For anyone interested, please read through and sign the petition in support of Dr. Wakefield and what he has tried to do in bringing the fact that some children given the triple jab MMR regress into autism. He's under fire for bringing this out in the open. Hearing/trial starts in London in July. This is not just about autism, it's about a doctor's willingness to think outside the box, listen to his patients, research solutions and being shut down for it.

NVIC e-news
"....parents who believe their children's autism has been triggered by the [MMR] vaccine are planning to show their support for the doctor outside next month's disciplinary hearing in London. In addition, an online petition to demand the government and health organisations "stop investigating the doctors and start investigating the patients" has collected more than 4000 signatures. Campaigner Bill Welsh, president of the Edinburgh-based Autism Treatment Trust, claimed Wakefield was the victim of a "medical establishment witch-hunt". "Dr Wakefield listened to the parents about their children's disease, clinically investigated the children and reported what he found - where is the crime in that?" he said. "This trial undermines the possibility of any future independent scientific research that might challenge establishment policy." The petition, started by campaigner Nigel Thomas - who has two brothers diagnosed with autism - states: "I have seen first-hand their decline, seen them screaming in pain and I have seen how all but a handful of doctors repeatedly refused to investigate their problems, brushing off the family's concerns and leaving us helpless, like thousands of other families around the world." - Judith Duffy, Sunday Mail

"This is not just about MMR, not just about mercury in vaccines and in the end, not just about autism. This is about a public health disaster of gigantic proportions that will affect this generation and generations to come, and those responsible must be brought to account. It is about the refusal of mainstream medicine to accept the consequences of their actions. It is about the refusal to treat a condition that is becoming almost commonplace; a condition for which the medical profession is largely responsible; a condition whose existence the medical profession ruthlessly denies in the light of its culpability. From its first day and for its duration the GMC hearing will be a window on this world of deceit. My brothers and I will be outside the building on day one and we will not be standing alone. Be there with us if you can, but at the very least, sign this petition for us to present on the day." - Nigel Thomas, Author, "Autism: Stop the Deceit, Start the Treatment Petition

"A former Government medical officer responsible for deciding whether medicines are safe has accused the Government of "utterly inexplicable complacency" over the MMR triple vaccine for children. Dr Peter Fletcher, who was Chief Scientific Officer at the Department of Health, said if it is proven that the jab causes autism, "the refusal by governments to evaluate the risks properly will make this one of the greatest scandals in medical history". He added that after agreeing to be an expert witness on drug-safety trials for parents' lawyers, he had received and studied thousands of documents relating to the case which he believed the public had a right to see. He said he has seen a "steady accumulation of evidence" from scientists worldwide that the measles, mumps and rubella jab is causing brain damage in certain children. But he added: "There are very powerful people in positions of great authority in Britain and elsewhere who have staked their reputations and careers on the safety of MMR and they are willing to do almost anything to protect themselves." - Sue Corrigan, Daily Mail

"My son had the MMR jab a week after his first birthday and suffered the normal side effects connected with the vaccine. However, his symptoms persisted and got dangerously worse. "Within a week he had a purple rash and his whole body had swollen up like the Michelin Man. He wouldn't stop screaming, it was quite clear he wasn't well. It did die down but all his normal functions, like eye contact and dialogue he knew before, had gone since the jabs. While in Alder Hey Children's Hospital with his older sister, I noticed a poster on the wall about autism which listed the symptoms, and he had seven of the 10. It was then I made the connection between the MMR jab and autism." Donna was referred to Rhuddlan Children's Centre and a consultant psychologist confirmed her son was autistic."- Samantha Castle, North Wales Weekly News

Barbara Loe Fisher Commentary:

In a few weeks, Andrew Wakefield, M.D., will be defending himself against charges of professional misconduct lodged against him by British physicians running the General Medical Council of England. At the heart of the matter is the medical establishment's fury at Dr. Wakefield for daring to publish an hypothesis in the Lancet in 1998 that provided clinical evidence for an association between MMR vaccine, intestinal bowel disease and autism. Subsequently, Dr. Wakefield suggested that some genetically vulnerable children might be unable to handle being injected with three live attenuated viral vaccines at once, pointing out that children rarely are simultaneously infected with wild type measles, mumps and rubella infections in nature.

