No, but if a doctor went outside and found the ground covered with frogs, hopefully he wouldn?t assume that the ground had always been covered with frogs, and claim he was simply getting better at seeing them. That?s what too many doctors say. They claim there hasn?t been an increase in autism, just that we?re better at diagnosing it.
Not pediatrician Jay Gordon. A March 7 Los Angeles Times profile explained that ?[Gordon] acknowledges the benefits of vaccines, but prefers to vaccinate later and slower.? That seems like a reasonable step. But in today?s culture, it?s enough to make Gordon a heretic.
?There is not a single scientific, medical, or public health group that would endorse such a policy,? Dr. Joel Ward, director of UCLA?s Center for Vaccine Research, told the Times. ?It is unorthodox, unsanctioned, and in my view, irresponsible. For those who are not experts in this field to customize the vaccine schedule is dangerous medicine.?
Ward simply echoes the government?s view, which is that vaccines are safe and necessary -- an unquestionable good. Because of that view, doctors are encouraged to vaccinate, and vaccinate quickly, in order to protect the ?greater good? of society. ?When unvaccinated children are in school, they are still less likely to get the disease because their classmates have been vaccinated,? is the way Dr. Jay Lieberman from Miller Children?s Hospital in Long Beach, Calif. phrases it.
But doctors shouldn?t concern themselves with serving the greater good -- they should do what?s in the best interest of each individual patient. After all, if every doctor does what?s best for every patient, the greater good will be served automatically. Unfortunately we?ve moved away from that concept in the rush to give our babies shot after shot.
Like Donald Herbert, millions of children have gone silent in recent years. Their autism may -- or may not -- be related to vaccines. We need to find out for sure, because if we hope to bring them back, we need to find out what causes autism. Otherwise, we?ll never be able to cure it.