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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Republican Party has made an antivaccine loon named Donald Trump its presumptive nominee.
Posted by Orac on May 3, 2016
I havent written anything about Donald Trump and vaccines in a while. When last I did write about him, I enumerated his long, sordid history of making ridiculously pseudoscientific antivaccine statements linking vaccines to autism dating back at least to 2007. That was when I first discovered him and referred to him as the latest celebrity antivaccinationist drinking the Kool Aid of vaccine pseudoscience. A few years later, I noted his risibly nonsensical claim that a monster shot causes autism. Truly, Donald Trumps history of making idiotic antivaccine statements is long and sordid. Of course, Donald Trumps history of making idiotic statements about a great many subjects is long and sordid, but antivaccine pseudoscience is what I know better than domestic or foreign policy.
Of course, I dont recall having heard anything from Trump in a while on the vaccine-autism front, at least not since September last year. But his antivaccine lunacy is definitely part of his persona, so much so that when I started to type Donald Trump vaccines autism the first entry on the search was a Natural News link from 2012. In any case, I get the feeling that Trumps antivaccine views were too crazy even for most of Trumps supporters, hence his relative silence these last eight months. Sure, he can spout off about how he wants to build a wall on the Mexican border and have Mexico pay for it and numerous other proposals even more ludicrous than that, but hes apparently toned down the antivaccine nonsense. Now, with the Indiana primary today, Trump is on the verge of all but wrapping up the Republican nomination if he wins there today. Thats why I decided to revisit the topic today, particularly given that the issue has reared its ugly head again.
Still, if Trump were actually to become President, he could do great damage to public health. Sure, school vaccine mandates are a state issue, but the guidelines upon which they are based are developed by the CDC. Over the last couple of decades, there have been various antivaccine legislators who have brought CDC officials before Congressional committees to demand answers about the link between vaccines and autism. Just imagine how much trouble a President Trump could cause, with his power to appoint a Secretary of HHS.
I havent written anything about Donald Trump and vaccines in a while. When last I did write about him, I enumerated his long, sordid history of making ridiculously pseudoscientific antivaccine statements linking vaccines to autism dating back at least to 2007. That was when I first discovered him and referred to him as the latest celebrity antivaccinationist drinking the Kool Aid of vaccine pseudoscience. A few years later, I noted his risibly nonsensical claim that a monster shot causes autism. Truly, Donald Trumps history of making idiotic antivaccine statements is long and sordid. Of course, Donald Trumps history of making idiotic statements about a great many subjects is long and sordid, but antivaccine pseudoscience is what I know better than domestic or foreign policy.
Of course, I dont recall having heard anything from Trump in a while on the vaccine-autism front, at least not since September last year. But his antivaccine lunacy is definitely part of his persona, so much so that when I started to type Donald Trump vaccines autism the first entry on the search was a Natural News link from 2012. In any case, I get the feeling that Trumps antivaccine views were too crazy even for most of Trumps supporters, hence his relative silence these last eight months. Sure, he can spout off about how he wants to build a wall on the Mexican border and have Mexico pay for it and numerous other proposals even more ludicrous than that, but hes apparently toned down the antivaccine nonsense. Now, with the Indiana primary today, Trump is on the verge of all but wrapping up the Republican nomination if he wins there today. Thats why I decided to revisit the topic today, particularly given that the issue has reared its ugly head again.
Still, if Trump were actually to become President, he could do great damage to public health. Sure, school vaccine mandates are a state issue, but the guidelines upon which they are based are developed by the CDC. Over the last couple of decades, there have been various antivaccine legislators who have brought CDC officials before Congressional committees to demand answers about the link between vaccines and autism. Just imagine how much trouble a President Trump could cause, with his power to appoint a Secretary of HHS.
...more...http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2016/05/03/the-republican-party-is-on-the-verge-of-nominating-an-antivaccine-loon-named-donald-trump/
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The Republican Party has made an antivaccine loon named Donald Trump its presumptive nominee. (Original Post)
progressoid
May 2016
OP
progressoid
(49,992 posts)1. Trump tweets:
Healthy young child goes to doctor, gets pumped with massive shot of many vaccines, doesn't feel good and changes - AUTISM. Many such cases!
HuckleB
(35,773 posts)2. Ah, dang. I missed that you had already posted this.