Ready for some good news?
The organisation formerly known as the Australian Vaccination Network – which peddles dangerous and misleading anti-vaccination rhetoric to parents and expectant parents – has been officially banned from fundraising for charitable purposes.
The Australian Vaccination-Skeptics Network Incorporated group was forced to surrender its ‘Authority to Fundraise’ after a state government investigation into its anti-vaccination activities.
The NSW Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing first wrote a letter to the AVSNI, asking that they make a case for why their authority to fundraise should not be revoked – and when this requirement was not met, the association surrendered its authority.
And it’s about time.
Under the Charitable Fundraising Act, an organisation can only fundraise for charitable purposes if their cause is in the public interest.
While investigating the AVSNI, the OLGR sourced expert medical advice regarding information on the anti-vaccination group’s website regarding the risks and benefits of vaccination. The experts found that the group’s anti-vaccination advocacy held the potential for great misinformation and could influence the important health decisions made by parents, which could in turn lead to adverse public health consequences.
The group has long been criticised by scientists and doctors for claiming that vaccines cause autism and that vaccination is a “personal choice”. This is despite the fact that babies who are too young to be vaccinated rely on herd immunity, as do children and adults with compromised immune systems.
Top Comments
There are so many things wrong with the misinformation and paranoia that the AVSN is spreading, many of which are covered by MM. But one thing that just astounds me is that they dare to suggest that having a child with autism is less preferable than having a child die from a preventable disease. Even if the whole "vaccination causes autism" theory hadn't been disproved time and time again, I'd still choose the slight risk of my child "catching" autism from a vaccine than the very real risk of them dying or becoming seriously ill from mumps or whooping cough, or spreading those illnesses to the most vulnerable people in our community.
I feel just sick reading these narrow minded, pharma industry brainwashed comments. Bjgest worry the name of a group. What a kindergarten. Poor babies don't even get the chance to build their immune system.
How does one build an immune system? Does it come in kit form? Does it have instructions a baby can understand? Do Mum and Dad have to help with the tiny bits a baby might choke on?
Seriously, explain the process of building an immune system, then explain why vaccination prevents such building from taking place.
Building an immune system is exactly what vaccinations do. They just do it with much less risK of side effects and which much better control over when and where it happens.