Andrew Wakefield has steadfastly resisted pressure from government, medicine and the pharmaceutical industry to halt his research into autistic enterocolitis and the possible links between childhood vaccinations, intestinal inflammation and autism. That refusal to stop investigating the potential biological mechanisms for vaccine-induced autistic enterocolitis has made him a target for those determined to make an example out of him. Like individuals who are persecuted for holding different ideological, religious or political beliefs from those in power, Dr. Wakefield is being persecuted for taking a scientific position that does not conform with the majority of those operating or profiting from the global mass vaccination system.

It is sad to watch physicians devour one of their own out of ignorance, envy, greed and fear. The people of the world are witnessing this Great Inquisition. They will not forget the martyrdom of a physician, one of the brightest and best, who discovered a link between vaccination and regressive autism and did what he could to heal affected children and prevent others from suffering their fate.

Many parents of vaccine injured children - regardless of which biological mechanism was involved in their children's vaccine-associated regression into autism - support the pioneering work of Andrew Wakefield and his right to pursue his scientific investigation without being persecuted.

Mark Blaxill, co-founder of SAFEMINDS, said: "I'd like to urge you all to take a moment and to visit the petition site and sign the statement of support for Andy Wakefield. Andy has been a pioneer in autism treatment, leading the way in finding ways to diagnose our children's medical problems and to improve their health and development. Because he had the courage to question the established modalities of current public health programs (suggesting parents split the MMR vaccine and spread out its administration) and the safety of a combination vaccine (the MMR), he has been unfairly attacked, ruthlessly sanctioned, driven from his job and his home and declared a pariah by the scientific and medical establishment of the UK. Looking back on this episode, history will judge this reaction harshly. But in the meantime, things may get worse. Andy has been summoned to appear before the General Medical Council of England. There is a chance he will be struck from the medical register as punishment for his courageous actions.

"I can think of no one who deserves such treatment less than Andy Wakefield. Indeed, Andy deserves praise and accolades for his work. He stands for a model of personal conduct to which other clinician/scientists should aspire. He treats his patients with compassion and their parents with respect. He listened to the families of autistic children when no one else did. He led rigorous scientific investigations into the nature of the gastrointestinal inflammation that so many of us have observed in our children. He made the scientific case for the biomedical approach to autism treatment when the field was only just emerging and needed the scientific rigor he brought to the work. He persevered in the face of obstacles that few other scientists would have endured. And he has done all of these things with unfailing good grace, an open and generous spirit and without rancor or bitterness."

To read and sign the petition supporting Andrew Wakefield, M.D., go to
http://ww w.ipetitions.com/petition/GMC/.

No donation is necessary when signing the petition, which originates and is being maintained in Britain.




With O'Donnells in their home. Five of the family's six children are autistic.






The Power of Truth Rally
Washington DC - July 20th, 2005






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Parents rally in support of doctor facing misconduct charge over MMR-autism link
Wakefield's GMC hearing scheduled for next month

Sunday Mail
June 17, 2007

by Judith Duffy, Health Correspondent

Click here for the URL:

Parents of autistic children are planning a demonstration in support of the doctor at the centre of the MMR controversy, when he is summoned for a disciplinary hearing next month.

The Sunday Herald has learned that Dr Andrew Wakefield - who first suggested a link between the triple jab for mumps, measles and rubella, and autism and bowel disease - is due to appear before the General Medical Council (GMC) on July 16.

His research, published in 1998, led to widespread public fears about the safety of the vaccine and triggered a decline in MMR immunisation levels across the UK. Prime minister Tony Blair was even drawn into the row after consistently refusing to reveal whether his son Leo, now seven, received the jab.

Wakefield, who is now working in America, has faced widespread criticisms over the claims, with subsequent studies failing to confirm the link. In late 2004, the GMC launched an inquiry into allegations of serious professional misconduct against him and two former colleagues.

But parents who believe their children's autism has been triggered by the vaccine are planning to show their support for the doctor outside next month's disciplinary hearing in London.

In addition, an online petition to demand the government and health organisations "stop investigating the doctors and start investigating the patients" has collected more than 4000 signatures.

Campaigner Bill Welsh, president of the Edinburgh-based Autism Treatment Trust, claimed Wakefield was the victim of a "medical establishment witch-hunt".

"Dr Wakefield listened to the parents about their children's disease, clinically investigated the children and reported what he found - where is the crime in that?" he said. "This trial undermines the possibility of any future independent scientific research that might challenge establishment policy."

