Skepticism

Donald Trump Thinks Vaccines Cause Autism

Science thinks they don't.

But to quote fellow Skepchick Mindy, "He's probably right about the autism-vaccine link. I mean, he really blew that whole issue of Obama's birth certificate wide open.

 

 

He has a theory. Case closed.
Happy Autism Awareness Day!

Image via 

 

 

Elyse

Elyse MoFo Anders is the bad ass behind forming the Women Thinking, inc and the superhero who launched the Hug Me! I'm Vaccinated campaign as well as podcaster emeritus, writer, slacktivist extraordinaire, cancer survivor and sometimes runs marathons for charity. You probably think she's awesome so you follow her on twitter.

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39 Comments

  1. *bangs head through desk into ground, strikes oil*
     
    Of course this is Fox "News" where uninformed people go to know more wrong things today than they did yesterday. 

  2. This isn't news.  The news story here is that an idiot said something stupid and a talk show host actually got the right information out.  They said that the evidence doesn't support it.  What people thought was the cause hasn't been a factor in the increasing rates since it was removed.  They pulled science out and slapped a moron around with it.  As icing on the cake they happened to be on Fox News.  

    1. Someone said the evidence doesn't support it? I didn't even hear that. People aren't listening to the brief aside by the host, they're listening to Trump's rant. That's sadly the way it work. Vacuous celebrity says something wrong and harmful loudly and with confidence, mild mannered host utters brief and quiet correction, viewers believe vacuous celebrity. There's solid evidence that people don't change their minds after hearing corrections, in this case you have clebrity, volume, anecdotes, and word count on the side of idiocy.

    2. Seems Snarp has got the idea mostly right, except for one small detail: Mildmannered vacuous host makes brief counter case to appear "fair and balanced," and provide Fox with evidence of such in case someone sues them for being a party to airing Trump's dangerous and stupid anti-vax polemic. The host is a puppet with a lawyer providing the voice.

      1. Or maybe, just maybe, she actually looked into the topic.
        Either way he didn't get a chance to fire off BS without the public hearing that there was an alternative idea based on a little thing we call evidence.  

    3. She did mention it, but her mention was small and meek compared to Trump's tirade, and he also got the last word. What she did was better than nothing, but not the best that could have happened. (though possibly the best that could have happened on Fox)  Snarp and Robro are right, unfortunately.

  3. You know, him saying that might actually do more to harm the anti-vaxer movement than good… I mean no one in their right mind would blindly accept Mr Trumps views especially since he's neither a doctor or a scientist and he offers up no proof of his claim… *taps on shoulder*… oh excuse me, someone wants to tell me something?…*whispers*… who's Jenny McCarthy?…*angry whispers*… WTF? are you serious?… oh god, I'm just gonna go over to this corner and cry a little.

  4. Yet again, "The Donald" proves that he is nothing but Costanza in a bad hairdo.

  5. He's building a massive golf course on a nature reserve just outside my city (Aberdeen, Scotland) and is fulfilling all the terrible prophecies made by the people who were against it.  A new, big golf course could be a good thing, of course, but he's doing what we all knew he would and is using his 'influence' to get involved in our national politics.  He's talking at the Scottish Parliament this month about how he'll stop production of the course if they allow offshore wind farms to be built because some of the rich people might be able to see them from their windows, and he's trying to get himself on the committee for alternative energy in Scotland (in order to stop these things).  He also got pissed that our police (who have actual police stuff to do) weren't providing unpaid security to his building site.  

    He's such a dick.  It would be laughable if it weren't so serious.

    1. I'm probably exposing myself as the geekiest person on this site when I say this, but I was very happy when the Donald's pet golf course was held up because he was using a Coat of Arms without proper authorization from the Lord Lyon.
       
      Unfortuneately the Lord Lyon let him simply register a new Coat of Arms this January, despite the fact he's only supposed to register Arms for gentleman. And I thought he was the least gentlemanly person ever created before I saw him take this antivaxer nonsense seriously.
       
      Good for Gretchen arguing with him. If only she'd been more aggressive about it. Ussually I only see her getting ripped to shreds on the Daily Show, so it was nice to see her using her brain for once.

