Elizabeth Warren put vaccine conspiracy theorists in their place during a Senate hearing on vaccines with Centers for Disease Control immunization expert Dr. Anne Schuchat.
To prove her point that vaccines are safe, Warren asked Dr. Schuchat whether vaccines were safe – eight different ways:
WARREN: “Is there any scientific evidence that vaccines cause autism?”
SCHUCHAT: “No.”
WARREN: “Is there any scientific evidence that vaccines cause profound mental disorders?”
SCHUCHAT: “No, but some of the disease we vaccinate against can.”
WARREN: “Is there any scientific evidence that vaccines have contributed to the rise of allergies or autoimmune disorders among kids?”
SCHUCHAT: “No.”
WARREN: “Are there additives or preservatives in vaccines that can be toxic to kids?”
SCHUCHAT: “Not in the amounts that are in vaccines.”
WARREN: “Is there any scientific evidence that giving kids their vaccines further apart, or spacing them differently, is healthier for kids?”
SCHUCHAT: “No, actually it increases the risk period.”
WARREN: “Is there any scientific evidence that kids can develop immunity to these diseases on their own, simply by eating nutritious foods or by being active?”
SCHUCHAT: “No.”
WARREN: “How do the risks of a child reacting negatively to a vaccination compare to the risks of skipping vaccinations and risking exposure to a deadly disease?”
SCHUCHAT: “Vaccines are safe and highly effective and it’s important for parents to know its the best way to protect their kids.”
WARREN: “So, every parent wants to protect their children. Parents should know that all of the credible scientific evidence suggests that modern vaccines are safe; modern vaccines are effective; and modern vaccines are our best chance of protecting our children from diseases that can kill them. Is that right?”
SCHUCHAT: “That’s right.”
WARREN:”Thank you.”
Even Tennessee Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander, didn’t sympathize with the anti-vaccination movement, instead pinpointing parental exemptions as a health risk, as reported by NBC News.
“What is standing between healthy children and deadly disease? It ought to be vaccinations, but too many parents are turning away from science,” he said at the start of the hearing.
Experts on the panel agreed. “It’s this philosophical exemption that’s causing problems,” Dr. Sawyer said.
You can watch the exchange between Warren and Schuchat, below:
You must be logged in to post a comment Login