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by Dr. Joseph Mercola
from
Mercola Website
A formal investigation
has been launched by French authorities against two managers from
drug companies GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi Pasteur. A
second investigation for manslaughter has also been opened against
Sanofi Pasteur MSD.
The investigations are in response to allegations that the companies
failed to fully disclose side effects from an anti-hepatitis B drug
used between 1994 and 1998.
During this time, close to two-thirds of the French population, and
almost all newborn babies, received a hepatitis B vaccine.
The vaccination campaign was halted after concerns rose over the
shot’s side effects.
Thirty plaintiffs, including the families of five people who died
after the vaccination, have launched a civil action in the case
against the drug companies.
Sources:
Reuters February 1, 2008
Dr. Mercola's
Comments:
In the United States, the hepatitis B vaccine is recommended
for all newborns before they are discharged from the hospital.
These recommendations are inexcusable.
It finally seems that the drug companies will be held
responsible for the consequences of giving this dangerous
vaccine to infants.
Why it Makes No Sense to Give the Hepatitis B Vaccine to
Newborns
Folks, let’s make on thing perfectly clear here, hepatitis B is
VERY difficult to catch. You nearly always need to have blood or
sexual contact of some sort with an infected carrier. That is
why the main risk factors for hepatitis B are IV drug abusers
and those who engage in sex with multiple partners.
This, of course, makes it nearly impossible for a newborn to
contract hepatitis B, unless his mother already has it.
Further, vaccine-derived immunity is thought to be short-lived,
and between 30 percent to 50 percent of vaccinated individuals
may lose their antibodies within seven years.
Meanwhile, up to 60 percent of people who initially respond will
lose detectable antibodies within 12 years. So that means that
by the time these newborns get to the age when they could
potentially engage in the risky behaviors that would put them at
risk of hepatitis B, their childhood vaccine will provide little
to no protection.
The central nervous system of a newborn infant is also
particularly susceptible to toxic influences. This is one of the
reasons why the hepatitis B vaccine is such a problem. If it
were given later in life, as is done in many other countries, it
would not be as problematic.
Even so, this vaccine is still associated with numerous side
effects, such as an increased risk of multiple sclerosis and
rheumatoid diseases.
Do Your Homework Before Vaccinating: The Drug
Companies Won’t do it For You
Aside from highlighting the extreme lack of common sense that
goes along with vaccinating a newborn against a disease they
have a rare chance of getting until they’re much older, this
article points out, once again, that the drug companies are not
on your side.
Their primary motivation is in making profits, and if that means
covering up side effects to make you believe a vaccination is
safe, they will likely do it.
Remember, you do have the right to refuse vaccinations, and
there are two basic axioms you should never forget.
-
Nobody, anywhere
or any time and under any circumstances has the right or
power in this country to immunize you or your children
against your will and conviction. If they attempt to do so,
you can legally charge them with "assault with a deadly
weapon" and have the full resources of the law behind you.
-
At all times in
attempting to avoid unwanted immunization, you have the Law
of the Land behind you. Those who would try to vaccinate you
against your will are on very shaky ground. Into every
compulsory immunization law in America are written legal
exceptions and waivers, which are there specifically to
protect you from the attempted tyranny of officialdom. It is
not only your right, but your obligation to use them, if
this is what your conscience tells you.
While all 50 states
have immunization requirements, 28 allow parents to opt out for
medical or religious reasons. Another 20 states allow parents to
opt out for personal or philosophical reasons as well.
My previous article,
How to Avoid Unwanted Immunizations of All
Kinds, lays out your opt-out steps in greater detail.
Dangerously Misguided Universal Infant Hepatitis B Vaccination
Policy
from
Mercola Website
The central fact, and the one that helps to explain these insane
recommendations, is that the maker of hepatitis B vaccine, Merck,
makes one billion dollars a year from this vaccine.
A billion dollars a year goes a long way toward influencing public
policy.
Who is behind
this?
The group that is pushing this through is called The
Hepatitis B coalition. Part of the Immunization Action
Coalition, this group was started by a $750,000 grant from
the CDC.
