for staying well. You can make a tax-deductible donation online at NVIC.org.

You can also visit NVIC’s Vaccine Freedom Wall on our website and read the true stories told by Americans, whose parental and informed consent rights are being violated in schools, doctors’ offices, hospitals and state legislatures across our nation.

You can sign up to be a user of NVIC’s free online Advocacy Portal and learn how to stand up in your state for the legal right to make informed, voluntary vaccine choices.

And if you or a loved one has suffered a vaccine reaction, injury or death, please consider going to our website to share your story on NVIC’s Memorial for Vaccine Victims and make a report to the federal vaccine adverse event reporting system.

Compassionate Doctors Will Count & Minimize Vaccine Casualties

During this season of remembrance and thanksgiving, I pray that doctors developing, selling, giving and promoting the use of vaccines will stop to consider the way they are treating the vaccine injured and their families. I pray that they find it in their hearts to replace their fear, anger, doubt and prejudice with compassion and take positive steps to accurately count and minimize the numbers of vaccine casualties rather than dismissing them as a “coincidence” or unimportant.

Thank You for Your Encouragement and Support

Thank you to all who have financially supported the National Vaccine Information Center this year and throughout the past three decades. You have made it possible for us to continue this life-affirming work. We also are grateful for your cards and letters of encouragement as they help strengthen our faith and hope in the future.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and may your New Year be filled with many opportunities to celebrate life and offer compassion to those facing adversity.

Watch a video profile of a family with three generations of vaccine reactions struggling to protect their healthy children from becoming vaccine injured.

Watch a video profile of a Professor of Nursing, who suffered a reaction to a flu shot and was left paralyzed.

 

 

References:

1  The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. U.S. Charitable Giving Shows Modest Uptick in 2010 Following Two Years of Declines: Donations of 290.89 billion. June 20, 2011.

2  Godlasky A. How to Help Victims of Hurricane Katrina. USA Today. Sept. 2, 2005.

3  Sydell, L. Donations to Haiti Pour In Via Text MessageNPR. Jan. 14, 2010.

4  Post T. Setting a Goal to End Poverty and Hunger in the United States. Bread for the World Institute. February 2009.

5  National Network to End Domestic Violence.

6  The Global Fund Welcomes U.S. Budget Allocation of U.S. $1.05 Billion for 2011. Press Release: The Global Fund to Fight ADIS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Apr. 18, 2011.

7  Hensel B. Haiti Quake Victim’s Surgery Successful. NBC. Aug. 10, 2011.

8  Blair E. ‘Ten Years Later,” the Matthew Shephard Story Retold. NPR. Oct. 12, 2009. Stump S. Teen’s Parents: After Suicide, He’s Still Being Bullied. Today Show. MSNBC. Sept. 27, 2011.

9  Associated Press. Once again, children are starving in Ethiopia. MSNBC. May 20, 2008.

10  Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Definition of conscience.

11  U.S. History.org. Declaration of Independence. July 4, 1776.

12  U.S. History.org. First Ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution: Bill of Rights.

13  Coulter HL, Fisher BL. DPT: A Shot in the Dark. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. 1985. 

14  NVIC. Memorial for Vaccine Victims.

15  MedAlerts.org. Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System Database.

16  Miller NZ,, Goldman GS. Infant mortality rates regressed against number of vaccine doses routinely given: Is there a biochemical or synergistic toxicity? Human and Experimental Toxicology: Published online May 4, 2011.

17  PBS. American Experience: The Polio Crusade. Feb. 2, 2009.  

18  Friedman E. Viagra Used to Treat Rare Meningitis Attack, Student Fights for Her Life. ABC. Feb. 5, 2009.

19  Sunseri G. Rick Perry’s HPV Stance Grounded in Case of Heather Burcham, Who Died of Cervical CancerABC. Sept. 15, 2011.

20  Yang L. Girl’s Death Believed to Be Flu Related in Nassau. ABC. Mar. 1, 2011.

21  Wood RL. Vaccine Intolerant Child Wants Public Education. Gazette-Mail (WVA). Nov. 11, 2011.

22  NVIC. Cry for Vaccine Freedom Wall. Harassment reports.

23  Conrick T. Parents Find It Hard to Ignore Evidence of Vaccine Injury. Janesville Gazette (WI). Dec. 5, 2011.

24  Planinz T. Federal Court Awards Compensation to Boy Injured by Vaccines. Examiner.com. July 20, 2009.

25  HRSA. Vaccine Injury Compensation Award Statistics.  

26  Offit, P. Vaccines and Autism Revisited: The Hannah Poling Case. New England Journal of Medicine 2008; 358: 2089-2091.

