If we all grit our teeth, we can get through this one together.
By now we’re all painfully aware of the existence of people who are still hanging their hat on a research paper published by a man named Andrew Wakefield in 1998 that claimed a link between the Measles, Mumps, Rubella vaccine and the development of autism. Despite numerous repeated assertions that the paper is not only wrong, but Wakefield himself is something of a fraud, the baffling persistence of the anti-vaccination “opinion” continues to this very day – arguments for the withholding of vital childhood vaccinations oft preceded by the not-even-remotely scientifically qualifying anacrusis of “As a parent…“.
In fact, thanks in large part to the Internet’s open source nature and ability to never let truth get in the way of a good story, the spread of the anti-vaccination voice is so great that it’s actually starting to affect disease rates that have long been dormant, and Governments are acting accordingly.
In Victoria alone, the rate of measles doubled in the last twelve months, despite it being a totally vaccine preventable disease. A notable occurrence being three unrelated people contracting it after attending RMIT University‘s graduation ceremony at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium in December.
Such is the worry about the drop in levels of vaccinations – particularly among richer, more affluent, more politically conservative areas of major cities – that State Governments are now stepping in to help maintain herd immunity, which is the key factor in effective immunisation schemes.
Both NSW and Victoria have legislation in place that prevents unvaccinated children from enrolling in childcare. NSW’s law came into effect in 2013, whilst Victoria’s will begin from 2016.
The problem there, however, is that a loophole exists wherein a parent can declare they have a medical reason, or personal, philosophical, or religious objection to immunisations – thus granting them the ability to enrol their non immunised child in childcare.
Due to the overwhelming science that disproves it time and time again, simply stating “vaccines cause autism” doesn’t count as a philosophical or personal objection. So anti-vaccination groups are finding other ways around it.
The Australian Vaccination Skeptics Network – who at one point were known as the Australian Vaccination Network until they were forced to change their misleading name – has been encouraging parents to join the very much fake Church of Conscious Living in order to provide grounds for a religious objection to what should fucking well be mandatory childhood vaccines.
Fairfax Media reports that not only is the Church of Conscious Living not listed as a registered religious or charitable organisation with the Federal Government‘s Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission, but that is instead a business registered with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission that appears to have been set up for the sole purpose of allowing people to exploit this vaccination loophole.
And it costs $25 to “join” too, for that matter.
Victorian Health Minister Jill Hennessy stated very firmly, “let’s be very clear: not vaccinating a child puts them and other children at risk of dangerous diseases and illnesses.”
Meanwhile Dr David Hawkes, an actual medical doctor who specialises in molecular virology, and member of the pro-vaccination group Stop the AVN, stated “If you’re 23 years old … and you choose not to have a blood transfusion or chemotherapy for cancer, I strongly believe that’s your right but these decisions are being made for children who do not have a say in it.“
The Federal Government has stated that they will watch developments from the “church” very closely.
Photo: Justin Sullivan via Getty Images.
via The Age.