It is supported by:
-
the World
Health Organization
-
World Bank
-
Rockefeller
Foundation
-
ongoing
funding from Smith-Kline, Merck, Aventis and Johnson &
Johnson
Let us not forget
that it has been less than three years since the federal
government asked the drug companies to take mercury out of this
vaccine, and they still haven't complied.
I have seen many dozens of children who were given this vaccine
on the first day of life and subsequently developed autism.
Others, like Michael Belkin's daughter, weren't as lucky and
died immediately after the vaccine.
Michael is a successful Wall Street Financial analyst with his
own company, and has testified to Congress on this issue and
regularly forwards news health stories to me.
In the single-dose hepatitis B vials, the drug companies have
replaced the mercury with aluminum, which is another potent
neurotoxin that has been associated with Alzheimer's. But who
knows what damage it will do to the immature central nervous
system of a one-day old infant.
The multi-dose hepatitis B vials still contain mercury.
Folks, hepatitis B is about as difficult to catch as AIDS.
Namely, you nearly always need to have blood or sexual contact
of some sort. That is why the main risk factors are IV drug
abusers and those who engage in sex with multiple partners.
Is hepatitis vaccine safe?
The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)
was developed by the government to report vaccine reactions.
Many experts believe that only 10% of the adverse reactions are
reported though as reporting is not mandated by law.
Even with only 10% of the problems being reported there were
nearly 25,000 VAERS hepatitis B reports from July 1990 to
October 31, 1998, showing 439 deaths and 9673 serious reactions
involving emergency room visits, hospitalization, disablement or
death.
The presence of findings such as brain edema in healthy infants
who die very soon after receiving hepatitis B vaccine is
profoundly disturbing, especially in view of the frequency of
neurological symptoms in the VAERS.
Does this make any sense?
Is Hepatitis B vaccine effective in newborns?
Vaccine-derived immunity is thought to be short-lived. Between
30-50% of vaccinated individuals may lose their antibodies
within 7 years.
Up to 60% of persons who initially respond will lose detectable
antibodies within 12 years. So that means that these vaccines
will provide little to no protection to the real risks of
acquiring hepatitis B, promiscuous sexual behavior and IV drug
abuse.
Does this make any sense?
How many children are hurt or helped by Hepatitis B vaccine?
Hepatitis B is a rare, mainly blood-transmitted disease. In
1996 only 54 cases of the disease were reported to the CDC in
the 0-1 age group. There were 3.9 million births that year, so
the observed incidence of hepatitis B in the 0-1 age group was
just 0.001%. In the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System
(VAERS), there were 1,080 total reports of adverse
reactions from hepatitis B vaccine in 1996 in the 0-1 age group,
with 47 deaths reported.
Let us put this in simpler terms. For every child with hepatitis
B there were 20 that were reported to have severe complications.
Let us also remember that only 10% of the reactions are reported
to VAERS, so this means:
Traditional medicine is harming 200 children to protect one from
hepatitis B.
Does this make any sense?
How serious is a Hepatitis B infection?
The numbers speak for themselves.
Approximately 50% of patients who contract Hepatitis B develop
no symptoms after exposure.
However, the exposure ensures that they will have life-time
immunity. An additional 30% develop only flu-like symptoms, and
again, this group will acquire life-time immunity.
Of the remaining 20% exposed to Hepatitis B will develop the
symptoms of the disease. 95% of this 20% will fully recover,
with life-time immunity.
Therefore, less than 5% of people who contract Hepatitis B will
become chronic carriers of the infection.
The numbers get even smaller: of that 5%, nearly 75% (or 3.75%
of the total exposed) will live with an asymptomatic infection
and only 25%, (or only 1.25% of the total number of people
exposed) will develop chronic liver disease or liver cancer,
10-30 years after the acute infection. (Hyams, K.C. (1995) Risks
of chronicity following acute hepatitis B virus infection: A
review. Clin. Infect. Dis. 20, 992-1000.)
Think of that in terms of probability: the possibility of
contracting the disease is exceedingly difficult for children
and only 1.25% of those that are exposed will actually develop
the most serious complication!
