For Sen. Maggie Hassan, the falsehoods which were unfold about any hyperlink between vaccines and autism are past the pale—and hit near dwelling.
The Democratic senator from New Hampshire on Thursday confronted one of the crucial influential disseminators of this conspiracy concept, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., at his affirmation listening to to probably grow to be the following Secretary of Well being and Human Providers beneath the Trump administration.
Quite a few research have proven no hyperlink between autism and vaccines and the National Institute of Health calls any claims on the contrary “nonscientific” and “pure myths.” The conspiracy concept got here from paper printed within the journal The Lancet, which claimed to have outcomes from a research exhibiting a definitive hyperlink between the MMR vaccine and autism. Nonetheless, the paper was later discovered to be “flawed by extreme analysis misconduct, battle of pursuits, and doubtless falsehood” and the article was retracted.
Regardless of this, Kennedy has been one of many loudest champions for the debunked concept, founding an anti-vaccine nonprofit and saying as just lately as 2023 that vaccines brought about autism. In accordance with the Related Press, he has taken a step again from this advocacy since being the HHS nominee.
At Tuesday’s listening to, Hassan requested Kennedy instantly about his function in spreading this misinformation. She defined that for her, the lies felt private.
“I’m the proud mom of a 36 years previous younger man with extreme cerebral palsy,” she mentioned, rising emotional. “And a day doesn’t go by after I do not take into consideration what I did I do after I was pregnant with him that may’ve brought about the hydrocephalus that has so impacted his life. So please don’t recommend that anyone on this physique of both political occasion would not need to know what the reason for autism is.”
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