UPDATE: Jessica Biel addressed the controversy on her Instagram page, insisting she is not anti-vaxx.
"I am not against vaccinations — I support children getting vaccinations and I also support families having the right to make educated medical decisions for their children alongside their physicians," she writes in her latest post.
ORIGINAL POST
Jenny McCarthy is an actress and a talk show host, but if we're being honest, she's most infamous for her scandalous anti-vaccination campaign. For years, she's told us that vaccinations are dangerous to children and are directly linked to autism. She's insistent that her son Evan was diagnosed with autism after getting the measles vaccination. Her campaign has lost her a lot of fans who say she's spreading dangerous misinformation. Someone even started a website called, "Jenny McCarthy Body Count."
Another actress was outed as an anti-vaxxer on Thursday when she was spotted next to environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., also known for his anti-vaxx agenda, in the California State Assembly. He and Jessica Biel were reportedly lobbying against SB 276, a bill that would limit medical exemptions from vaccination shots.
Kennedy and state lawmakers praised Biel for her attendance and for her efforts against the vaccination legislation.
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Welcome to #caleg, @RobertKennedyJr and @JessicaBiel! Thank you for taking the time to chat about your opposition to #SB276. #caleg #NoOnSB276 pic.twitter.com/AkkWRbPSJk
— Brian W. Jones (@SenBrianJones) June 12, 2019
“She was a very effective advocate,” Kennedy said. “She was very strong and very knowledgeable. Extremely well-informed. An extremely effective advocate. She knows what she’s talking about…She’s upset about this issue because of its particular cruelty. She has friends who have been vaccine-injured who would be forced to leave the state.”
Social media commenters were ruthless, calling Kennedy and Biel misinformed "idiots" and "hypocrites" who were doing nothing but putting their children at risk.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has responded to the autism claims with scientific studies.
Some people have had concerns that ASD might be linked to the vaccines children receive, but studies have shown that there is no link between receiving vaccines and developing ASD. In 2011, an Institute of Medicine (IOM) reportExternal on eight vaccines given to children and adults found that with rare exceptions, these vaccines are very safe.
A 2013 CDC study [PDF – 204 KB]External added to the research showing that vaccines do not cause ASD. The study looked at the number of antigens (substances in vaccines that cause the body’s immune system to produce disease-fighting antibodies) from vaccines during the first two years of life. The results showed that the total amount of antigen from vaccines received was the same between children with ASD and those that did not have ASD.
While Biel's and Kennedy's anti-vaxx efforts are intensifying, the number of reported measles cases are the highest they've been in a quarter century.
The CDC on Monday reported a new total of 981 individual cases of measles across 26 states so far this year. It marks the highest number of cases since 1992. https://t.co/dQjjJ3l3WR
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 4, 2019
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