This type of a "protecting the needle in the haystack" medicine
is absurd at best, dangerous at worst.
Does this make any sense?
How many safety studies have been done on Hepatitis B
vaccine?
None.
A manufacturer's representative was asked in a 1997 Illinois
Board of Health hearing to show evidence that the hepatitis B
vaccine is safe for a 1-day old infant.
The representative
stated:
"We have none.
Our studies were done on 5- and 10-year-olds."
-- The
Congressional Quarterly, August 25, 2000, pg. 647
One would think that
these would be mandatory, but they are not. All that is required
is to show efficacy, (i.e. that the vaccine stimulates an
antibody response after it is give), not safety.
In most other industries the fraud represented here would lead
to criminal charges.
Does this make any sense?
What can you do?
Please tell every pregnant woman you know about this issue. They
need to know the facts BEFORE they are in the hospital and have
time to make an informed objective decision. If they are still
convinced their child needs hepatitis B vaccine, beg them to
make sure their child does not receive the vaccine as a newborn.
Delay the vaccine until they really are at a possible risk, like
late adolescence.
I have shown dozens of times in this newsletter, drugs that are
thought to be safe are pulled from the market after they have
killed dozens or hundreds of people. I am hopeful that hepatitis
B vaccinations in newborns will be stopped. Medical science will
have to recognize the truth sooner or later.
Folks, drug deaths pale in comparison to the devastation in lost
lives resulting from implementation of this hepatitis B
recommendation.
You can play a large role here. Most of all us did not have a
chance to make a difference in the 9/11 tragedy, but nearly
everyone of us can help protect the precious brain cells of a
newborn.
Don't delay.
Contact every pregnant woman you know immediately. Save a life.
Note To
Physicians:
I am a member of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons
(AAPS). This is a group of over 10,000 US medical doctors, and most
of us have reached the conclusion that the head of the organization,
Dr. Jane Orient, has about this issue.
To the extent that the physician simply complies without making an
independent evaluation of the appropriateness of the vaccine for
each patient, he is abdicating his responsibility under the Oath of
Hippocrates to:
"prescribe regimen
for the good of my patients according to my ability and my
judgment and never do harm to anyone."
How To Legally Avoid Unwanted
Immunizations Of All Kinds
from
Mercola Website
As you read this work and put its principles into practice, there
are two basic axioms you never want to forget. They are the rock
upon which all your actions are based.
Nobody, anywhere or any time and under any circumstances has the
right or power in this country to immunize you or your children
against your will and conviction. If they attempt to do so, you can
legally charge them with "assault with a deadly weapon" and have the
full resources of our laws behind you.
At all times in attempting to avoid unwanted immunization, you have
the Law of the Land behind you. Those who would try to vaccinate you
against your will are on very shaky ground. Into every compulsory
immunization law in America are written legal exceptions and waivers
which are there specifically to protect you from the attempted
tyranny of officialdom.
It is not only your
right, but your obligation to use them, if this is what your
conscience tells you.
Article 1
In all
your contacts with any member of the school, public health, or
legal establishment, always remain calm, courteous, and humbly
reverent toward their position. You are only asking of them that
which the law duty binds them to give you. There is no reason,
or advantage, to be gained by antagonizing them.
Most of these officials believe they are discharging their trust
as outlined by law. If they are overstepping the law, then you
must very diplomatically bring the true facts to their
attention, but without attempting to belittle them.
The more you can preserve their ego, the more easily and quickly
you are likely to get what you desire - a waiver of
immunization.
Rule No. 1: Do not harass, belittle, or antagonize
officials unnecessarily.
Article 2
All compulsory laws concerning vaccination (including the
military) contain exceptions and waivers. It is these
protections placed in the laws that you may legally use to
exclude yourself and your children. Surprisingly, these
exceptions were placed there, not for your sake (although you
may take advantage of them), but for the protection of the
establishment.
How is this?
Let us assume that these exceptions were not there
and everyone was actually forced to be immunized. Should a child
die or become mentally or physically disabled, the parent would
have the perfect case to sue the doctor, the school, the health
department, and even the state legislature for enormous damages.
