The Republican candidate sticks his foot in it in a major way on a topic extensively covered here over the years (as well as at my other site). Writes Mark Kleiman: “the thimerosal-autism theory is as dead as phlogiston in respectable company. I’m not surprised that ‘respectable company’ excludes a few ambulance-chasing lawyers looking for deep pockets and a some emotionally devastated parents looking for someone to blame. But it’s distressing — to use no stronger term — that the presumptive Republican nominee for President, rather than looking at the evidence, has chosen to side with the panic-spreaders and pander to the emotions of the panic victims.” More: Orac.
McCain, thimerosal and autism
The Republican candidate sticks his foot in it in a major way on a topic extensively covered here over the years (as well as at my other site). Writes Mark Kleiman: “the thimerosal-autism theory is as dead as phlogiston in respectable company. I’m not surprised that ‘respectable company’ excludes a few ambulance-chasing lawyers looking for […]
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Hey, McCain’s convinced that not only is governmental restriction of political advertisment not related to free speech, he’s also convinced that the problems caused by huge concentration of power at the federal level (corruption) can be solved by concentrating more power at the federal level.
The dude’s pretty gullible. it’s unsurprising that he didn’t follow through and do his research.
Autism has become an industry; and vaccines the enemy.
Contrary to McCain’s assertion that there’s “strong evidence” that thimerosal causes autism – the data shows exactly the opposite.
It’s similar to the common assertion (not made by McCain necessarily) that the US has poor health care. It’s become such a sound bite that no one questions the veracity of the statement.
I’m inclined to give a presidential candidate the benefit of the doubt here. The nuances of the thimerosal debate, which have not been reported well in the mainstream media, probably isn’t in the top 300 issues McCain thinks about, and he gave an extemporaneous answer that essentially punted without more explicitly stating “I don’t know.”
Now, if McCain hires science advisers that push this nonsense, or makes anti-vaccine conspiracy theories a plank of his platform, then I’m concerned.
I give McCain credit for being aware of the issue at all, since if you don’t have an autistic kid it’s not that common a topic of conversation. Second, he’s campaigning, and has taken the question from a mother who appears heavily invested in the thimerosal theory due to her child’s condition. Even if he believes strongly that thimerosal doesn’t cause autism, I don’t know that that’s the time or place to trumpet that belief.
[…] evidence supporting such a link and emphasized his support for autism research. See also Overlawyered, and here, and here. Obama has made similar references to the vaccine link and underlying […]