The petition, started by campaigner Nigel Thomas - who has two brothers diagnosed with autism - states: "I have seen first-hand their decline, seen them screaming in pain and I have seen how all but a handful of doctors repeatedly refused to investigate their problems, brushing off the family's concerns and leaving us helpless, like thousands of other families around the world.

"The only doctors who were prepared to help are now on trial whilst the children are denied basic investigations."

A spokesman for the GMC told the Sunday Herald that there would be a hearing involving Wakefield "in the near future", but insisted he could not confirm the date. He added that the exact charges which were being brought against the doctor would only be revealed at the start of the hearing.

Health officials have consistently maintained that MMR is safe and latest figures show that confidence in the jab is returning. However, vaccination rates across Scotland are still around 3% below the 95% target.

A government spokeswoman said MMR was the safest, most effective way of protecting children.

"The uptake of the MMR vaccination remains at a higher level than in recent times, but we will continue to monitor the level of immunisation," she added.

But many parents still harbour doubts. A Sunday Herald investigation last year revealed that thousands of children in Scotland have received single jabs for measles, mumps and rubella in recent years, with parents paying hundreds of pounds at private clinics because they are not available on the NHS.

Louise Tollin, from East Kilbride, thinks MMR led to her child being diagnosed with autism in 2004. She said four-year-old Christopher showed no signs of problems until he received the vaccine, when he "began to regress before her eyes".

"Christopher was born normal, I am 100% sure about that," she said. "He got the MMR at the beginning of June and by the end of the month he had stopped responding to his name."

She added: "I think the government knows exactly what is going on and it is all being swept under the carpet."



THE NIGEL THOMAS PETITION

AUTISM: STOP THE DECEIT: START THE TREATMENT

My name is Nigel Thomas and I am petitioning on behalf of my two brothers and many thousands of children and young adults worldwide. These youngsters are physically ill, and in almost all cases are being refused treatment; most have also been refused adequate educational provision and those who are now approaching adulthood face a life of uncertainty and continued suffering. Most regressed into autistic-like disorders in early childhood.

Whilst experts argue about whether the catastrophic rise in the rates of Autism Spectrum Disorders is due to better diagnosis, better services or maybe even watching television, children continue to suffer. At the same time a growing body of evidence of environmental contributions to these conditions continues to be systematically and ruthlessly discredited.

The reason these youngsters are ignored is that many of their parents have dared to attribute their condition to environmental exposures such as childhood vaccines. Some of the very few medical professionals offering hope have been summoned to appear before the UK General Medical Council (GMC) in July this year. This is the body which regulates UK medical practice and it has the power to prevent a doctor practising at all. The threat that faces Dr Andrew Wakefield, Professor John Walker Smith and Professor Simon Murch is that they may be struck-off the medical register for daring to investigate why these children are so ill, which no-one else has been prepared to do.

The GMC hearing, currently scheduled for the 9th July this year, will be a highly publicised event which many see as an opportunity for the truth to be aired. Others believe the outcome may already be pre- ordained. Whichever is the case, the parents, brothers, sisters, friends, neighbours and professionals who know these children have decided that enough is enough.

My mother has a letter from Sir Liam Donaldson, the UK Chief Medical Officer, suggesting that the "disorders of bowel habit" suffered by many of these children ".... may reflect the eating habits that some autistic children have" rather than an underlying bowel condition. Despite Sir Liam's view, the underlying bowel condition suffered by many children with autism has frequently been confirmed, on biological testing, to reflect inflammation in bowel tissues containing vaccine strain measles virus. In his letter to my mother Sir Liam points out that he is unable to comment on "details of particular children". I can. As a brother of two children with significant bowel problems and autism, I have seen first hand their decline, seen them screaming in pain, and I have seen how all but a handful of doctors repeatedly refused to investigate their problems, brushing off the family's concerns and leaving us helpless, like thousands of other families around the world. The only doctors who were prepared to help are now on trial whilst the children are denied basic investigations.

This is not just about MMR, not just about mercury in vaccines and in the end, not just about autism. This is about a public health disaster of gigantic proportions that will affect this generation and generations to come, and those responsible must be brought to account. It is about the refusal of mainstream medicine to accept the consequences of their actions. It is about the refusal to treat a condition that is becoming almost commonplace; a condition for which the medical profession is largely responsible; a condition whose existence the medical profession ruthlessly denies in the light of its culpability. From its first day and for its duration the GMC hearing will be a window on this world of deceit. My brothers and I will be outside the building on day one and we will not be standing alone. Be there with us if you can, but at the very least, sign this petition for us to present on the day.