Since they allowed no exceptions, they must accept full
responsibility for all the adverse consequences of the law.
However, if exception waivers are placed in the law, the
responsibility is then transferred back to the parent. If a
child should be injured by immunization, the officials can say,
"Well, the parent should have exempted him if they thought there
was any danger."
Therefore, there is in truth no such thing as a compulsory
vaccination law in this country. They are ALL, in essence,
voluntary. The problem is that practically no one in authority
will let you know this fact.
Rule No. 2: There are no compulsory vaccination laws. All
are voluntary, and you are held responsible for the adverse
results upon you or your children.
Article 3
While all immunization laws have exceptions you can use, the
wording in each state differs, and you must know the exact
wording for your state to make the proper request of waiver.
This information can be obtained in one of two ways.
Go to the reference section of your local library - look in the
State Statute Revised Law Book under Public Health Law or
Communicable Disease sections. The list of immunization
requirements will appear first and then the exemptions will be
given. Usually one or two provisions will be listed: either on
religious or medical grounds or both.
You may call or write your state representative and ask for a
copy of the immunization laws in your state. Making this
available is part of his job, and it will be sent promptly.
Rule No. 3: Know your own state law so that you can
conform to its exact requirements for exemption.
Article 4
There are two basic reasons for exception - medical or
religious. Which one you choose will often depend upon the
wording of the law in your state and your personal convictions.
We shall discuss medical exemption first. While laws do vary,
nearly all states require that a note or certificate of waiver
be submitted by a physician licensed in the state of residence.
In some areas where states are small and people continually
travel from one to another for business, a statement from a
physician in a contiguous state will be accepted.
In this letter it is usually necessary to state the reason for
the requested waiver and the length of time it should extend.
Many laws limit all such letters to a school year and they must
be renewed each fall.
The two most valid reasons for medical waiver are "the fear of
allergic reaction in a sensitive child" and "to prevent possible
damage to a weakened immune system." Both of these can occur in
a child who has been immunized, and since no one but the
physician and the parent will be held responsible for their
consequences, it is up to them to protect the child.
It is possible that some states may require the letter from an
M.D. or D.O., but many will allow an exemption letter from a
chiropractor if it is courteously and properly written, as
outlined above.
Rule No. 4: Medical waivers are always valid but must be
written to fit each state law and often need to be renewed
annually.
Article 5
The foregoing may work for school exemptions, but are there any
such waivers in the Armed Forces? Yes. All branches of the
Service provide "immunization waivers."
Again, if they did not you could sue them for millions of
dollars if a reaction occurred from their immunizations. Because
of these waiver provisions, you become responsible if you react.
When you first sign up or enlist, you must state your objection
to the vaccinations and tell whether it is "religious
conscience" or medical reasons, such as allergies or a low
tolerance to medication of any kind. If you do not show
objection at this time, you have given the military the right to
do what they will with you.
If there is any difficulty, the same rules apply here as in the
school program. Never forget, even though you may be in the
Service, no one has the right to immunize you against your will.
You do not give up your constitutional rights when you join the
Armed Forces.
Rule No. 5: The rules that govern school vaccination
exemption also apply to the military. Never let anyone tell you
otherwise. They do not know, or are hiding, the facts of the
law.
Article 6
What about international travel? May I go around the world
without vaccination?
The World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva grants American
visitors the right to REFUSE shots when traveling
internationally. However, if an area you wish to enter is
infected, you may be detained until the public health servant
gives you the "go" (at his discretion).
Thousands travel world-wide each year without shots - so you may
if that is your choice. Many of our co-workers have traveled
over much of the world and have never taken any immunizations,
nor were they ever detained.
It would be wise to request a copy of Foreign Rules and
Regulations, Part 71, Title 42, on immunization when you receive
your passport. Never forget the basic rule,
"No one will
vaccinate you against your will because by doing so they assume
full responsibility for the consequences both legal and
medical."
Rule No. 6: You may travel wherever you wish in the world
without vaccination. The worst that can happen is that in very
rare circumstances you may be detained temporarily.
