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S-15 Talking Points - 3/13/03
Make sure you send a
letter to each HELP committee member (including Frist) and to your own senators
and house members. We can’t forget the House members because if this passes
through the Senate quickly like many are predicting,we will need to count on
House votes to stop it. Send to every house member in your state – even if they
don’t represent your area. We can’t expect to have that great of coverage in
every state so yours may be the only letter he/she gets from your state.
If you are calling your Senator, you need to talk to the Health Staffer if they
have one – If your Senator is a HELP committee member, we especially need your
help and EVERYONE you can possibly think of from your state to write a letter
and call. If we can hang up the bill in the Senate HELP committee we can stall
until the Burton/Waxman/Weldon bill can get a sponsor in the Senate. (which
provides a viable alternative to Frist's plan.)
About the alternative bill: The Burton/Waxman/Weldon Bill (House) that has more
of what parents want and really is an improvement to VICA. It is parent-friendly
and seeks real reform, not drug company provisions. It is scheduled to drop on
Tuesday or Wednesday in the House and currently has no Senate Sponsor. Maybe you
can accomplish that with your Senator. You many want to mention to Senators and
House members alike to look to the House Bill “Burton/Waxman/Weldon” for how
parents really want the VICA to be written.
Here are some talking points for your letter. Short is best.
Say a few sentences about your child. How he/she regressed into autism after
vaccinations at ___ age. How it has affected your family, if it took a long
time/years to get a diagnosis, current treatments, etc. etc.
How you have heard about S. 15 and how it will take away any rights to get
compensation for your child’s injuries.
Tell them you oppose the 6 year only extension on the statute of limitations. If
your child is older than six make sure you tell them that this proposed bill
will leave you with no legal recourse to take care of your child. This is
discrimination. The vaccines were mandated by law and your child took the risk.
The government should provide a way to Cover your child's medical expenses for
the injury that occurred.
As stated above, mention the Burton/Waxman bill. Tell them you believe this is a
fair compensation plan to address the thousands of mercury-injured children in
this county and you and other families will not stop until
justice is given to ALL mercury-injured children – not just those damaged in the
last six years. There are 15 years worth of these children just since the old
VICA went into affect!
List as many voting family members as possible at the end of your letters. Tell
them these are voting Americans – just in your family alone—ready to stand up
and fight this bill.
Use bold, easy to read language like:
Don’t let drug companies control Congress. Say NO to industry-friendly
legislation and yes to child-friendly legislation.
Lawmakers need to hold drug companies accountable for their negligence.
Lawmakers need to demand that HHS quit hiding behind poorly designed studies
conducted by researchers paid by both HHS and the drug companies and start doing
research that will get the answers our children desperately need.
Here are some facts you can use. Pick two or three of your favorite and add in
some of your own of course, if you wish:
In 1999, the FDA stated that mercury exposure from vaccines exceeded federal
safety guidelines.
Hundreds of thousands of children currently exhibit autistic-like behaviors and
physical symptoms similar to those of mercury poisoning. These symptoms began
after vaccination.
The dramatic rise in autism rates (from 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 150) correlates with
the increase in mercury-exposure through newer vaccines given to babies in the
late 1980s and early 1990s.
A study from the CDC found a statistically significant correlation between
exposure to thimerosal-containing vaccines and neurological disorders matching
the symptoms of autism.
In 2001, the Institute of Medicine stated that the link between autism and
exposure to mercury through thimerosal-containing vaccines was “biologically
plausible.”
For the real research to date and not Frist’s “drug company excuses and
half-truths,” look to the House Committee on Government Reform. They have
conducted numerous hearings, receiving testimony from doctors, researchers, and
families who validate a connection between vaccine-injury and autism.
In all letters:
Tell them that there MUST be a one-time look-back to accommodate all of these
autistic/mercury poisoned children and that mercury-poisoning/autism needs to be
added as a “table” injury.
ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND
MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION
PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS
OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR
LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND
COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH
YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.