Tom Daschle: Friend to Many Autism Families

Nearly 60 percent of all autism parents believe that vaccines played a role in their child's illness, according to a recent survey. Still, their views have been met with scorn and ridicule from most of the scientific community, which insists that the vaccine-autism debate is not only a sham, but over.

These critics, of course, ignore the fact that ongoing investigations into mercury, vaccines and autism continue, and will continue, in the vast medical research apparatus contained within the mammoth US Department of Health and Human Services.

By nominating Tom Daschle to head up the Department, President Elect Obama has selected a man who has demonstrated an unflinching willingness to question vaccine safety, and to fight for the rights of those people who believe they have been, or may be, seriously injured by certain vaccinations.

Senator Daschle is not anti-vaccine, but his record shows his determination to question - and even oppose - vaccine makers and big pharmaceutical interests when it comes to protecting the rights of American medical consumers.

It was in November of 2002 (exactly six years ago) when I got my inspiration to write "Evidence of Harm." The House had just passed the Homeland Security Bill, onto which some unidentified Member (it turned out to be Dick Armey) had attached a last-minute rider granting autism liability protection to all drug companies using the mercury-based preservative thimerosal in US childhood vaccines.

As I wrote in my book, many autism parents mobilized to try to stop the undemocratically amended Bill in the Senate. Their chief allies were Joe Lieberman and Tom Daschle, who authored an amendment to the Homeland Security Bill that included this provision:

Childhood Vaccines

The Republican substitute would take complaints (against drug companies) about vaccine additives out of the courts and require them to be made through what's called the Federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, which handles other vaccine-related claims. This would mean a host of lawsuits could be dismissed, including claims involving the mercury-based preservative, thimerosal, which defendants claim causes autism in children.

The Democratic amendment would strike this provision.

For the parents in my book, there was only a few days before the Senate voted on the homeland bill. As I wrote:

Senate Democrats Tom Daschle and Joe Lieberman were offering an amendment to remove the riders, but no one thought it would be easy. For one thing, the House had already adjourned. If the Senate were to tinker with the legislation, House members would have to be recalled en masse to special session to vote on the revamped bill. In the age of Al Qaeda, and with the winds of war rising in Iraq, such a delay for many lawmakers would be untenable

.

But the Democrats were backing the so-called "Mercury Moms" on this one:

"We are heartened that Senators Lieberman and Daschle are offering an amendment to remove extraneous additions like the thimerosal liability shield from the Homeland Security Act," said Sallie (Bernard, of SAFE MINDS) in the statement. "This addition is an example of all that is wrong with a system of using last minute riders to subvert the legislative process."

On November 15, 2002, Daschle spoke on the Senate floor:

Senator Lieberman and I filed an amendment yesterday that deals with all of the egregious special interest provisions. There is a provision, as you may know, that provides liability protection for pharmaceutical companies that actually make mercury-based vaccine preservatives that actually have caused autism in children. It wipes out all of the litigation.

Still, Republicans were narrowly able to defeat the amendment later that afternoon.

But the next day, Daschle returned to the floor, vowing to fight on. "This isn't over," he said. "But even if we are successful, I don't know if you can put the pieces back together for these families." (The thimerosal provision was removed from the Homeland Bill by an act of Congress in January of 2003).

It wasn't the only time that Senator Daschle would stand up publicly to vaccine makers in favor of prudent public safety.

A less publicized provision of the Lieberman-Daschle Homeland Security amendment read as follows:

SAFETY Act

The Republican substitute would give the Secretary of the new Department broad authority to designate certain technologies as so-called "qualified anti-terrorism technologies." This designation would entitle the seller of that technology to broad liability protection from any claim arising out of, relating to, or resulting from an act of terrorism, including complete immunity in many cases, no matter how negligent the seller. It would cap the seller's liability at the limits of its insurance policy.

The Democratic amendment would strike this provision.

Daschle was a vocal skeptic of the safety of the anthrax vaccine. The US was buying millions of doses at the time, especially after spores were sent to the offices of certain U.S. Officials, including Tom Daschle.

According to the website fiercevaccines.com:

Federal officials believe that Senator Tom Daschle's objections to the anthrax vaccine being given to soldiers may have been a prime reason why he was targeted in the 2001 anthrax attacks. Daschle raised concerns that the vaccine would make members of the National Guard ill--a suggestion that anthrax vaccine researcher Bruce Ivins evidently was angry about.

