John McCain bails on meeting with Jenny McCarthy
Categories: Newborns, Babies, Pregnancy & birth, Health & safety, Medical conditions, Development, Life & style, Celeb parenting, Rumors, In the news, Mommy wars
Presidential nominee John McCain allegedly had a date set with actress Jenny McCarthy. The topic of their discussion? Not love but, rather autism, and specifically the link between the condition and the use of thimerosal in the vaccines McCarthy believes cause autism.
McCarthy was eager to meet with McCain after learning he believes there may be a link as well, and apparently flew herself out for a meeting with the Republican senator to try to make autism a major part of the presidential campaign.
According to reports, however, McCain backed out after his flack decided the subject matter was too controversial. Right, like presidential nominees should avoid discussing anything controversial! If they did all they'd end up doing at debates was drinking Yoohoos! Although not attributed anywhere, the post on IMDB claims McCain also bailed after learning there is no hard evidence linking vaccines with thimerosal and autism. Either way, McCain declined to meet with the former Playboy centerfold (huge mistake, dude!) and McCarthy has now set her sites on meeting with Senator Obama.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Savannah C. 10-02-2008 @ 2:22PM
Jenny McCarthy has no business talking with anyone about her crazy ideas regarding autism and vaccines. There is absolutely no scientific evidence linking the two, and it's scary to think that people acctually listen to what she has to say on the matter. It makes me sick to my stomach to think about all the children that aren't vaccinated and then aren't immune to catching measles, mumps, reubella, polio...all things that could be avoided. I hope no one forgets that she is also the woman that got famous for picking her nose on MTV etc. It's sad that her son has autism, but trying to put the blame on something as serious as vaccinations is not okay. I also do not belive she "saw the light leave her sons eyes right after his shot"
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Crystal 10-02-2008 @ 3:34PM
Her son HAD autism. He is off the spectrum at this point.
Although, I am not an expert on Jennie McCarthy, I believe her son had a reaction to his vaccines, and from that moment on he regressed.
As a mom, I applaud her crusade. She is NOT against vaccines. She is FOR getting vaccines to be as safe as possible for our children.
Who can argue with that?
Momma 10-02-2008 @ 8:00PM
Coming from someone who obviously doesn't have a child on the spectrum.
Momma 10-02-2008 @ 8:02PM
I think she's been a die hard and should be proud of herself. I admire her. Good gawd, she was very young and new to TV when she was on MTV. People change ya know.
JJ 10-03-2008 @ 7:03AM
You obviously don't have a child with Autism. Many of us watched our children change overnight after they received their first DPT shot, which is thimerasol based. And don't think companies are no longer using thimerasol as a base, because most are. And if those vaccines are so safe, why do many Doctors themselves delay getting them for their children until they are older or give them the individual shots of Diptheria, Polio and Tetanus (without the thimerasol base) as opposed to the shots given to your child?
If there is no link to thimersal and Autism in vaccines, then why did Republicans sneak a midnight hour provision into the homeland security bill of 2001 protecting all vaccine manufacturers from class action law suits? Things that make you go HMMMM....
My son ROCKS! 10-14-2008 @ 3:48PM
Savannah,
1. You can not say what one parent saw or believes they saw. I have video tape of my son talking at 10 months and then hanging his head drooling on himself 6 days after his shots....Its video tape, you can't say it didnt happen.
2. I do not have the dr reports on her son and I know that there are all "levels" of this disorder so I am not going to comment on her "cure" but what should make you sick is that AUTISM regardless of how it came to be is on the rise but you dont see a vaccination to end autism....
3. The right to vaccinate and possibly fave Polio and the other horrible illnesses out there is up to the parent. I chose not to stick my second child with any of the filth and if she were to contract something I would know that I had to make the choice as her mom. Vaccines for me were not an option the second time around. It needs no comment from you.
KEEP YOUR COMMENTS AND YOUR SICK STOMACH TO YOURSELF WE, THE PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM HAVE ENOUGH ON OUR PLATES WITHOUT LISTENING TO PEOPLE LIKE YOU SHARE YOUR OPINIONS ON SOMETHING YOU HAVE NO CLUE ON.....LIVE IT DAY BY DAY AND THEN COME BACK!
natalie 10-20-2008 @ 6:10PM
There has been studies linking autism to the vaccine, however that is not the only cause of autism. Jenny has donated a lot to this cause as well as reached out to parents who are in the same situation. Jenny should have been able to speak with Mccain regarding this situation because if there is a link it needs to be proven so that children of the future do not suffer from an ailment that might be prevented. Mccain backing out was a chicken move, if he can not handle controversy than he can not run our country.
Jan Bay 10-02-2008 @ 9:00PM
Motherhood can mature a person very quickly. Nosepickers of yesterday morph into pitbulls fighting to make the world a better place for their babies.
I can't imagine what it would be like to see your normal child develop autism immeidately following a shot that was supposed to help. You will NOT see me arguing with the fact that there is something in those vaccinations that is unsafe for some kids and I applaud her efforts. To see so many celebrities using their movie star status to do good works and pull in funding for charities is inspiring.
Jan from http://www.unique-baby-gear-ideas.com/
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Paul Cyopick 10-02-2008 @ 10:18PM
If I want an expert opinion of how to remove my clothes, I'll ask jenny McCarthy. If I want an expert scientific opinion, I'll ask a scientist.
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Paul Cyopick 10-02-2008 @ 10:18PM
There IS NO LINK between autism and vaccines. Period. Nada. None. Zero. If you say there is, please supply a real reference, not a story about a friends child etc.
