Do Vaccines Cause Autism？
Episode Stats
Words per Minute
131.4034
Summary
In the last 30 years, the childhood vaccine schedule has tripled, while the U.S. autism rate has skyrocketed from 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 50. Yet the debate rages on in part because of the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, passed by Congress as a result of pharmaceutical lobbying, shields drug companies from liability for injuries and deaths caused by the vaccines they manufacture.
Transcript
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In the last 30 years, the childhood vaccine schedule has tripled,
00:00:08.240
while the U.S. autism rate has skyrocketed from 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 50.
00:00:15.340
Dozens of published research papers show that, yes, vaccines and autism are linked.
00:00:21.820
Yet the debate rages on in part because of the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act
00:00:28.640
passed by Congress as a result of pharmaceutical lobbying.
00:00:33.260
It shields drug companies from liability for injuries and deaths caused by the vaccines they manufacture,
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vaccines that the federal government admits are unavoidably unsafe.
00:00:45.440
To see how this tilted the law in Big Pharma's favor,
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let's look at Eric, a child suffering from vaccine-induced autism.
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Had Eric been harmed by a pharmaceutical product other than vaccines,
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his parents could sue the manufacturer in civil court,
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entitling them to the standard legal process with a judge, jury, private attorneys,
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legal precedent, and discovery, all within public view.
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But for kids like Eric, the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act says no.
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Instead of suing the pharmaceutical company directly,
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parents of children like Eric are forced to petition the Department of Health and Human Services,
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and if federal health officials oppose compensation,
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the case is argued before a special master in the U.S. Claims Court.
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in which the family asks the government to admit the vaccine caused their child harm
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and requests compensation for the child's care.
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Here are some shocking facts about the so-called vaccine court.
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Pharmaceutical companies do not have to participate in the proceedings at all.
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The U.S. Department of Justice acts as the government's lawyer,
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with taxpayers footing the bill for their defense.
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The family's attorney is paid out of the trust fund,
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administered by the Department of Health and Human Services,
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which has a history of punishing plaintiff's lawyers
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by slashing their fees and waiting a decade or more to pay them,
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leaving some families without any legal representation.
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so potentially incriminating documents stay hidden
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A special master appointed by the U.S. Court of Federal Claims
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both presides over the hearings and issues the rulings,
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which can limit the chance of an objective verdict.
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special masters ruled that vaccines do not cause autism,
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even though federal compensation has been awarded
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government attorneys defend a government program
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The passing of the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act
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to add their new shots to the recommended schedule.
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a baby today receives more vaccinations by six months
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than her mother did by the time she graduated high school.