      1. I'm not naming any names, but it should be obvious by now that the contest for "geekiest person on this site" would be a truly EPIC battle!
        There's a good chance you wouldn't even make it into the top ten! :)

  6. I've had more vaccinations, more shots, drugs and operations performed on me since I was a little child, like the Trump *cough* Chump *cough* keeps telling people are the bad things and those things causing all the problems. What he fails to realize is there are a lot of factors leading into Autism, it's not going to be an "all of the sudden" thing, there are signs from birth and in the months that follow. We have no cause but I love how he proceeds to say something along the lines of "it's the vaccinations fault, but I love the vaccinations" well…which is it? I'm alive, I'm healthy (ish), sure I've got burn scars over 80% of my body but him saying that the vaccine is the sole catalyst is like me saying I got my boosters and 2 months later my house exploded…There's nothing sound to back up that claim. Remember when he was relevant?
    I don't

  7. strangequark, I think I speak for all Americans when I offer my sincere apologies for inflicting Donald Trump on Scotland. Is there any chance one of your countrymen could bake a haggas pie and throw it in Trump's face? Here's the deal – one free iPad for every haggas pie thrown in Trump's face. No limit. It's the least we can do.

  8. Wow, the beginning of this clip is pretty painful too.

    "My cologne smells like money."
    "Speaking of money, does Obama have a problem with Capitalism?"

    /facepalm

  9. What a self-important bag of fat & meat.  I bet when the guy masturbates, he does so to pictures of himself.

  10. I think the man is jsut an idiot. Just trying to figure out if it is in the Rush media sellout kind of way or if he is just blinded by his own arrgoance. 

    1. Meh, I think it's a form of masturbation.  He's got a huge ego and it makes him feel satisified when he can speak with authority on big media.  But what I'm not sure of is that he realizes he's just another stuff, grumpy old white guy with a grapefruit sized prostate.

  11. Elyse,
    My mom kind of agree with Donald Trump, except she thinks it the thymarthal.

    1. Well, the interesting thing about that is that thimerosal hasn't been in vaccines since 2002 and autism rates are going up anyway. Tell your mom to get her damn shots and she's too old to catch the autism.

      1. Elyse,
        If that's true, than why has my mom specifically had to ask vaccine providers not to include them in the vaccines?

        1. I should clarify. It was removed from childhood vaccines because of concerns over the autism link. However there are a few vaccines, such as the flu shot, that still contain the ingredient. 
          I'm not acutally an autism expert, but I'm fairly certain adults don't catch it… and even if they could, they can't get it from thimerosal because thimerosal doesn't cause autism.

          1. Elyse,
            Thanks for the clarification.  I replied to my own comment to clarify what I was saying before I saw your reply, just in case someone else sees this and is confused by it.

          2. The powers that be decided to remove thimerosal from pediatric vaccines.  There are at least four pediatric influenza vaccines that do not have thimerosal.  There are also about three for adults without thimerosal,  and some with just a trace.  Here is a list:
            http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/VaccineSafety/ucm096228.htm
            So your mother can ask about getting a specific brand with that information.  Though it is curious that she is afraid of getting autism. ;-)

  12. Using anti-vax logic, I present a syllogism. 
    2000  Thimerisal in vaccines.  Autism rates 1 in 400.
    2001  Thimerisal removed.  Rates increase.
    2011  Autism rates  1 in 80.  
    Therefore, thimerisal was clearly protecting a large number of children from autism.
     

  13. Kevinf: I will be stealing ths argument for use in the future.  That is the kind of thing that could make their head hurt and I fully support that.

  14. Trump evidently isn't content just making us puke at his disgusting TV "reality" shows, he now wants to bring back measles and polio.    It is amazing and sad that he has any fans at all.  i guess an expensive endangered dead animal placed on your head by an expensive hairdresser is really all you need to be considered a public intellectual by Fox and Friends. 

  15. Donald Trump "thinks"!!!
    Now that is funny!  Perhaps if THAT  were true it would have warranted all the headlines.

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