WATCH: Teen explains why he defied mother's anti-vaccination ideas
-
0:02 - 0:04Thank you, Chairman Alexander,
senator Murray, -
0:04 - 0:05and distinguished committee members
-
0:05 - 0:07for the opportunity to speak today.
-
0:07 - 0:09Good morning, everyone.
-
0:09 - 0:11As I stated, my name
is Ethan Lindenberger, -
0:11 - 0:13and I'm a senior in Norwalk High School,
-
0:13 - 0:15and my mother is an anti-vax advocate
-
0:15 - 0:18who believes vaccines
cause autism, brain damage, -
0:18 - 0:20and do not benefit the health
and safety of society -
0:20 - 0:23despite the fact such opinions
have been debunked numerous times -
0:23 - 0:25by the scientific community.
-
0:25 - 0:28I went my entire life
without numerous vaccines -
0:28 - 0:32against diseases such as measles,
chicken pox, or even polio. -
0:32 - 0:34However, in December of 2018,
-
0:34 - 0:37I began catching up
on my missed immunizations -
0:37 - 0:38despite my mother's disapproval,
-
0:39 - 0:42eventually leading to a story
and being able to speak here today, -
0:42 - 0:44and I'm very happy for that,
so thank you. -
0:44 - 0:48Now, to understand why I've come here
and what I reallly want to talk about, -
0:48 - 0:51I have to share some details
about my home life, my upbringing. -
0:51 - 0:53I grew up understanding
my mother's beliefs -
0:53 - 0:54that vaccines are dangerous,
-
0:54 - 0:57and she would speak openly
about these views. -
0:57 - 0:58Both online and in-person,
-
0:58 - 0:59she would voice her concerns,
-
0:59 - 1:02and these beliefs were met
with strong criticism. -
1:02 - 1:05Over the course of my life,
seeds of doubts were planted, -
1:05 - 1:06and questions arose
-
1:06 - 1:08because of the backslash
my mother would receive. -
1:08 - 1:10But overtime that didn't really
lead anywhere. -
1:10 - 1:12Now, it's important to understand
-
1:12 - 1:14that as I approached high school
-
1:14 - 1:16and began to critically think for myself,
-
1:16 - 1:18I saw that information
in defense of vaccines -
1:18 - 1:20outweighed the concerns heavily.
-
1:21 - 1:23I began leading debate clubs in my school
-
1:23 - 1:25and pursuing truth above all else,
-
1:25 - 1:29and I realized one certain
quality to debates -
1:29 - 1:31and to conversations in general
-
1:31 - 1:33when it comes to
the controversial discussions -
1:33 - 1:36which is that there seems always be
two sides to a discussion. -
1:37 - 1:39There always seems to be
a counterclaim or rebuttal -
1:39 - 1:42and always something
to strike back with in terms of debate. -
1:43 - 1:45Though this may seem true in all essences,
-
1:45 - 1:47this is not true for the vaccine debate,
-
1:47 - 1:50and I approached my mother
with this concern -
1:50 - 1:51that she was incorrect.
-
1:52 - 1:54I approached my mother numerous times,
-
1:54 - 1:58trying to explain that vaccines are safe,
and that I should be vaccinated. -
1:59 - 2:01Approaching even
with articles from the CDC -
2:01 - 2:04exquisitely claiming that ideas
that vaccines cause autism -
2:04 - 2:07and extremely dangerous consequences
-
2:07 - 2:09were incorrect.
-
2:09 - 2:11In one such instance
where I approached my mother -
2:11 - 2:15with information from the CDC
that claims vaccines do not cause autism, -
2:15 - 2:17she responded that
that's what they want you to think. -
2:17 - 2:24Skepticism and worry were taking
the forefront in terms of information. -
2:24 - 2:26Now, conversations like these reaffirmed
-
2:26 - 2:28that evidence in defense of vaccines
-
2:28 - 2:31was at least, on anecdotal level,
-
2:31 - 2:33much greater than
the deeply rooted misinformation -
2:33 - 2:35my mother interacted with,
-
2:35 - 2:37and that's what I want to focus on today.