Some Important Details
The above seven articles constitute all the basic rules. However,
there are many important little "tricks of the trade" to having your
legal requests honored. These will now be discussed.
While waivers and exemptions are written into all laws on
immunization, most public health officials, doctors, and especially
school officials are loathe to discuss their existence when
questioned, and rarely, to our knowledge, volunteer such
information.
A top Philadelphia school official was on the radio with the
unequivocal statement, "NO SHOTS, NO SCHOOL."
This statement is of course completely counter to state law, with
which presumably he is familiar. Such unwarranted dogmatism is
common in the people you will encounter. Once the end of their
legitimate authority has been reached, they will use their next most
powerful weapon - INTIMIDATION.
They will threaten to keep your child out of school, take him from
you, or send you to jail. These are all idle threats because they
can do none of these thing, if you follow our simple instructions.
The basic rules have been given to you, but there are a few
important details to be considered if the officials start on this
course of unlawful intimidation.
You must send a letter to the school to inform the education
officials of your stand. A phone call is not legal. It can be a note
from your doctor, minister, or a notarized letter from you stating
your sincere objections to the immunization. If you do not do this
and fail to have your child immunized, it could be construed as
negligence on your part and in some states there is a possibility of
legal action against you.
If the school should refuse to honor your letter, request that they
give you a statement in writing outlining their reasons for refusal.
If they won't, their refusal is legally invalid, and your letter
stands; they must enroll your child. If they do (they rarely will)
they take the risk of incriminating themselves, especially if they
are acting contrary (as is common) to what is specified in the law
concerning your rights for exemption.
Remember they are on
tenuous ground, not you. They are your servants, you are not their
servant. If worst comes to worst and you have a very knowledgeable
official who writes you a refusal and states accurately the lawful
reasons for refusal, he will also in a negative way tell you what
the accepted exemptions are, and then you can go about meeting them,
by one of the routes suggested in this handout.
Child neglect is the one legal point you want to avoid at all costs.
No legal parent or guardian can be charged with neglect unless he
shows complete lack of concern or action to be more informed.
Stripped of legal
jargon, this simply means that if you can show that you have
investigated the situation, have come to a specific decision
concerning immunizations, and have informed the authorities of the
same, no neglect charge can be brought. Neglect can be brought only
when it can be shown that you have failed to have your children
immunized, not out of respect for their medical or spiritual
integrity, but only because you were too concerned with other
matters.
At times there may be a question of whether you have given or
withdrawn legal consent. Legal consent is dependent upon being
properly informed on both the advantages and the risks in any choice
or decision you make. In other words, if a physician were to tell
you that vaccination is perfectly safe and effective to obtain your
consent, such consent would not be legal because he lied and you
have not been properly informed.
Conversely, it could be
argued that non-consent is not legal if you are not fully informed
about the risks and advantages of immunizations.
What do I do if everyone refuses to give me a waiver?
This would be an extremely rare circumstance. But should it happen,
you are not left without resources. Here is where we pull out one of
our big guns. Send notarized letters by certified mail to the
vaccine laboratory which makes the shot (ask your doctor for the
address), to the doctor who is to administer the shot, to your
school principal, to the school board, and to your local health
department.
In these letters make it clear that since they have refused to give
you a duly requested waiver, you can no longer be held responsible
for what may happen to your child if they force these shots upon
him.
You then state that you
will allow immunization if each will present you with a written
signed guarantee of safety and effectiveness of the vaccine and that
they will consent to assume full responsibility for any and all
adverse reactions that your child may develop from the required
shots. Of course none will give you such a guarantee. They cannot do
so because all vaccines are considered potentially highly toxic. We
have yet to hear of an instance of further harassment of parents
after such letters have been sent.
That's about all that is needed to obtain the necessary exemptions
for your children. All that has been said in this last section (1 to
5) is also applicable to the military and international travel, if
required.
Potpourri of Ammunition
"As long as each
individual who opposes vaccines has sincere objections, states
them in writing, and signs his name - it is considered legal and
proper action and must therefore be honored."