We are not asking for the moon on a stick, but we are demanding that governments and health organisations worldwide stop investigating the doctors and start investigating the patients.

SIGN THE PETITION : STOP THE DECEIT: START THE TREATMENT
http://w ww.ipetitions.com/petition/GMC/


http://w ww.ipetitions.com/petition/GMC/

Former Science chief: 'MMR fears coming true'

Daily Mail
March 22, 2006

by Sue Corrigan
Click here for the URL:

A former Government medical officer responsible for deciding whether medicines are safe has accused the Government of "utterly inexplicable complacency" over the MMR triple vaccine for children.

Dr Peter Fletcher, who was Chief Scientific Officer at the Department of Health, said if it is proven that the jab causes autism, "the refusal by governments to evaluate the risks properly will make this one of the greatest scandals in medical history".

He added that after agreeing to be an expert witness on drug-safety trials for parents' lawyers, he had received and studied thousands of documents relating to the case which he believed the public had a right to see.

He said he has seen a "steady accumulation of evidence" from scientists worldwide that the measles, mumps and rubella jab is causing brain damage in certain children.

But he added: "There are very powerful people in positions of great authority in Britain and elsewhere who have staked their reputations and careers on the safety of MMR and they are willing to do almost anything to protect themselves."

His warning follows reports that the Government is this week planning to announce the addition of a jab against pneumococcal meningitis for babies, probably from next April. It is also considering flu jabs for under- twos - not to protect the children, but adults they may infect.

In the late Seventies, Dr Fletcher served as Chief Scientific Officer at the DoH and Medical Assessor to the Committee on Safety of Medicines, meaning he was responsible for deciding if new vaccines were safe.

He first expressed concerns about MMR in 2001, saying safety trials before the vaccine's introduction in Britain were inadequate.

Now he says the theoretical fears he raised appear to be becoming reality.

He said the rising tide of autism cases and growing scientific understanding of autism-related bowel disease have convinced him the MMR vaccine may be to blame.

"Clinical and scientific data is steadily accumulating that the live measles virus in MMR can cause brain, gut and immune system damage in a subset of vulnerable children," he said. "There's no one conclusive piece of scientific evidence, no 'smoking gun', because there very rarely is when adverse drug reactions are first suspected. When vaccine damage in very young children is involved, it is harder to prove the links.

"But it is the steady accumulation of evidence, from a number of respected universities, teaching hospitals and laboratories around the world, that matters here. There's far too much to ignore. Yet government health authorities are, it seems, more than happy to do so."

'Why isn't the Government taking this massive public health problem more seriously?'

Dr. Fletcher said he found "this official complacency utterly inexplicable" in the light of an explosive worldwide increase in regressive autism and inflammatory bowel disease in children, which was first linked to the live measles virus in the MMR jab by clinical researcher Dr.
Andrew Wakefield in 1998.
"When scientists first raised fears of a possible link between mad cow disease and an apparently new, variant form of CJD they had detected in just 20 or 30 patients, everybody panicked and millions of cows were slaughtered," said Dr. Fletcher.

"Yet there has been a tenfold increase in autism and related forms of brain damage over the past 15 years, roughly coinciding with MMR's introduction, and an extremely worrying increase in childhood inflammatory bowel diseases and immune disorders such as diabetes, and no one in authority will even admit it's happening, let alone try to investigate the causes."

He said there was "no way" the tenfold leap in autistic children could be the result of better recognition and definitional changes, as claimed by health authorities.

"It is highly likely that at least part of this increase is a vaccinerelated problem." he said. "But whatever it is, why isn't the Government taking this massive public health problem more seriously?"

His outspokenness will infuriate health authorities, who have spent millions of pounds shoring up confidence in MMR since Dr. Wakefield's 1998 statement.

But Dr. Fletcher said the Government is undermining public confidence in vaccine safety by refusing to do in-depth clinical research to rule out fears of MMR damage to children.

He added that the risks of brain and gut damage from MMR injections seem to be much higher in children where a brother or sister has diabetes, an immune disorder.

"That is a very strong clinical signal that some children are immunologically at risk from MMR," he said. "Why is the Government not investigating it further - diverting some of the millions of pounds spent on advertising and PR campaigns to promote MMR uptake into detailed clinical research instead?"

