Vaxxed Documentary Premieres Despite Outcry From Scientists
Following its axe from the Tribeca Film Festival, Vaxxed: From Cover Up to Catastrophe has debuted at the Angelika Film Center in New York, receiving an estimated $22,000 in ticket sales.
Image Credit: Daniel Pacquet (Flickr)
The documentary was directed by Dr Andrew Wakefield, who in 1998 released a medical paper suggesting there was a link between the MMR vaccine and Autism. The controversial research caused him to lose his medical license.
The film reveals details of a whistleblower at the CDC who claims to have covered up data that would match Wakefield’s research and suggest there is a scientific link between the vaccine and children on the autistic spectrum.
Producers of the film assert that their message is not anti-vaccine, but that they want more research to be done to increase vaccine safety.
The film was cut from the film festivals program due to increased pressure from the scientific community and festival sponsors.
Scroll down to see the WeAreChange.org review of the documentary.
Read more here, here and here.
Vaccine Laws Worldwide
In some countries, there is a mandate that requires vaccination (including the MMR jab) as a condition for school attendance.
In the US, schools will refuse to enroll children without the correct certificate of inoculation.
The laws in the US vary from state to state. For example, in Iowa, the law allows for a religious exemption from school vaccinations. However, it must be shown to be a genuine religious opposition: “with a genuine and sincere religious belief and that the belief is in fact religious and not based merely on philosophical, scientific, moral, personal, or medical opposition to immunizations.”
State laws sometimes allow for exclusion of students with vaccinations during an emergency or outbreak.
You can read a breakdown of USA school vaccine laws here.
Australia also has strict vaccine requirements. In January of this year a new vaccine law was introduced stating that parents who refused to vaccinate their children would have their childcare benefits withdrawn.
In the UK vaccines are voluntary, however it has been alleged that certain tactics are used to encourage compliance. For example, this article suggests that as older children may consent to a vaccine even with a parent’s opposition, the National Health Service has specifically targeted vaccine information aimed at children to encourage them to submit without parental consent.
For information about vaccinations in Thailand, see here and here.
Watch: WeAreChange.org review of the Vaxxed:
