Random thoughts while watching this CT vaccine bill public hearing...
1. Rep. Ann Dauphinais quite the anti-sci skeptic while trying to push that she's concerned abt the sci. Classic anti-vax tactics (cites diff. viewpts, unsettled sci, while citing bad sci, poisoning the well)
1. Rep. Ann Dauphinais quite the anti-sci skeptic while trying to push that she's concerned abt the sci. Classic anti-vax tactics (cites diff. viewpts, unsettled sci, while citing bad sci, poisoning the well)
2. All these parents using their small kids to make anti-bill testimonies makes me wonder how many @EthanLindenber1's we'll see in CT a few years from now when these kids get older, take sci classes and realize parents are misinformed.
3. Many citing deeply held Catholic beliefs & how vaccines violate those (fetal cell lines argument). Yet, clearly they're ignoring what the Pope & Vatican has said abt vaccines. Is it really religion? Or is religion being used for other stuff.
4. Chiropractors today are not helping their professions' already bad rep.
5. Rep. @jfoster_rd is not tolerating any BS in this forum about vaccines not being evidence-based. Kudos to her.
6. Why is no one on the panel calling out Anne Dauphinais' repeated incorrect use of VAERS & vax court payouts to make incorrect claims abt the prevalence of vax danger risk? Well known VAERS can't be used that way. As for vax court payments... @jfoster_rd skepticalraptor.com/skepticalrapto…
7. So much of the "Big Pharma" conspiracy theorizing. Super vague and abstract.
8. Dauphinais in pandering to a conspiracy-theorizing commenter, just claimed vaccine manufacturers have no liability. Wrong again. skepticalraptor.com/skepticalrapto…
9. Kudos to @MarchofDimes commenter for trying to provide some impt clarifications to mistruths that got raised/unchecked regarding vax #'s & bill legality (Jacobs v. MA). In reply, Dauphinais tried to claim 72 vax dose myth is correct. It isn't. See here: google.com/amp/s/vaxopedi…
10. Painful to have to watch an elected official on CT Senate Public Health committee (Hwang) show/admit he has no clue what March of Dimes started out focusing on (polio) and how they have been concerned with post-natal health issues since their founding.
11. Dauphinais tried to claim NY & CA vax bill court cases have not been settled (SCONY upheld NY law, see below CA Court of Appeals upholding CA law) & "poison the well" & discredit the *March of Dimes* by citing it received funds from Johnson & Johnson.
blog.petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2018/07/30/cal…
blog.petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2018/07/30/cal…
12. Evident that the public and at least some on this committee are very much in the dark about Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) and how it works, what it can/can't be used for. vaers.hhs.gov/data/dataguide…
13. Good to see Rep. @LizLinehan calling BS on the 72 dosage myth. Dauphinais discredited herself in trying to counter/double down by citing discredited scientist Christopher Shaw's discredited claims about potential toxins (including "thimerosol") via the no. of vax doses.
14. Dauphinais now trying to challenge 2 medical students' evid.-based argument that "vaccines are safe" by (yet again) incorrectly citing vaccine court $4B payout amount. Good to see them turn it on her about corr. =/= causation. But still no one debunking her court claim.
15. @RepNKD tried to discredit 2 med students' training by interrogating them on how much class time they get on vaccines & "vaccine safety," playing antivax con game. Hwang then jumps in to assert they're ignoring pt-centered viewpt. How elected officials treat qualified experts
16. Some members of this committee really triggered by these 2 med students & also trying to win anti-bill & anti-vax pts by jumping on them b/c they are students, respectful, and at times not offering most ideally framed responses given their expertise (not a criticism of them).
17. Dauphinais just piled on to the "how many hours" antivax tactic by asking *2 4th-year med students* to provide the committee with a copy of their vaccine curriculum. I'm not one to curse on Twitter, but here goes--you've got to be fucking kidding.
18. It's late into the pm ET & after watching this for hrs, 1 thing very noticeable: few dads (even if just to be sitting next to spouse who gives the testimonial). Where are they? Long past kid bedtime. Yes, moms often do bulk of kid health, but still. Not a dad issue?
19. CORRECTION TO TWEET 11 in this thread (ht to @doritmi for clarification): Re: NY vaccine law, in NY, Supreme Court is the name of trial instance. Court of Appeals the highest court, which rejected staying the repeal, but full case is still winding its way through the system.
20. After ~7 hrs of listening to testimony, some things clear:
a. some ppl really see their kids as their property
b. listening to the same anti-sci/conspiracy theory ideas over and again, you can see how parents buy into these ideas via their networks (selection & causation)
a. some ppl really see their kids as their property
b. listening to the same anti-sci/conspiracy theory ideas over and again, you can see how parents buy into these ideas via their networks (selection & causation)
21. Kudos to Rep. @Steinberg06880 for calling out unsubstantiated claims by public commenters. That claims need evidence to back them up.
22. Many parents claiming doctors refusing care for their child(ren) due to their vaccine refusal. Not entirely clear how that relates to the bill, but issue an important, complicated one all by itself.
23. People bringing their (grand)kids on to give testimony at 2:30am in the morning... Plus, mentioning you own 4 properties in CT is not a way to elicit sympathy for your cause, especially during tough economic times.
24. Commenter starts out actually complaining/scolding committee that people are not able to offer comments in person (even though people could call in to offer comments). Seriously, mister?
25. 3:04amET--person tries to discredit pro-bill/pro-vax mom (rarity today) who offered testimony last afternoon (& then pans to others, incl'ing CT Dem maj. leader @senatorduff FB page, which seems to have triggered anti-vaxxers). This is what this person waited up for.
27. 3:39am: 1st mention I've heard so far of making this vaccination bill analogous to The Holocaust (wearing yellow star). When challenged by a committee member, speaker pivoted to Nuremberg Code (common anti-vaccine activism claim/fallacy tactic). factcheck.org/2020/06/nuremb…
28. Next speaker: (continuing segregation theme in testimonies throughout the day) analog made btwn bill & racial segregation, claim bill is relig. discrimination. Speaker claims cmte paid to not see things. Rep. Christie Carpino clearly angered, expressed offense at accusation.
29. Speaker brings up "vaccines are 'unavoidably unsafe'" claim often used by anti-vaccine activists to inaccurately argue SCOTUS said they're dangerous. Explanation of this legal--not scientific--term here, which doesn't indicate what they think it does: vaxopedia.org/2016/08/31/una…
30. Speaker yields her time to 9 year old son to read statement at 4:36am ET. SMH.
31. 2nd Holocaust analog--this one by a "physician" (later clarifies "chiropractor") who proceeds w/ Gish Gallop of questionable vaccine & vax-preventable disease stats. And here's "unavoidably unsafe" claim again (see above for explainer of how that's misunderstood & misused).
32. At last--an MD (pro-vax/bill, past prez of CT ch. of Am Acad of Pediatrics) calling out mistruths/conspiracy theories stated over day by "vocal" minority who rely on "personal beliefs but not evid-based med." I anticipate some cmte members gearing up to try to discredit her.
33. Unsurprising based on today's forum: Rep. Dauphinais 1st to raise q's to this MD, asking MD to cite specific study that unvaccinated healthy children are a risk to "anybody." A disingenuous, leading q (of a few) to get MD to say a healthy unvaxxed child not a risk to anyone.
34. MD who studied healthcare ethics and has an immuno-compromised mom now advocating for the bill. Let's see what the anti-vax/science denialism members of the panel bring out for this one. But of course... Rep. Dauphinais
35. Med student pro-bill for immunocompromised kids. Somers notes/dismisses MDs all want bill passed. Dauphinais argues immunocomp ppl not in support of bill, after citing no stats wants #'s from her who emphasized personalized pt care like members in grilling last med students.
36. Sen. Somers' cont'd push on educ. (false binary) sounds like doublespeak--incentivizing MDs to do counseling to convince parents during visits, yet was quiet as commenters claimed ins. co. coercion conspiracy to get MDs to vaccinate? Debunked here: vaxopedia.org/2017/09/24/tha…
37. @jfoster_rd kudos for "upstream/downstream" q & raising key theme raised in forum: Anti-bill ppl saying "no emergency" misses key public health pt--PREVENTION. "No emergency" drum beat in forum a dodge to kick can down road. If emergency came, their position won't change.
38. Commenters and some committee members rather outraged by CT @senatorduff. Claim he made derogatory comments, but on FB/Twitter site, posted Huff Post article about the ties between anti-vaccine networks online being a conduit for QAnon. Commenters calling it offensive.
39. Ugh. Anti-bill commenter just cited Heidi Larson comment to claim MDs have little vaccine training. cc: @aetiology
40. Committee chair having to interrupt a speaker who was on a roll to remind her that the bill is not about the COVID-19 vaccine is, in some ways, a seemingly funny, but all too serious end to this. Not the first time that comments were off-topic (veracity of claims aside).
41. Closing comments from committee notes 1700 people out there who did not have chance to voice their testimony. Meeting adjourned.
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