27  Wallace A. An Epidemic of Fear: How Parents Skipping Shots Endangers Us All. Wired Magazine. October 19, 2009.

28  Melnick, M. The Dangers of the Anti-vaccine Movement. Time Magazine. Feb. 24, 2011.

29  Business Dictionary.com. Definition of Utilitarianism.  

30  White R. The Principle of Utility. College of Mount St. Joseph.

31  Gunn A. Peter Singer: The Most Dangerous Man on Earth? The New Doctor. Winter 2000.

32  Holland M. Reassessing Compulsory Childhood Vaccination. New York University School of Law. Sept. 1, 2010.

33  Field, RI Caplan A L. A Proposed Ethical Framework for Vaccine Mandates: Competing Values and the Case for HPV VaccineKennedy Institute of Ethics Journal 18(2): 111-24. June 2008.

34  New Award Winning Documentary: The Greater Good Movie. 2011.

35  Catsoulis, J. Movie Review of The Greater Good: Vaccines and Autism, Continued. New York Times. Nov. 17, 2011.

36  The Free Dictionary. Definition of the fourth estate.

37  Nelson J. The Civil Rights Movement: A Press Perspective. Human Rights Magazine. Fall 2001.

38  American Medical News. What Editorial Writers Are Saying About Vaccines. Sept. 11, 2011.

39  Banks N, Baker C. Selling Drugs as Scholarly Opinion. Office of Medical and Scientific Justice. July 2011.

40  Fisher BL, Wrangham TK. Comments to the National Vaccine Advisory Committee on the Vaccine Safety Working Group’s Draft Report and Recommendations on the federal Vaccine Safety System. June 6, 2011.

41  Mooney C. Irrationality vs. Vaccines: Fighting for Reality. New Scientist. Jan. 13, 2011.

42  Khan A. Pediatricians decry in-flight vaccine-questioning ad on Delta. LA Times. Nov. 16, 2011.

43  Ropeik D. Vaccines & Fear: It is Time for Society to Say Enough Is Enough. Huffington Post. July 21, 2011. Also LA Times (July 18, 2011). Also NPR (July 18, 2011)

44  Bethell CD, Kogan MD et al. A National and State Profile of Leading Health Problems and Health Care Quality for US Children: Key Insurance Disparities and Across-State Variations. Academic Pediatrics 2011; 11(3S): 22-33.

45  Boyle CA, Boulet S et al. Trends in the Prevalence of Developmental Disabilities in US Children 1997-2000. Pediatrics. Published online May 23, 2011

46  Ostrow N. Autism Leads Rise in Developmental Disabilities in U.S. Kids. Bloomberg News. May 23, 2011.

47  Asthma and Allergy Foundation. Asthma Facts & Figures.

48  Mathews AW. So Young and So Many Pills. Wall Street Journal. December 28, 2010.

49  Stratton K, Ford A, Rusch E, Clayton EW, editors. Adverse Effects of Vaccines: Evidence and Causality. Committee to Review Adverse Effects of Vaccines. National Academies Press: 2011.

50  Ibid. Page 70.

51  CBS Pittsburgh. Local Pediatricians Refusing to See Non-Vaccinated Patients. CBS-TV. Nov. 2, 2011.

52  Four Seasons Pediatrics Vaccine Policy. Four Seasons Pediatrics, Clifton, NY.

53  NVIC. Cry for Vaccine Freedom Wall. Harassment reports.

54  Matthews C. NY Health Care Workers Protest Mandatory H1N1 Flu Shots. USA Today. Sept. 29, 2009. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-09-29-swine-flu-mandatory_N.htm

55  Fisher BL. Forcing Flu Shots on Health Care Workers: Who Is Next? NVIC Vaccine E-Newsletter. Sept. 29, 2010.

56  Fox Phoenix. HealthCare Group: Get a Flu Shot or Get Fired. Fox-TV. Aug. 31, 2011.

57  NVIC. Cry for Vaccine Freedom Wall. Harassment reports.

58  Neale T. Calif. 12-year olds Can Get HPV Vaccine Without Parental OK. MedPage Today. Oct. 11, 2011.

59  Businesswire. NVIC Calls New CA Vaccine Law A “Violation of Parental Informed Consent Rights & Federal Law.” Oct. 10, 2011.