Speculation has been rampant that Ivins, a federal scientist directly engaged in vaccine research, initiated a series of deadly attacks using anthrax in order to boost interest and funding for his work and perhaps profit from a scramble for a new and better vaccine. Ivins committed suicide on August 1 as the FBI was preparing a case against him.

Other reports claim that government documents show that Daschle staff members were pressuring the Department of Defense to abandon Ivins' vaccine, due to safety concerns.

The military has reported that up to 2% of all military service members may have received debilitating injuries from vaccines they were given. That could mean upwards of 48,000 men and women, some of them likely wounded by the same anthrax vaccine that Senator Daschle was trying to kill.

Again, I am sure that Senator Daschle is not anti-vaccine, and I have no idea what his views are on the vaccine-autism debate today.

But I do know that, six years ago, he said that "mercury-based vaccine preservatives actually have caused autism in children." And I know that he tried to stop production of a vaccine that he felt was hurting far too many people.

I can already anticipate the howls of protest from certain sectors of the scientific community. But I hope they will give the next HHS Secretary the respect and support he will need to tackle autism and all the other health problems we face.

For his open mind and willingness to stand up for consumers - civilian and military - alone, I think that Daschle is a choice that many autism families will support.

If nothing else, his views on vaccine safety issues, including autism, are sure to get a fair and ample hearing at the Senate confirmation hearings.

Finally, speaking of the Homeland Security Bill and the thimerosal rider, this is how I opened the first page of the Prologue of "Evidence of Harm":

Lyn Redwood got the call from a lawyer friend only an hour before the (Homeland Security) vote. The prospects were bad, he told her. It was too late to do much about it now.

It turns out that the "lawyer friend" will probably be working as a senior member of the Obama Administration, right alongside Secretary Daschle.

(Many thanks to www.vaccinationnews.com for help with archived articles)

Related:

Daschle Pick Hailed By Health Care Advocates

Comments

[CamJam]

David,

You know, you might be right. Daschle might very well be the the best man for this job.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, he read the many comments (over 3,500) given on the Health care discussion thread here: http://change.gov/page/content/discusshealthcare

And today, he gave video response on this here:
http://change.gov/newsroom/entry/join_the_discussion_daschles_healthcare_response/

Your article and his quick response today, gives me a glimmer of hope for my one twin son Cameron, and others like him out there.

[AutismNewsBeat]

Sen. Daschle is a reasonable man. I'm sure his decisions regarding vaccines will be informed by the best available science.

[lightandlove]

It feels as though a letter-writing campaign is in order to welcome Tom into his new job, and for him to hear the voice of the people on this issue. Gently, but clear.

[carmel66]

Daschle is not perfect. We need to keep our guard up - but it is a step in the right direction.

[linwessels]

Mr. Kirby,

Perhaps you missed this excerpt from Mr. Daschle"s new book?
Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis
By Tom Daschle
(excerpt p. 32)
Our system is so disjointed it's no wonder we measure up so poorly to other nations when it comes to prevention and care management. Australia has vaccinated more seniors against flu and children against polio.41 The United States has a higher incidence of Hepatitis B, a vaccine-preventable disease, than do Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, and a higher asthma mortality rate than Australia or Canada.42

[nhokkanen]

Daschle's quote reads like a legislative aide's Internet cut-and-pasting. His words need clarification, but his actions have spoken loudly. He has an open mind regarding vaccine injury prevention.

Perhaps his statement provides an argument for giving the Hepatitis B shot much later in life and targeted to specific populations, rather than injecting all vulnerable infants at day one of life and playing a waiting game.

Daschle and his staff need educating about asthma's link to hyper vaccinosis.

[lapeds90]

Why give the Hepatitis B vaccine much later in life? It is highly effective in preventing perinatal Hepatitis B transmission if given within 24 hours of birth.
Infants and children get Hepatitis B either through birth or from a caregiver at home or in the daycare setting.

[jon1998]

This is very good news indeed and thank-you for the historical perspective on why Sen Daschle is the right person for the job! It won't happen today, but justice will eventually prevail for our kids. Hopefully the criminals will likewise be brought to justice. NPR this am just re-ran the tape of the tobacco co CEO's saying "nicotine is not addictive." I can hear them now, "mercury is safe in my opinion had no role in the autism epidemic, oh, i mean better diagnosing of autism."

[bluevalentine]

Thanks David, again.
I've been tring to find a contact for Daschle to ask he open a discussion into vaccine safety.

[Olerist]

When the country voted for change, this is one of the kinds of changes parents who watched their children injured by their vaccines have hoped for in government.

[TimKasemodel]

Thanks for the news David, and insight on the history involved.