"Since many medical controversies exist surrounding
immunization, drugs, and various other medications, it mandates
that each individual have the right to control his own decisions
and freedom of choice; anything less would be contrary to the
constitutional laws that protect the citizens' rights. "
"When you deal with school officials and lawyers, you are
playing with legal terminology - move the wrong words around and
you get hung." The terminology used in this booklet has worked
before and should work again.
"It is important to state your objections in such a way that it
complies with your state's exemption provisions. They must then
accept your request; if they do not, they are breaking their own
law." That is why it is absolutely essential that you know your
own state law word for word before submitting your objection.
"According to CDC (the federal Communicable Disease Center in
Atlanta, Georgia), physicians are required to first inform their
patients of the risks involved before they consent to vaccines."
If they do not do so, it is prima facie evidence of deceit or
negligence on the part of the physician.
This regulation by the federal government would also seem to
assume that the patient has the right to refuse if he feels that
the risks are too great. If this is so, is not the federal
government on record as supporting voluntary immunization and,
by obvious implication, against state-enforced compulsory
immunization?
Should you ever have to
go to court, or what is more likely, to appear before a "kangaroo"
court of school and health department officials, here is some class
A evidence you might find useful to mention.
No vaccine carries any guarantee of protection from the laboratory
that produced it or the doctor who administered it.
The U.S. military allows no-nonsense "immunizations waivers."
There is NO FEDERAL LAW on immunizations. They don't dare.
Their lawyers know the consequences.
Your rights have been infringed upon by officials attempting to use
force against your will.
Most state officials like a nice, stress-free job. When you send in
your objections and refuse to fit their ordered world by not having
your children immunized, you make waves.
This rocks their quiet existence, and there are only two ways their
life can become orderly again: either by forcing you to their will
or acquiescing to yours. What you must do to obtain an early waiver
is to make the latter the easiest path for them.
At first, however, an attempt will usually be made to bend you to
their will by some form of intimidation. Many uninformed parents
give in to this tack, and so it is tried again and again.
If you are adequately informed, as a reader of this publication
should be, you will let the officials know in no uncertain terms
that you understand your rights under the law and will not stand for
any such shilly-shallying.
Invariably, once they discover you are
adamant and acquainted with the state law, your waiver will be
rapidly forthcoming.
An Acknowledgment
The greatest part of the material on the first four pages is taken
from the work of Mrs. Grace Girdwain, of Burbank, Illinois. Our
staff has rearranged and edited the information, but we wish the
full credit for its existence to go to this courageous woman who has
for twelve years worked arduously, without compensation, to help her
fellow Americans obtain their legal rights.
The following is an example of the state of Illinois law (where I
live) relating to immunizations. Illinois, like most states has no
philosophical objection, but does have a religious one.
Illinois
Administrative Code Title 77: Public Health
Chapter I: Department of Public Health
Subchapter i: Maternal and Child Health
Part 665 Child Health Examination Code
Subpart E: Exceptions
Section 665.510
Objection of Parent
or Legal Guardian
Parent or legal guardian of a student may object to health
examinations, immunizations, vision, and hearing screening
tests, and dental health examinations for their children on
religious grounds. If a religious objection is made, a written
and signed statement from the parent or legal guardian detailing
such objections must be presented to the local school authority.
General philosophical or moral reluctance to allow physical
examinations, immunizations, vision and hearing screening, and
dental examinations will not provide a sufficient basis for an
exception to statutory requirements.
The parent or legal guardian must be informed by the local
school authority of measles outbreak control exclusion
procedures per IDPH rules. The Control of Communicable Diseases
(77 Ill. Adm. Code 690) at the time such objection is presented.
Section 665.520
Medical Objections
a) Any medical
objections to an immunization must be:
1) Made by a
physician licensed to practice medicine in all its
branches indicating what the medical condition is.
2) Endorsed and signed by the physician on the
certificate of child health examination and placed on
file in the child's permanent record.
b) Should the
condition of the child later permit immunization, this
requirement will then have to be met. Parents or legal
guardians must be informed of measles outbreak control
exclusion procedures when such objection is presented per
Section 665.510.
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