Illinois SB 1410
Vaccination while an important tool in public health is not always 100% safe for 100% of the
population. I am opposed to SB 1410 in it’s present form but would however, support an
amendment inserting language that allowed for a philosophical or personal belief exemption due
to the following reasons;
• During the 2013-2014 school year, 98.05% of all Illinois schoolchildren were in compliance
with immunization requirements.
• Thimerosal, a preservative that was routinely used in vaccines and had been grandfathered in
for use in vaccines never underwent rigorous safety studies prior to use, except one in the
1930’s by Eli Lilly, the manufacturer and the 22 people in that study all died of meningitis.
• The Material Safety Data Sheet for thimerosal stated it should never be combined with
aluminum, which it was; from the 1999 MSDS; thimerosal can cause; “Nervous System and
Reproductive Effects; Effects of exposure in children may cause mild to severe mental
retardation; Hypersensitivity to mercury is a medical condition aggravated by exposure;
Hazardous substance, toxic waste disposal”.
• Thimerosal is 49.6% ethylmercury and while it leaves the blood quickly, studies have shown
that it accumulates in the kidneys, liver and brain where it becomes inorganic mercury and may
remain there for more than six months.
• In a study from the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Medicine, they had shown thimerosal to
cause apoptosis and strip away neuronal synapsis by altering the cell membrane structure of
developing neurons.
• Thimerosal had been banned for use in vaccines in the Soviet Union in the 1980’s because
studies had shown it toxic to cells and capable of changing the cells properties.
• Studies have shown that thimerosal depletes intracellular glutathione in dendritic cells and that
it affected human lymphocytes at levels 100 times less than those in a multi-dose vaccine.
• While the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended the removal or reduction of
thimerosal in routine childhood vaccines in 1999, it is still present in all multi-dose flu
vaccines and was not recalled so some thimerosal containing vaccines remained on the shelves
for years, including for those children born in 2002, whose birth cohort represents the highest
incidence of children with autism, 1 in 68.
• Poul Thorson, one of the authors on the Danish studies which are often touted as refuting a link
between vaccines and autism is one of the FBI’s most wanted fugitives for absconding with
over $1 Million and has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of wire fraud and
money laundering based on a scheme to steal grant money the CDC had awarded to
governmental agencies in Denmark for autism research.
• Recently, a CDC employee, who was a co-author on one of the studies often cited as declaring
no link to vaccines and autism, was granted whistleblower status by the U.S. Justice
Department in order to share his regret at having fudged data that would have indicated an
increased risk in African American males. He is presently working with a member of
Congress sharing over 300 pages of information previously withheld from the public.
• Vaccination in certain individuals can result in a severe allergic reaction, Guillain- Barre’
Syndrome, brachial neuritis, thrombocytopenia, demyelinating disorders, encephalopathies,
seizure disorders, and other adverse reactions.
• Vaccines contain preservatives, antigens and antibiotics that some individuals may not tolerate
therefore they may be at risk for increased harm if injected with a substance they may not
know is harmful for them.
• When administered a live-virus containing vaccine, persons with
immunodeficiencies may be at risk for contracting the disease.
• In September of 1993 the Institute of Medicine would acknowledge causation
of measles vaccine and death from measles vaccine strain viral infection.
• Congress passed the National Children’s Vaccine Injury Compensation Act in 1986 (NCVIA)
where awards are paid out of a fund from a tax on vaccines. The ACT prevents people from
seeking damages for vaccine injuries, even deaths, in civil courts. Even though more than $2
billion dollars has been paid out in damages, 2 out of 3 petitioners are denied by the
Government’s Special Masters and many of those awards that are paid out are sealed by Health
and Human Services (HHS).
• In February of 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court would rule that; “The NCVIA preempts all
design-defect claims against vaccine manufacturers brought by plaintiffs seeking compensation
for injury or death caused by a vaccine’s side effects.”
• What other product is there where a manufacturer can lobby the government to mandate it and
at the same time protect it from any liability, even if it causes death?
This creates a lack of accountability for those who manufacture, recommend and administer
vaccines.
• Since we do not genotype prior to vaccination, children with genetic susceptibilities such as
mitochondrial disorders may be vulnerable to adverse events if administered multiple vaccines
in one visit as happened with Hannah Poling, a nine year old girl who was awarded a $1
million settlement with $500,000 paid to her every year thereafter for her care after she
regressed developmentally after receiving nine vaccines in one visit.
• The Vaccine Industry is is a multi-billion dollar industry, with a market of $33 billion in 2014
with anticipated revenue projections to reach $57.8 billion by 2019 with the largest market
being North America.
• PhRMA (an organization made up of 59 member companies) has 1,100 lobbyists on Capitol
Hill and has spent billions in lobbying over the past decade.
• Conflicts of interest are often waived for members of the Advisory Committee on
Immunization Practices or for those who influence their decisions.
• Parents need to know that any substance injected into their child has been rigorously tested for
safety and that the control for that testing was inert and not another potentially neurotoxic
substance. Vaccines need to be tested for real world applications, as multiple vaccines are
administered at the same visit they should be first tested and proven safe to be given in that
combination.
• 71 vaccines are recommended before age 18, parents should have the ability to decide if a
specific vaccine is safe for their individual child considering their personal health status and
susceptibility to potential adverse reactions. With the option of a philosophical exemption,
parents may choose more vaccinations they feel are for the most serious diseases as opposed to
an all or nothing exemption.
• Some parents have moral objections to the HPV vaccination, as HPV is a sexually transmitted
disease and some have objections to aborted fetal cells used in preparation for some vaccines.