By Erin K. Costello Yesterday MAM published a blog post in which she claimed victory for the AV (anti-vaccination) cult of dumbassery. First and foremost, one reason why I can say with absolute confidence that the anti-vaccination community has already lost is simply because they have MAM on their team, and most of what she claims is just flat out bullshit. But, I do digress.
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By Erin K. Costello (Continuing reason why anti-vaxxers won't vaccinate) VACCINES CAUSE (INSERT ANY KNOWN PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, AND OR PSYCHOLOGICAL AILMENT HERE). This belief by the av community is vast and can be broken down to several of their other tenets. I do not list or elaborate on every ailment they insist is caused by vaccinations since no one really knows how many things they credit vaccinations for having caused. Instead, what I have done is pasted a list that had been posted to Facebook by the page Peace, Love, and Threats from anti-vaxxers, since it’s the most extensive list I have come across thus far. You will find that I have added to the list by elaborating on certain illnesses listed to reveal just how deep the crazy claims become with avers. This is where shit gets a lot weird. By Erin K Costello In late 2016 I was introduced to the anti-vaccine (AV) community on-line, and more precisely on Facebook. It was a multi-step journey to where I landed; I first found Food Babe, then I quickly found the Facebook group Banned By Food Babe, which then introduced me to SciBabe (LOVE her!), who then led me to Kate Tietje, the Modern Alternative Mama, or as I’ll refer to here, MAM. It was through MAM that I learned about this fringe AV and anti-MSM (mainstream medicine) movement on the internet, though, mostly on Facebook. Ever since then I have become more and more involved with those on Facebook who work and argue tirelessly and on their own free time to beat down the lies and misinformation spread by AVers. Throughout the past few years I have often attempted to explain to friends and family the urgency of needing to prevent this mindset from spreading, as well as the dangers AVers will likely cause. Every attempt fell on deaf ears, though, I can not blame them. If someone had tried to explain it to me years ago I would’ve likely stared back with the same glossed over look while thinking “Erin is going a little mad, there’s no way there is enough of these people to pose a threat.” It took a few measles outbreaks, particularly the one in the northwest and the one in NY, to get their attention, as well as the media’s attention. This is my attempt to capitalize on this gotten attention. While I have you all “here,” let me fill you in on the things I have learned about AVers.. Measles was likely the first danger they caused because the disease is highly contagious. Sadly, this illness is only one of many threats and dangers they could bring to the public, and especially to children. Erin K Costello Those in the alternative medicine racket often claim they are in favor of safe and effective medicine, only they want that medication to be as natural as possible. Many of them insist to have the ability to provide their customers with products are all natural, safe, and just as effective as modern medicine. Alternative medicine providers will almost always claim to have the health of others as a top priority. Many, like MAM, also assure her readers and customers that everything she studies, and everything she creates through Earthley is done with her own children at heart. If she can trust the health of her children to her products then surely you can trust her products with the health of your children, right? I am not too sure, in fact, I flat out disbelieve most of what she tells her customer base. One such product I cover here. However, MAM is not the only one who comes across as disingenuous. In actuality, sadly, to say, most of these new aged neutered apothecaries are most noticeably motivated by your average capitalistic greed.. That being said, it does appear as though some may be inspired by a personal reason, just not a familial one. By Erin K. Costello There is so much to address in this "meme-a-fiction" MAM created and posted, but it is a great place to work from when debunking the VAERS claims often made by anit-vaxxers. I'm going to first address everything except for the *1-10% of all injuries are reported to VAERS.* That claim I am saving for the end because there are many links and sources to cite with the information available, though the claim of under-reporting, and over-reporting for that matter, will be discussed here and there throughout the post. For now though, let's move on to the first statistic MAM incorrectly alleges. By Erin K Costello The first post by Martha on December 21, 2018 reads, "Help. My 9 month old is crying uncomfortably. Thick mucus. She cries harder when she coughs. Fever is only 100 [degrees Fahrenheit/37.7 Celsius] she's so stuffed up she's not nursing.....I thing the mucus is making it hard for her to breathe....We leave for a trip tomorrow morning." By Erin K Costello Megan Heimer, aka Megan Redshaw, is just another mommy blogger on-line that follows the "crunchy" tenets such as, vaccines are bad, natural remedies before modern