SafeMinds Outraged That IOM Report Fails American Public

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 18, 2004

CONTACT: Joe Giganti, 703-928-9695
Joe@VeritasMediaGroup.com  

www.SafeMinds.org  

Sensible Action for Ending Mercury-Induced Neurological Disorders

SafeMinds Outraged That IOM Report Fails American Public

Washington, D.C.— SafeMinds—America's leading scientific organization investigating the risks that mercury-containing medical products pose to our children—issued the following statements in response to the release of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Vaccine Safety Committee report on the link between mercury-containing vaccines and autism.

"The IOM has not only compromised their integrity and independence, but also failed the American public, especially mercury-injured children with autism, by towing the CDC, FDA, vaccine industry line. This committee and its report clearly chose to ignore groundbreaking scientific research on the mercury-autism link, and instead the IOM has issued a flawed, incomplete report that continues to put America's children at risk.

"The problem with this report begins with its violation of nearly every tenet of medical science. Respected researchers everywhere do not support the IOM belief that proof can be solely found in epidemiology. Yet, the IOM wants the public to buy into the absurd belief that this report, bought and paid for by the CDC, is complete, independent and trustworthy. Since the committee is disbanding following this report they will not have to answer later for their failures today.
-Lyn Redwood, RN, MSN, NP, president of SafeMinds

"This is the classic bait and switch scheme. The IOM calls hard scientific evidence 'theoretical' and theoretical science hard. This report is a failure by any acceptable scientific standard. By utilizing a series of proven flawed studies as your foundation for another report is not science, it's irresponsible. Keeping America's children at risk so as not to rock the boat is unconscionable.

"SafeMinds is pro-vaccine, as long as every available scientific resource has been used to reasonably guarantee its safety. Saying more clinical evidence is needed, then not supporting the funding of such research is nothing more than Washington double-speak shrouded under the guise of science. The IOM has served neither science nor the American public well here today."
-Mark Blaxill, MBA, director of SafeMinds

"That these groups want the public at large to trust this report as objective, scientific fact is an absolute abuse of the trust so many Americans put into the IOM and the government's health services to protect our families. From the inception of the IOM's involvement in this matter, even government officials openly questioned their ability to truly be free of the we-must-vaccinate-at-any-cost cartel's influence, and this report has left little doubt that the answer is no. This is why Congress must act now to protect our children and pass HR.4169 the Mercury-Free Vaccines Act of 2004.

"You cannot use science as cover for protectionism of vaccine policy, policy makers' reputations and the vaccine industry. Another flawed report—government issued or otherwise—will not stop SafeMinds from continuing its mission to foster science and educate the public."
-Sallie Bernard, executive director of SafeMinds

SafeMinds will post a full analysis of this IOM report on its website (www.SafeMinds.org) in the very near future.

http://vaclib.org/news/iompolitics.htm