60  Attkisson S. How Independent Are Vaccine Defenders? CBS-TV News. July 25, 2008

61  Orange County RegisterCORRECTION re: August 4, 2008 article “Dr. Paul Offit Responds.” April 18, 2011.

62  Center for Science in the Public Interest. Integrity in Science: Corporate Support for Health and Environmental Professional Associations, Charities and Industry Front Groups. July 2003.

63  Jacobsen M. Lifting the Veil of Secrecy from Industry Funding of Non-Profit Health Organizations. International Journal of Occupational Environmental Health 2005; 11:349-355.

64  Fisher BL. Advocacy Panel Statement to National Vaccine Advisory Committee at Vaccine Safety Working Group Stakeholder Meeting.  June 13, 2011.

65  Businesswire. NVIC Calls Out AAP for Using Public Intimidation to Censor NVIC Flu Prevention Video Offered to Delta Travelers. Nov. 15, 2011.

66  Fisher BL. Using Fear & Prejudice to Attack Vaccine Exemptions. NVIC Vaccine Newsletter. Aug. 4, 2010.

67  Fisher BL. Amy Wallace & Yellow JournalismNVIC Vaccine Newsletter. Sept. 9, 2010.

68  See Reference #45.

69  Poland GA. Adversomics: The Emerging Field of Vaccine Adverse Event Immunogenetics. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2009; May 28(5): 431-432.