Some parents were dissapointed that McCain did not win because he was sympathetic to our interests and voiced opposition to PhARMA. Daschle will do much the same.

Some possible Obama Administration officials have a history regarding thimerosal - Rahm Emmanuel? I think.... The Illinois DoH also went out of their way to escape their ban on thimerosal.

The autism community should recognize that as Obama is trying to unite this country politically, avoiding partisan politics as usual (supporting Lieberman is case in point) he is inviting all sides to the political table. Daschle will simply be bringing in another viewpoint on the vaccine issue.

Having lived thorugh a few years of lobbying for mercury free vaccines in Minnesota, I find once a legislator hears BOTH sides of the vaccine debate, there is a high turnaround rate - that people actually see through the rhetoric and fear tactics of the CDC and State DoH, come to realize that since mercury free vaccines ARE available, there is no argument for continuing to use mercury AT ALL in vaccines. They begin to hear the "misrepresentations" and witness the developing MISTRUST of the vaccine program (google "Somali autism Minnesota" for proof).

I think that Obama will listen intently when the issue comes up. He will be a reasonable
person and realize that GIVING MERCURY TO CHILDREN ON PURPOSE IS STUPID.

Tim Kasemodel
Wayzata, MN

[Kim Stagliano - Huffpost Blogger]

David, in addition to the autism debacle, we also need to just plain fix healthcare. My husband lost his job last week and we are scrambling to figure out how to pay for healthcare (the dreaded COBRA) that doesn't actually cover autism. Isn't that a fine kettle of fish? We need stability and portability in healthcare.

Thanks for keeping us posted.

KIM

[JohnDanStone]

May he continue to listen: we have been lectured for far too long.

[TannersDad]

Small steps. Thank you David. This is not a debate. This is children's lives hanging in the balance without services. Thank you for being a voice of reason in this crazy world. http://www.causecast.org/member/tanners-dad

[Peakdavid]

Thank you, David, for this information on our new Secretary of HHS. It is heartening. After 8 years of hate, including hatred of science, so many parents of autistic children hope that progress can be made and numbers like those in Minnesota, where it is estimated that 1 in 28 Somali children develop autism, can begin to go down and a rational look at an out-of-control vaccine industry and public health bureaucracy can take place.

To any parents of autistic children reading here who have not yet started treatment of their children, please take a look at www.generationrescue.org and begin the healing process. Thousands upon thousands of children have recovered, many to astonishing degrees, and it is never to late to heal a sick child or adolescent.

[Gatogorra]

David-- it's not so far-fetched to wonder if some of these good things are happening because of those original parent activists and because of your book.

My dad died a few weeks ago after having received flu shots for nine years. His sudden decline in health began at the beginning of 2007, just a few weeks after one of my twins was diagnosed with autism and the other with a mysterious language disorder after receiving about 200+ mcg of mercury in their shots. My father stopped the shots on my warning, but it was too late.

My dad had tell-tale numbness in the mouth, feet and hands, began choking, falling and developed a malignant arrhythmia-- all of which are often associated with chronic mercury exposure. My dad never ate risky fish, had no amalgams. He died two weeks after my maternal uncle, who'd been getting flu shots for about the same amount of time, along with travel shots. My uncle died of a type of cancer which normally doesn't metastasize at such a lethal rate-- something else which researchers have speculatively associated with mercury. Certain cancers which metastasize at excellerated rates are associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, which, as we all know, has been associated with the shots. Both my father and uncle were veterans.

Just a long way of saying I'm relieved to hear the news and I hope this appointment comes to pass. I just wish this could have happened earlier.

[jened]

sorry to hear about your dad. My dad just went through a rough patch this summer. His doctor recommended hep b shots (he's like 80 and unlikely to have sex with a random tourist or do drugs). He seems to be doing better lately, though. Condolences.

[Gatogorra]

Thank you, Jened and I have a feeling your dad knew to say no to the shot because of you. Good for him.

They call that gen the "greatest generation" in part because they went through so many wars and social upheavals. And the way they're shown appreciation is to be used as guinea pigs for an endless array of inadaquately tested medical products. It seems that the more symbolically sacred a demographic is-- infants, childlren, soldiers, veterans and elders-- the more likely it is they'll be injured or killed for profit. I hope we're turning a corner on that. My dad only cared about what's being done to the young but it shouldn't be happening to anyone.

[jened]

Great news! Sounds like Senator Daschle will put the HUMAN back into the Department of Human Services. Thanks for reporting on it, David.