Comments on: Age of Autism get annoyed at Amanda Peet

By: Sharon

Sharon — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:41:58 +0000

Thank you Amanda Peet from another mum with an autistic child. I want all children to be healthy and protected and the rise in measles is very worrying. I’m also fed up with the horrid “toxic child” talk that the autism-vaccines crowd engage it.

It’s time to engage in the real issues.
Don’t let the nasty talk get you down.

By: Doctor Doom

Doctor Doom — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:22:38 +0000

Thanks go out to Amanda Peet who took the great parenting step of actually contacting an expert on the topic of vaccines (Dr. Offit of CHOP, of course – the “guy who wrote the book”) in order to get a better handle on an issue that can be confusing these days for a parent trying to do the right thing for their child. Then she took the extra step of actually discussing her decision and beliefs with an interviewer and got the message out that somebody in the entertainment industry believes in the reality that vaccines and autism are not related. Wow.

Thank you again, Ms. Peet!

By: Emily

Emily — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:18:15 +0000

Ms. Peet: Kudos to you, not necessarily for having common sense (which you do), but for having the courage to come out and say what people with common sense already know. You are probably by now aware that anger and helplessness are in the driver’s seat for many people who want to blame vaccines for their child’s autism, and it is dignified and brave of you to stand up in the face of that and state the facts, coolly and clearly.

As you can see, there is much in the way of anger and threats from the folks who disagree with you, but little to nothing in the way of facts to counter what you say. Bless you for your courage and sensibility. For any number of reasons, your imprimatur on the side of sense carries far more weight than the opinions of someone with a degree from “Google U” advocating for hysteria.

By: The Latest Players in the Vaccine Drama

The Latest Players in the Vaccine Drama — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:05:32 +0000

[...] about vaccines and what they do and what they don’t. Peet has (no surprise here) aroused quite a bit of scorn, anger, fury, from proponents of the hypothesis that vaccines or something in vaccines can be linked to [...]

By: Club 166

Club 166 — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:29:27 +0000

Ms. Peet,

Thank you for both listening to reason, as well as having the guts to speak out on this issue. As both a physician and a parent to a child with autism, I feel that not only is all the energy devoted to the “vaccines cause autism” idea grossly wasted, it is also harmful to the population as a whole.

My apologies (on behalf of the majority of parents of children with autism) for all the heat you are taking and will take from a misguided vocal minority.

Joe

By: Oldfart

Oldfart — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:01:48 +0000

Ms. Peet – I whole-heartedly support your research and conclusions in this matter and hope you have the courage to carry on. These people (the anti-vaxers) can get very nasty but keep your head up – there are many of us behind you!

By: Jen

Jen — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:17:42 +0000

Ms. Peet-

Thank you so much for speaking out on this issue. I’m sure that you are going to take a lot of heat for it, but as the parent of 3 autistic children, I thank you. It’s so important that our time, energy and money go towards enabling our children to live the most full lives that they can, instead of wasting all of this energy on anti-vaccine nonsense that has been disproved by actual science time and time again.

I admire your bravery in speaking up- thank you, and please know that your efforts are worthwhile.

Jen

By: Dawn

Dawn — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:28:35 +0000

Ms Peet: Thank you for making a stand and being both intelligent in your research and vocal in your findings. It’s very refreshing to hear about the celebrity families who think with their brains.

Best of health and good wishes to you and your family.

By: Catherina

Catherina — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:06:22 +0000

I second Bunny and CS.

Well done Ms Peet!

By: isles

isles — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 06:49:21 +0000

Actually, Susan, it is you who is wrong.

Your LLM and your husband’s engineering degree don’t confer on you any special resistance to the logic block that afflicts some parents of autistic kids. They get it in their heads that vaccines must be involved, and can’t get past it, in spite of overwhelming evidence. Apparently this has happened to you.

I don’t believe that your doctors agree that your children were made autistic by vaccines, unless you take them to some enterprising doc who’s figured out it’s easy to get business by sucking up to parents who think they’re smarter than the average AAP member. More likely your doctors are humoring you to keep you from stomping off and placing your kids in the clutches of some chiropractor or homeopath.

There is no science supporting anti-vaccine claims. Only sciencey-sounding woo. They’re easily confused by people who want very badly to be able to blame vaccines.

Parasites is exactly the right word for people who coast on other people’s willingness to get their kids vaccinated for the sake of their own health AND that of others. Does it sting? If it does, it means down deep you know it’s true.