I was disappointed in the handling of the measles case in last night's ER episode (2/15/2001). It included distortions that can mislead the public and, ultimately, affect the health of children.
The incidence of autism as well as other chronic, auto-immune diseases (asthma, diabetes, etc.) among children is growing at an alarming rate, and coincides with the increase in the number of vaccinations routinely given to children. The possible relationship between these diseases and various vaccines has been recognized for a generation.
Some physicians have offered the explanation that the chemicals included in vaccines tamper with the body's immune system, both suppressing and over-stimulating, until the immune system finally starts attacking itself. New vaccines put forth by drug companies are being accepted by pediatricians and, in many cases, mandated by state laws, without the necessary long-term studies to guarantee safety.
In last night's episode, the ER doctor dismisses these concerns with statements that there is "no relationship" between vaccines and autism, and that "vaccines improve the immune system." Parents who take the time to study the risks and benefits, and make their own choice against vaccination, rather than leaving it up to the experts, are dismissed as "fringe lunatics."
The statistic of "1 in 500 children die from measles" does not take into account the previous health of the child, management of the disease, other complications, etc. In fact, this type of statement is often used by doctors to scare parents who question vaccine safety and make them fall into line.
I would encourage you to balance the scales by presenting the other side of the issue. You might present an episode where a child dies or becomes severely retarded following a vaccination. The parents then decide not to give that vaccine to their younger child but are hounded by health and child welfare authorities because of state vaccination laws. If you want to study some real-life cases for background information, the National Vaccine Information Center at 1-800-909-SHOT or http://www.909shot.com/ could surely provide them. (Believe me, this situation is no more rare than a health child dying of measles.)
Martha Fitzgerald
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I'm quite sad to say this, as a loyal viewer and fan of ER, but I believe the Thursday, February 15 show was the last one I'll ever watch. And, unfortunately, I'll most likely give up Will and Grace as well as the West Wing and Law and Order and Law and Order SVU.
In your thinly disguised propaganda piece for vaccine manufacturers ER just goes beyond anything a reasonable, fair-minded production should do.
You vacated the principle I wrongly believed was one of the tenets for ER.
I have not always agreed with the story lines of certain characters and, frankly, this is the last straw. When you portrayed the woman who was into herbs as slightly kooky and astral, I let that pass, when you have had highly medicated, technical, overly complicated births, I've let those pass. I mean after all, I expect you to portray the allopathic opinion as this is an "ER" docudrama.
But the vaccine episode was the end. The only accurate part of this story line was the condescension and pretentiousness as well as the close-mindedness and parroting of the physicians.
This wasn't a case of strong arguments on both sides where a doctor disagrees with a patients desires or doctors differ about treatments -- those story lines catch you and make you think -- that is one thing I've always admired about the show, it's ability to put people between a rock and hard place with no definitive answer.
Not only was the vaccine information presented inaccurate and highly inflammatory, but it was delivered so condescending and patronizing as to make me feel physically ill.
It only takes a short look to determine that physicians are not always correct in what they believe and do -- vaccine doses, administration schedules and formulas are as different around the globe as the languages and colors of the people who inhabit this planet. This is not the proven, safe, effective treatment physicians would have us believe it is.
In addition, your portrayal of this woman as a blabbering ninny is incomprehensible and unforgivable. In the time I have been researching this subject and making decisions (going on 11 years now), I have found people who opt out of the vaccine roulette game to be intelligent, educated and VERY concerned about their children. They know and understand concepts and information that would make you shrink and hide in the closet. For most of us this has come at a dear price.
For me, my first son became quite ill the day after his first shot. I thought he was going to die. From that day, until the time I quit doing what our pediatrician told us to do,he was one sick child.
For many of us parents, this can be categorized under the heading "More than We Wanted to Know." I was brought up in a midwestern state by a highly-educated mom who was a physical therapist and convinced me that any other approach was just quackery. I did not come to CHANGE my beliefs easily or quickly. (Which BTW, I think most of us conscientious objectors are converts)
It was only after much agony and strenuous research I discovered the dangers and issues associated with this process. (11 years ago there WAS NO internet for us, just a few books and a couple of people willing to question this). Just like the woman in your story line I was LIED to! I live in Minnesota where it is a parents' free choice to opt out of this dangerous and untested practice. Guess what?!?!? NO ONE, not one single person advised me I had the right to opt out of this. Why would the doctors and others have to lie if this was such a great, safe, effective thing?
It is this dissociative, mechanistic view of the world that causes the problems. I too have been patronized by the John Carters, Deb Chens and Cleo Finch's of the world. In most cases I was well into adulthood before these children were out of their diapers!
In this case, I have a free choice to discontinue viewing a tv show blatantly bought and paid for by big drug money.
Celia Cezzium
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From Feat www.feat.org:
The Mean Spirit of NBC's ER Episode
Commentary and Letters
It is perhaps, the most overused cliché in medical television drama. The patient lies motionless on a platform in surgery or the emergency room surrounded by medical types in high drama. Everyone is racing to resuscitate a cardiac arrest. "Clear!" shouts the rescuer. Paddles are slapped down on the victim's chest. The lifeless body arch in response to the thumping sound of electricity supplied with a jolt.
The pulse is checked. Nothing. Again, "Clear" is shouted and another jolt is hopefully applied, this time with some success. "I'm getting a pulse!" shouts a tech or nurse. Cautious sighs of relief are passed around to everyone in room, and also to the loved ones observing from a distance. Most of the time the viewer can guess whether the patient is going to make it or not depending on the context of the plot.