medicine, no circumcision, detoxes, and homeopathy. Most people may remember her as the person who wrote the blog post "God Does Not Support Vaccines," or the post "Dear Parents, Are You Being Lied To," both of which are published on her website Living Whole. Megan also has another blogging website called Megan Redshaw. Like other natural or "crunchy" bloggers, Megan presents the same dangers and harm with misinformation, lies, fake science, and ignorant views regarding health, medicine, and especially vaccinations. Unlike the other pseudoscience fiction writers though, Megan extended her lunacy outside of her biological family and tried to adopt children into her harmful world. The self titled website seems to focus more on faith, marriage, and personal issues she has developed with people and agencies surrounding her adoption drama. Her ordeal with one agency in particular is what I aim to mostly focus on today. Before we get to Megan's years long battle with Department of Family Services (DFS), let's first give a little back round on Megan Heimer/Redshaw. By Erin K Costello Earlier today I came across a Facebook post about when to treat or how to treat a fever in a child. The post was found in an anti-vaccination group so of course the advice rendered was horrific. This post was not rare though. There are an untold number of posts, as well as memes, in anti-vaccination such groups, or natural cure groups, concerning the treatment of fevers in children. Most of these posts are filled with what is very likely dangerous advice and claims, and almost all of these posts are authored by people who have no idea what they are talking about. Don't get me wrong, I am also not qualified to advise anyone on treating fevers in children. I am not writing this to correct their claims. A medical professional is the person who should do this correcting. I am writing this to address more than just bad advice on treating fevers. This is about so much more than just fevers. I am writing to call attention to these mommy wannabe doctors on social media. Whether they have delusions of grandeur or are sadistic in nature, the uneducated and unqualified are everywhere on social media and pose a threat to many. Seeking their advice, let alone following it, is about the worst thing you can do for yourself and your loved ones. By Erin K Costello I don’t usually write about the deaths of children, especially babies, but this time I am making an exception. I don’t usually write about these events even though many parents falsely blame vaccines for such deaths. The thought of doing so has always felt wrong and cruel. People like Larry Cook of Stop Mandatory Vaccination have no problem exploiting the deaths of these children for profit. Even though I make zero money off my posts, writing about them still felt wrong. It bothers me that parents wrongly blame vaccinations for these deaths and I know them doing so does causes harm, usually by convincing other parents to stop vaccinating for no reason, but I don’t want to be the one to take the focus of their anger and sadness away, even though they are directing it in the wrong place. I chose to make an exception this time for a couple of reasons. One reason being that this child died over a year ago. Even though I know this mom is still hurting, and always will be hurting, writing this a year later seems more acceptable. The second reason is because there are conflicting accounts of what occurred and I think people should know this. Not because I am accusing the mother of anything, well other than being mistaken, but because I hope other parents will notice this and realize this is a mother who is grieving and not a mother who is understands vaccinations or should be listened to for advice. My heart goes out to the mom. I can see the pain in her face and hear it in her voice when she discusses what happened in a Facebook video. I don’t think she did anything wrong or caused the death of her child. I wish she could find a cause if that would help her come to terms with losing her baby, even if that cause were vaccinations. I see this mom as a victim for losing her daughter, and as a victim to the anti-vaccination community. I believe those in the community have preyed upon her grief and loss for selfish reasons. I know anti-vaccinationists often target grieving parents and I can imaging how vulnerable these parents are during the hardest loss of their lives. I don’t agree with this mom, but I don’t blame her either. Why Is Vaccination Acceptable When Avoiding Death, But Unacceptable When Avoiding Suffering?11/3/2018 By Erin K. Costello As parents we have probably said it a hundred times, maybe even a thousand times; we would gladly take a bullet for our kids. If given the opportunity, we would sacrifice our life for theirs. If we could, we would take away their heartache, disappointment, and failures and lay it on our shoulders. As parents we also say that we would gladly take away their suffering and make it our own. I only know of one type of parent that isn't willing to end such suffering, the anti-vaccinationist parent. For these parents, watching their children suffer, even watching them come close to death, is not only acceptable, it is often times sought out. |
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