Anti-Vaxx Loses its Edge [Page 3.14]

It’s getting harder and harder to hate vaccines in America. The trend will only continue as diseases like measles re-emerge because of some parents’ paranoia. Much of the anti-vaccine sentiment of the last twenty years resulted directly from scientific fraud—and most anti-vaccine propaganda likewise employs scientific terminology to sound credible. But more people are waking up to the fact that vaccines simply do not cause autism or other mental ‘disorders,’ and public figures are altering their stances accordingly. Some Republicans are embracing the right to withhold vaccines from a child based solely on the principle of parental sovereignty. Meanwhile celebrity Bill Maher says he is really only against the flu vaccine despite arguing for the basic infallibility of an ‘all-natural’ lifestyle. Actress Mayim Bialik said on facebook “I am not anti-vaccine. my children are vaccinated” despite her reputation for anti-vaccine attitudes. Watch as public opinion continues to shift: anti-vaxxers make indefensible decisions based on implausible explanations, endangering their children and other community members in the process.

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1EyQmLi

It’s getting harder and harder to hate vaccines in America. The trend will only continue as diseases like measles re-emerge because of some parents’ paranoia. Much of the anti-vaccine sentiment of the last twenty years resulted directly from scientific fraud—and most anti-vaccine propaganda likewise employs scientific terminology to sound credible. But more people are waking up to the fact that vaccines simply do not cause autism or other mental ‘disorders,’ and public figures are altering their stances accordingly. Some Republicans are embracing the right to withhold vaccines from a child based solely on the principle of parental sovereignty. Meanwhile celebrity Bill Maher says he is really only against the flu vaccine despite arguing for the basic infallibility of an ‘all-natural’ lifestyle. Actress Mayim Bialik said on facebook “I am not anti-vaccine. my children are vaccinated” despite her reputation for anti-vaccine attitudes. Watch as public opinion continues to shift: anti-vaxxers make indefensible decisions based on implausible explanations, endangering their children and other community members in the process.

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1EyQmLi