70  NVIC. National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986.

71  United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Children’s Tile Wall.

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9 Responses to "The Vaccine Injured: Where Has Compassion Gone?"
Commenter Name
Joan Campbell
Posted: 12/8/2011 1:08:01 PM
Thanks you Barbara and keep up the good work. Please view my site and add your voice. Now over 1000 parents accounts of vaccine injury. Viewed by over 101 countries worldwide Admin to autism mothers on facebook http://followingvaccinations.com/
Commenter Name
Victor Pavlovic
Posted: 12/9/2011 2:46:05 PM
Thanks Barbara, you are fantastic.The number of adults with autism is growing and they will soon become adult voters, and the parents and the families could maybe then put enough pressure on Congress to investigate the vaccines and tell the truth. Shortly the vaccine injured will become a voting force.This should be a scary thought for the Pharmaceutical industry, and all those involved in the coverup.
Commenter Name
Jane
Posted: 12/27/2011 7:02:15 AM
Thanks Barbara. I feel like I was one of the lucky ones. In 1985, my son was diagonesed with seiures. We lived in Akron and I took him to Akron Children's Hospital where I learned through his pediatric neuorolgist and by doing all the research everything you just talked about with the vaccines is true. I talked with many other parents and we all had seizures start after the vaccines. I wish I would known about your group. It's been rough fighting doctors nurses and schools to prevent them from forcing vaccines onto my children. I live in Pennsylvania now. When I went to register my youngest in school, I was first told that I was not allowed to without all the vaccines. The fear of watching a child have a seizure knowing that there is a direct link to the vaccines, gave me the power to continue to fight all the establishments and reduce the vaccines given adminstered to my other children. I wish I had contact with this network! Keep sharing with as many people as you can.
Commenter Name
Phyllis Meiring
Posted: 12/27/2011 9:29:15 AM
My daughter is working hard to protect her new baby. The physician she interviewed while pregnant screamed at her in his office when she told him after the baby was born that she was doing to delay immunizations until she could gather more information & make an informed choice. He told her that at the "interview" she agreed to his whole policy & methods of practicing medicine. She left his office in tears but with enough confidence to fire him before she left. It took another couple of interviews with other Dr.'s before she could find one who would be willing to at least wait. She lives in NJ & it doesn't seem popular to question medical authorities. Thank you for your work!
Commenter Name
Chris Wynn
Posted: 1/25/2012 11:00:38 AM
Last week I took a chance to see the Gov Jerry Brown when I heard on a news commercial he would be in town in San Diego speaking at the Hall Of Champions (ironic as he is championing cutting health benefits to elderly, disabled and education). I was astonished when I arrived to see that my daughter Melissa, a vaccine injured 18 yr old girl with Rett Syndrome and I were the only people standing out there waiting for Governor Brown. No press, no protestors and no police except for a lone police car that had made a brief security run through the parking lot just before he exited building. He had just finished a members only luncheon and was touting how he was going to balance budget with 4 billion in cuts to Medi-cal, In Home Support Services and Education (these cuts are to services that allow me to keep Melissa in a home of our own). He was smiling and chatting with a woman as he exited building. That quickly changed as walked to car and saw us standing alone on corner.I watched as he glanced around to see if there was another way to exit the lot he was parked in as it was apparent he didn't want to deal with us, luckily there wasn't one, only one way to exit. So I stood there and only had a card in hand with note pleading for him to reconsider. I wasn't making a scene nor was I out there holding a sign or yelling, we just patiently awaited on the sidewalk for his car to exit. As they drove slowly up to corner I held out an envelope and Governor who was riding shotgun wouldn't roll down window to take my card; in fact he could barely make eye contact with me. Yet the look on his face as he waved, stared at my daughter Melissa, then hung his head down was priceless. Looked as if our solitary presence had taken the wind out of his sails. I know this won't change his stance on budget but by judging his posture can only imagine his sleep was a bit restless that night. I am not totally surprised that he wouldn't take a moment to speak with us regarding the budget cuts but it is obvious that for him to avoid us when no one was there to witness shows a callous nature that runs rampant in our Representatives and I am left with little hope for our children in the near future. Thank you for your continued vigilance on our behalf I can only pray someone will listen, someone will care and this insanity of so many vaccinations on our children will be curbed.
Commenter Name
<a href="http://www.wellnessrhythms.com/">Chiropractor in Denver, CO</a>
Posted: 2/27/2012 9:11:09 PM
Thank you Barbara for reminding us to offer compassion to others to ease their suffering. I find it cruel that Vaccine Makers & Doctors Giving Vaccines are Shielded from Liability. I pray that this injustice and lack of compassion is turned around.
Commenter Name
C.A. Bouthillier
Posted: 3/9/2012 8:15:47 AM
Vaccines are a fraud being perpetrated on ALL of us in the general population. It has to do with a population reduction agenda. Vaccines contain adjuvant to deplete liver copper, and pathogens -- tissue/organ destroying bacteria & cancer viruses that have an affinity for iron. (Note: When the body is invaded by pathogens/viruses, copper is mobilized from the liver in order to neutralize/destroy them.) Bacteria and viruses transition from the dormant state (time of injection) to the active state of thriving and replicating as iron stores increase and copper status depletes. The measles vaccine pathogen has been found in diseased colons of patients -- iron is absorbed through the colon, and thus is a location for a greater proportion of iron accumulation. The MMR Measles vaccine in addition to other vaccines was initially forced on the population beginning with the baby boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964. I encourage you to go read this web site, as it explains about vaccines, radiation, and iron poisoning & copper deficiency. http://www.themessageofhiskingdom.com/PoisoningOfMankindCopperDeficiency.htm CAB Researcher
Commenter Name
Traveler
Posted: 3/19/2012 10:11:24 AM
Any comments about vaccines given to those traveling to 3rd world countries - such as Hep. A, Hep. B, Typhoid, Tetanus or Malaria? Do these typically "necessary" shots fall under the same category of health-destroying vaccines spoken of in these reports? We'd be interested to hear comments on this A.S.A.P. I need my brain to function, full-power, 100%!!!!! Thank you for your advice.
Commenter Name
JM
Posted: 4/29/2013 12:21:56 AM
What should you do when you believe your grandchild is vaccine injured, but the parents and doctor won't hear it? Dear JM, This webpage provides the public with the ability to search and analyze data on vaccine reactions and links for reporting vaccine adverse events. NVIC worked with Congress to pass the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 and was responsible for urging the creation of safety provisions in that historic law. This included a centralized vaccine reaction reporting system, the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS), that is jointly operated by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Although this law requires doctors and other vaccine providers to report hospitalizations, injuries, deaths and serious health problems following vaccination to VAERS, it is estimated that less than 10 percent, perhaps less than one percent of all vaccine-related health problems are ever reported to VAERS. As a society we need to know how many people who get vaccinated are getting sick after vaccination and how many go on to die or are permanently injured. It is very important that ALL serious health problems, which develop after vaccination, be reported to VAERS. You should make a vaccine adverse event report to VAERS if you or your child has regressed physically, mentally or emotionally after vaccination or has experienced acute symptoms within hours, days or weeks of vaccination. http://www.nvic.org/reportreaction.aspx

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