Mike's Musings: Jenny McCarthy's Big Blunder
A week or so ago, when it was announced that former Playboy Bunny Jenny McCarthy was joining the morning talk show "The View," it was released with a storm of controversy. McCarthy has become infamous for her activism against the MMR vaccine, which she believes caused her son's autism. People think that the position will give validity to her claims, which have been repeatedly shown to be untrue. I share those fears. This is a dangerous medical hoax, and we need to do everything we can to prevent this rumor from spreading.
Before I go any further, let me state my belief about this controversy: there is no link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Not only have numerous studies by reputable organizations failed to find any link whatsoever, the scientist behind the "findings," Andrew Wakefield, has been charged with just about every ethical and methodological misconduct one can think of, including 12 counts of abusing mentally challenged children and falsifying data. He has been discredited and barred from practicing medicine in the UK. This "connection" has been described by one medical journal as the "most damaging medical hoax in 100 years."
Normally I'd say that a person who takes medical advice from a celebrity (especially advice that has been so resolutely discredited) deserves what they get, but it's not that simple here. Parents have become afraid due to this publicity, and often times the victims of these diseases are children who aren't old enough to be vaccinated. It's impossible to know how many deaths there have been due to this hoax.
While there have been numerous and constant attempts to assuage people's concerns, people are still scared. It's easy to get people afraid of something, but next to impossible to make those fears go away. We are, and have been ever since the paper published Wakefield's crap.
Which brings us to McCarthy's appearance on "The View." I am a firm believer in the right to free speech. McCarthy has every right to saw what she wants to. But while the government cannot censor her, the network can. Without a doubt, ABC is smelling increased viewership based on the controversy. But considering how damaging and deadly her false claims are, it's irresponsible. This is a different case than having a political nutcase on Bill O'Reilly or Rachel Maddow. There, the content is not the same, and lets face it, often taken less seriously than something like a vaccine that causes autism in kids.
I feel for Jenny McCarthy. Raising an autistic child is not easy, and having your child develop it must be devastating. But even if she doesn't talk about the MMR vaccine (which she undoubtedly will), it gives her attention, and that's something that needs to be avoided.
Before I go any further, let me state my belief about this controversy: there is no link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Not only have numerous studies by reputable organizations failed to find any link whatsoever, the scientist behind the "findings," Andrew Wakefield, has been charged with just about every ethical and methodological misconduct one can think of, including 12 counts of abusing mentally challenged children and falsifying data. He has been discredited and barred from practicing medicine in the UK. This "connection" has been described by one medical journal as the "most damaging medical hoax in 100 years."
Normally I'd say that a person who takes medical advice from a celebrity (especially advice that has been so resolutely discredited) deserves what they get, but it's not that simple here. Parents have become afraid due to this publicity, and often times the victims of these diseases are children who aren't old enough to be vaccinated. It's impossible to know how many deaths there have been due to this hoax.
While there have been numerous and constant attempts to assuage people's concerns, people are still scared. It's easy to get people afraid of something, but next to impossible to make those fears go away. We are, and have been ever since the paper published Wakefield's crap.
Which brings us to McCarthy's appearance on "The View." I am a firm believer in the right to free speech. McCarthy has every right to saw what she wants to. But while the government cannot censor her, the network can. Without a doubt, ABC is smelling increased viewership based on the controversy. But considering how damaging and deadly her false claims are, it's irresponsible. This is a different case than having a political nutcase on Bill O'Reilly or Rachel Maddow. There, the content is not the same, and lets face it, often taken less seriously than something like a vaccine that causes autism in kids.
I feel for Jenny McCarthy. Raising an autistic child is not easy, and having your child develop it must be devastating. But even if she doesn't talk about the MMR vaccine (which she undoubtedly will), it gives her attention, and that's something that needs to be avoided.
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