On last night's episode of NBC's ER, this cliché played out again with a handsome blond-hair, blue-eyed, nourished, four year old boy with morbid complications from measles. The mother explains that she intentionally did not have her children inoculated out of her concern over possible vaccine side effects. Autism is specifically mentioned. The boy gets his heart restarted, but he remains unconscious and motionless.
"Is he ok?" asks the frightened mother. "Yea, he's doing fine," the doctor sarcastically sneers back without looking at her. Portraying the mother as suburban and articulate highlights the contempt. This is not white trash operating from ignorance. No sir, this is one of those educated moms who gets her information on vaccines and autism from questionable sources on the Internet and not the family pediatrician.
Every word of dialog that addresses the mother from that point on is expressed with utter contempt. The writers could have added the phrase "you stupid, irresponsible twit" to end of every sentence spoken to her. The boy dies shortly thereafter. You couldn't make it any more heavy handed without having the ER set morphing into a Smack Down Wrestling event.
Considering that this publication is the most-read, highest profile independent source of information on autism and vaccines on the Internet, the program's references are to you, our readers, and to us, the FEAT newsletter. We had a role in killing that beautiful, innocent little boy, is the implication.
The mean spiritedness of NBC's ER message can only add heat, not light to the public conversation now going on about the safety of vaccines. The desire for parents to make informed decisions about their children's health should be encourage, and not vilified with comic book theatrics like the ER production.
The autism community demonstrates every day its commitment to a fair handed and competent education of ourselves on the issue of vaccines and their safety.
With the incidence of autism being at its historical high, it is only a matter of time before someone close in the family of an ER writer or producer has an autistic child. It is only a matter of time before someone in the family of a programming executive at NBC gets autism. And when that happens we suggest that you avoid your own spin and theatrical productions; it won't help you much. We suggest you come here to get a balanced presentation of the facts on vaccines and autism.
When you come you will find a responsible commitment to the facts, and not theatrics and scare tactics, if you read this newsletter.
You will find that we do not sneer sarcastically at families who suddenly find themselves with disasters like autism or any of the other possible side effects of vaccines, no matter where you come from, hometowns or Hollywood. We won't bash you - simply because at the least, you have now become one of us. It's just a matter of time.
Lenny Schafer
P.S.
From the early letters, a number of readers noted the contradiction of ER Show star Anthony Edwards and character Dr. Green, being connected to this production. Edwards is a high-profile supporter of autism research and works closely with Cure Autism Now (CAN). Often it is asked, "Why didn't he say something to someone about this awful presentation of parents concerned about autism?"
Jon Shestack of CAN provides following explanation of Edward's role.
I have spoken with Anthony Edwards who did not agree nor endorse that storyline and was in fact distressed by the patronizing dismissal of family concerns about vaccine safety. Evidence of this is that Tony's, character, Dr. Green, did not participate in that story.
The idea for the episode rests totally with John Wells who is the executive producer and creator of the show and who basically gets to do what he wants. That he was influenced by his pediatrician, the American Academy of Pediatricians, the National Institute of Child Health, and vaccine manufacturers is possible and even likely but totally beyond Tony's sphere of influence.
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First the vaccine commercial with the episode (who say's advertisers don't pay for Hollywood scripts), then the worst case of scare tactics I have ever seen on TV. ER and those associated with that program should be ashamed of themselves. Bought and paid for to the highest bidder. At the very least they should disclose in the credits the names of the scriptwriters from Merck who wrote this fiction.
First Hollywood makes "Rain Man" and tells us it's about autism, later we find out the character the story is based in part, on someone who is not even autistic! Now tonight Hollywood does it again, this time serving as the mouthpiece of the vaccine manufacturers and their cronies in the public health department telling us about autism and MMR, nothing based on science mind you, only scare tactics designed to coerce parents into vaccinating their children at all costs.
Hollywood should stick to what it does best: making cartoons.
Rick Rollens
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WOW!! I can't believe what I just saw on ER tonight. Did you do your homework? What a pathetic display of misinformation. Do you have any idea of how many families are touched by horrible reactions to vaccination (including death)? If your actors were aware of the truth would they agree to portray this information in the light it was presented? I find the timing of this program quite ironic with all the controversy over the validity and safety of our current vaccination program. I sure hope you are prepared to present the other side of this story.
A funny thing happened to me about a month ago. I was at one of our local elementary schools to do a presentation.
During the two hours I was there two students presented to the school nurse, one with mumps and one with measles. Both were vaccinated.
What's up with that?
You lost a viewer.
Yvonne Wood, D.C.
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Parents of children of with Autism are accustomed to humiliation. For thirty years, mothers were blamed and humiliated for causing their children's illness. These days parents face the humiliation of stares and comments from the misinformed public as we go about the concerns of daily living. We are humiliated as we beg the medical community to turn their attention to this long neglected area of medical research.
We are humiliated as we beg doctors to look at our children's physical as well as behavioral symptoms. We are humiliated as we beg educators to teach rather than baby-sit our children. Last night you ensured that thousands of parents would continue to be humiliated, when you dismissed the possible nexus between vaccines and autism and, by example, help make it publicly acceptable to treat parents who have concerns about vaccines with contempt and disdain.
I challenge you, NBC, to do better. Because of Anthony Edward's support for autism research, we parents have looked to ER as a place of comfort and advocacy. Why not take a stand for our children, by creating an episode where regressive autism and what really happens to parents and children on this journey are depicted in a realistic way?
And, having profited from dismissing our children during sweeps month, why not share those profits by making a generous donation toward Autism research? It is not too late to put things right here.
Heather Coburn Snyder
