WATCH: Teen explains why he defied mother's anti-vaccination ideas

Thank you, Chairman Alexander,
senator Murray,

and distinguished committee members

for the opportunity to speak today.

Good morning, everyone.

As I stated, my name
is Ethan Lindenberger,

and I'm a senior at Norwalk High School,

and my mother is an anti-vax advocate

who believes vaccines
cause autism, brain damage,

and do not benefit the health
and safety of society

despite the fact, such opinions
have been debunked numerous times

by the scientific community.

I went my entire life
without numerous vaccines

against diseases such as measles,
chicken pox, or even polio.

However, in December of 2018,

I began catching up
on my missed immunizations

despite my mother's disapproval,

eventually leading to a story
and being able to speak here today,

and I'm very happy for that,
so thank you.

Now, to understand why I've come here
and what I really want to talk about,

I have to share some details
about my home life, my upbringing.

I grew up understanding
my mother's beliefs

that vaccines are dangerous,

and she should speak openly
about these views.

Both online and in-person,

she would voice her concerns,

and these beliefs were met
with strong criticism.

Over the course of my life,
seeds of doubts were planted,

and questions arose

because of the backlash
my mother would receive.

But overtime, that didn't really
lead anywhere.

Now, it's important to understand

that as I approached high school

and began to critically think for myself,

I saw that information
in defense of vaccines

outweighed the concerns heavily.

I began leading debate clubs in my school

and pursuing truth above all else,

and I realized one certain
quality to debates

and to conversations in general

when it comes to
the controversial discussions

which is that there seems to always
be two sides to a discussion.

There always seems to be
a counterclaim or rebuttal

and always something
to strike back with in terms of debate.

Though this may seem true in all essences,

this is not true for the vaccine debate,

and I approached my mother
with this concern

that she was incorrect.

I approached my mother numerous times,

trying to explain that vaccines are safe,
and that I should be vaccinated.

Approaching even
with articles from the CDC

exquisitely claiming that ideas
that vaccines cause autism

and extremely dangerous consequences

were incorrect.

In one such instance
where I approached my mother

with information from the CDC
that claims vaccines do not cause autism,

she responded that
that's what they want you to think.

Skepticism and worry were taking
the forefront in terms of information.

Now, conversations like these reaffirmed

that evidence in defense of vaccines

was at least, on anecdotal level,

much greater than
the deeply rooted misinformation

my mother interacted with,

and that's what I want to focus on today.

To combat preventable disease outbreaks,

information is, in my mind,
the forefront of this matter.

My mother would turn to anti-vaccine
groups online and on social media

looking for her evidence and defense

rather than health officials
and through credible sources.

This may seem to be a malice

because of the dangers
that not vaccinating imposes,

but this is not the case.

My mother came in the sense
of loving her children

and being concerned.

This misinformation spreads,

and that's not necessarily justifiable.

But I carry this knowledge with me that

it was with respect and love
that I disagreed with my mother.

And with the information she provided,

I continue to try and explain
that it was misinformed.

Ideas, again, that vaccines
cause autism, brain damage,

and also that the measles outbreak

is of no concern to the society
and to America,

where ideas that were pushed
by the sources that she would go to.

And for certain individuals
and organizations

that spread this misinformation,

they instill fear into the public
for their own gain selfishly

and do so knowing
that the information is incorrect

For my mother, her love,
affection and care of parent

was used to push an agenda
to create a false distress,

and these sources
which spread misinformation

should be the primary concern
of the American people.

Although changes are already placed,
and more tries can be done,

almost 80% of people,
according to Pew Research Center,

turn to the internet
for health related questions.

I further explained more statistics
and evidences in my written testimony.

Now, in terms of what I would like
to walk away with today

and kind of finalize with.

Although my mother would turn
to very illegitimate sources

that did not have peer-reviewed
evidence or information,

I could clearly see the evidences
and claims for myself

were not accurate,

and because of that,

and the health care professionals
I was able to speak with,

and the information provided to me,

I was able to make clear, concise,
and scientific decision.

Approaching this issue
with the concern of education

and addressing misinformation properly

can cause change, as it did for me.

Now, although the debate around vaccines

is not necessarily centered on information
and concern for health and safety,

this is why education is important
and also misinformation is so dangerous.

Subtitles by Maurício Kakuei Tanaka
Review by Jenny Lam-Chowdhury