Now retired after a distinguished 40-year career in science and medicine in Britain, Europe and the US, Dr. Fletcher said that without such research, health authorities could not possibly rule out fears about MMR.

He said: "It is entirely possible that the immune systems of a small minority simply cannot cope with the challenge of the three live viruses in the MMR jab, and the ever-increasing vaccine load in general."

He said he had decided to speak out because of his deep concern at the lack of treatment for autistic children with bowel disease, as revealed in The Mail on Sunday two weeks ago.

He called the sudden termination of legal aid to parents of allegedly vaccine-damaged children in late 2003 "a monstrous injustice". After agreeing to be a witness for the parents, he received thousands of documents relating to the case.

"Now, it seems, unless the parents force the Government to restore legal aid, much of this revealing evidence may never come out," he said.

The Department of Health said: "MMR remains the best protection against measles, mumps and rubella. It is recognised by the World Health Organisation as having an outstanding safety record and there is a wealth of evidence showing children who receive the MMR vaccine are no more at risk of autism than those who don't."





Mum says MMR jab made son autistic

North Wales Weekly News
June 7, 2007

by Samantha Castle

Click here for the URL:

A Conwy Valley mum is fighting a controversial decision which has stopped funding her case against the makers of an MMR vaccine which she claims caused her son's autism.

Donna, 33, whose son, now 13, wishes to remain anonymous, was denied funding to seek compensation from the manufacturer of the vaccine, Glaxo SmithKline.

Donna, along with other affected families, were originally granted funding to seek compensation, but it was suddenly withdrawn by the Legal Services Commission.

"My son had the MMR jab a week after his first birthday and suffered the normal side effects connected with the vaccine. However, his symptoms persisted and got dangerously worse.

"Within a week he had a purple rash and his whole body had swollen up like the Michelin Man. He wouldn't stop screaming, it was quite clear he wasn't well.

"It did die down but all his normal functions, like eye contact and dialogue he knew before, had gone since the jabs. While in Alder Hey Children's Hospital with his older sister, I noticed a poster on the wall about autism which listed the symptoms, and he had seven of the 10. It was then I made the connection between the MMR jab and autism."

Donna was referred to Rhuddlan Children's Centre and a consultant psychologist confirmed her son was autistic.

"He was diagnosed then and there. I thought I was doing the best for my son, but it took his life away from him and the family," added Donna.

"Some years later I was put in touch with solicitors supporting over 1,500 other parents in a similar situation, and the support group Justice, Awareness and Basic Support (JABS), and that's when we started legal proceedings."

Sir Nigel Davis was the presiding judge who, three years ago, rejected an appeal by MMR vaccine litigants against the decision not to award legal aid for their fight for compensation. But he failed to declare his interests.

Campaigners have now discovered that Mr Justice Davis' brother, Sir Crispin Davis, was appointed a non- executive director of drugs multinational Glaxo SmithKline in 2003, a year before the appeal came to court.

Also, since 1999 Sir Crispin had been chief executive of Reed Elsevier, publisher of The Lancet magazine which originally published research into the links between autism and MMR in 1998. But by 2004 the magazine had changed its mind, and announced its change of heart only the week before Sir Nigel was due to make his decision on the MMR litigants' appeal.

Sir Crispin Davis was knighted by Blair's government in June 2004, four months after the Lancet article was published.

Now, complaints against him are being filed to the Office for Judicial Complaints, which investigates allegations of questionable conduct by judges, coroners and magistrates. The inquiry continues.


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National Vaccine Information Center

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NVIC E-News is a free service of the National Vaccine Information Center and is supported through membership donations.

NVIC is funded through the financial support of its members and does not receive any government subsidies. Barbara Loe Fisher, President and Co- founder.

Learn more about vaccines, diseases and how to protect your informed consent rights at www.nvic.org

Thank you so much for posting this. I think the reaction of Wakefield's "colleagues" is criminal. He's never even said to avoid vaccines; he just said not to give multiple live vaccines together!

I did go to the NVIC website, and couldn't find any reference to what you posted above. Was I looking in the wrong place, or is it only available in the newsletter?

Yes, I know. I don't know why there is such a big fuss about offering these as three separate shots.

It was in the newsletter. I've never checked to see if the same info was online or not.

When I checked with the local Health Dept, it was possible to get the three separate shots--but they each contained mercury.

Can't win....