I feel for anyone who has autistic children, but blaming vaccines is like running west looking for a sunrise. You could be very dedicated and very honourable in your efforts, but by being focused in the wrong direction, you're missing an opportunity to find the real truth.
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Paul Cyopick 10-03-2008 @ 12:55PM
That would be my double major in Molecular Genetics and Molecular Immunology, and my 19 years of scientific research. I'm not saying that to brag; you asked.
First people blamed the vaccine itself. When that was disproven they blamed the mercury, even though it was found to be non toxic. Now that this preservative has been removed from most vaccines, resulting in vaccine shortages and no increase in safety, people are blaming the timing of taking vaccines at a young age.
There IS NO EVIDENCE of a link between the two. I feel for the parents and the individuals greatly, but the facts are the facts. Efforts are being made to find the real truths, but by blaming something that has been proven time and time again to be incorrect, time, money and efforts are being wasted finding the true reasons for this disorder.
Don 10-03-2008 @ 7:17AM
I think it should be noted that yes Jenny's son has Autism, that does not make her an expert on what autism is and how to diagnose the causes of autism.
Second her son has been vaccinated so he is immune from a lot of other far worse diseases such as polio, Haemophilus influenza b, the mumps, pertussis, measles and a whole bunch of other completely preventable harmful diseases.
I would like to quote a great article regarding the anti vaccination moment.
"The idiocy of antivaccinationists partly rests upon the modern luxury of never having had to live through the horrible epidemics of the past. I wonder how much the current generation will have to suffer through before they get it.
And I will say it again - if Jenny McCarthy is going to put her own “mommy instinct” before the consensus of scientific opinion, and exploit her dubious celebrity to champion anti-science, then she is going to have to take responsibility for her actions. The way I figure it, so far there are at least 68 measles cases on her tally sheet, and the number is growing."
Taken from: http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=194
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Cortney 10-03-2008 @ 8:48AM
You nay-sayers act like there has never been a moment when the FDA renigged and said "oh wait, we were wrong". Think about how many babies were born with birth-defects before they realized that Teratogenic drugs were causing them! Perhaps what you have a problem w/ is not her stance, but the idea that a woman can identify a potential problem, and then draw so much attention to it as to spark a national debate. What you don't realize is THAT IS WHAT A GOOD MOM DOES and further to that, the risk that you take when you go to battle for your kids is that perhaps you're wrong... but what if you're right? I am willing to take that chance regardless of the blogging opposition.
Savannah C. 10-03-2008 @ 9:41AM
First of all I do have a daughter, that's mostly why it irrates me so much when other mothers choose to not think critically about things that do affect their children, and that in turn could affect my daughter. Parents who don't get their children vaccinated are basically relying on herd immunity to make sure their kid doesn't get measles, mumps, etc. What happens when her "mommy instinct" shtick turns out large numbers of unvaccinated kids and then the herd immunity goes away? I'd also like to add THERE'S NO LINK, none, zero, so if I had to choose between a scientist and a "mommy instinct", my chose is obviously the scientist.
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Sarilare7484 10-03-2008 @ 12:43PM
I'm a 24 year old mother of two. My 4 1/2 year old has been vaccinated for everything (including believe it or not, chicken pox, which i was against) and my 3 month old is completely up to date. Personally i don't believe there is a link against vaccinations and autism, however, it is not my place to make that kind of assumption. I do however know that vaccines, both human and animal have a long way to go before they can really be considered safe. 20 years ago they were full of lead and mercury. Just because I'm doing fine does not mean that someone else's child did not die from one of those vaccinations. I applaud McCarthy for attempting to bring something to the senators attention that can actually have an impact rather than wasting our time and money listening to their lies and BS. I hope she keeps up with the campaign. Who knows, maybe there is a link. Leave it to the scientists to discover that, but it's going to take money. So you tell me, which would you rather pay for: Safer vaccines for your child or space exploration?
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lisa 10-06-2008 @ 5:34PM
First of all, 1 in 150 children is more scientific evidence than you've ever seen in any study. Period. Just because Merck (the major company that produces a majority of vacccines) didn't pay for the study does not mean it does not exists. But I'll tell you what does. 2 million children across the Untited States trapped in a zone that mothers are trying to pull them out of. There has never been a study on multiple vaccines given in a day. If you can find it, you win the cookie for the day. And we all know they do not give one vaccine at a time. It's always multiple doses. There is also 250 micrograms of aluminum in a single hepatitis vaccine given within 48 hours of birth. The recommended EPA safe level is 20 micrograms. By the age of two months a child has received 1,875 micrograms of mercury. In case you are a scientist and need to be told again, aluminum is one of the fiftiest deadly neurotoxins (source your beloved fda website, in which case you should also look up the side effects of aluminum poisoning, which are all consistent with autism, and ask any mother who has had her child's metal toxicity tested. Guess what the number one issue is? You guessed it, it's not genetic! It's aluminum) So before you go defending vaccines and their safety, you should consider the source and who is paying for them. Merck also produced Vioxx which was removed off the market after five years due to the drug causing heart attacks and strokes, etc. My guess is, unless you are directly affected, you probably have done your 'scientific research' which has done nothing for us. We continue to fight the battle alone, but standing on truth is much more solid ground. Maybe if they stopped spending millions of your tax dollars in researching the ill affects of immunoinvasive neuro toxins instead of defending them, maybe you could focus on defending yourself to someone you actually should be answering to, God.
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