-
2:37 - 2:39To combat preventable disease outbreaks,
-
2:39 - 2:43information is, in my mind,
the forefront of this matter. -
2:44 - 2:47My mother would turn to anti-vaccine
groups online and on social media -
2:47 - 2:49looking for her evidence and defense
-
2:49 - 2:52rather than health officials
and through credible sources. -
2:52 - 2:54This may seem to be a malice
-
2:54 - 2:57because of the dangerous
that not vaccinating imposes, -
2:57 - 2:58but this is not the case.
-
2:58 - 3:01My mother came in the sense
of loving her children -
3:01 - 3:02and being concerned.
-
3:03 - 3:04This misinformation spreads,
-
3:04 - 3:08and that's not necessarily justifiable.
-
3:08 - 3:11But I carry this knowledge with me that
-
3:11 - 3:14it was with respect and love
that I disagreed with my mother. -
3:14 - 3:17And with the information she provided,
-
3:17 - 3:19I continue to try and explain
that it was misinformed. -
3:20 - 3:23Ideas, again, that vaccines
cause autism, brain damage, -
3:23 - 3:25and also that the measles outbreak
-
3:25 - 3:28is of no concern to the society
and to America, -
3:28 - 3:33where ideas that were pushed
by the sources that she would go to. -
3:34 - 3:38And for certain individuals
and organizations -
3:38 - 3:40that spread this misinformation,
-
3:40 - 3:42they instill fear into the public
for their own gain selfishly -
3:42 - 3:45and do so knowing
that the information is incorrect. -
3:45 - 3:48For my mother, her love,
affection and care of parent -
3:48 - 3:51was used to push an agenda
to create a false distress, -
3:51 - 3:53and these sources
which spread misinformation -
3:53 - 3:56should be the primary concern
of the American people. -
3:56 - 3:59Although changes are already placed,
and more tries can be done, -
3:59 - 4:01almost 80% of people,
according to Pew Research Center, -
4:01 - 4:04turn to the internet
for health related questions. -
4:04 - 4:07I further explained more statistics
and evidences in my written testimony. -
4:07 - 4:11Now, in terms of what I would like
to walk away with today -
4:11 - 4:13and kind of finalize with.
-
4:13 - 4:17Although my mother would turn
to very illegitimate sources -
4:17 - 4:20that did not have peer-reviewed
evidence or information, -
4:20 - 4:23I could clearly saw the evidences
and claims for myself -
4:23 - 4:24were not accurate,
-
4:24 - 4:25and because of that,
-
4:25 - 4:28and the health care professionals
I was able to speak with, -
4:28 - 4:29and the information provided to me,
-
4:29 - 4:32I was able to make clear, concise,
and scientific decision. -
4:33 - 4:36Approaching this issue
with the concern of education -
4:36 - 4:38and addressing misinformation properly
-
4:39 - 4:41can cause change, as it did for me.
-
4:42 - 4:44Now, although the debate around vaccines
-
4:44 - 4:47is not necessarily centered on information
and concern for health and safety, -
4:47 - 4:50this is why education is important
and also misinformation is so dangerous. -
4:50 - 4:51Subtitles by Maurício Kakuei Tanaka
Review by Jenny Lam-Chowdhury
- Title:
- WATCH: Teen explains why he defied mother's anti-vaccination ideas
- Description:
-
An Ohio student who said he went his entire life without numerous vaccines testified before Congress on the dangers of misinformation and ideas that fuel the anti-vaxxer movement and put many young people at risk.
Ethan Lindenberger notably got vaccinated without his parents' permission once he was old enough, acting against his mother's incorrect belief that vaccines cause autism, brain damage, and other ailments.
"My mother is an anti-vax advocate [who] believes that vaccines ... do not benefit the health and safety of society, despite the fact such opinions have been debunked numerous times by the scientific community," Lindenberger told a Senate committee on Tuesday.
Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG
Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6Follow us:
Facebook: http://www.pbs.org/newshour
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/newshour
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/newshour
Snapchat: @pbsnewsSubscribe:
PBS NewsHour podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts
Newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe - Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- Amplifying Voices
- Project:
- COVID-19 Pandemic
- Duration:
- 04:51
Jenny Lam edited English subtitles for WATCH: Teen explains why he defied mother's anti-vaccination ideas | ||
Jenny Lam edited English subtitles for WATCH: Teen explains why he defied mother's anti-vaccination ideas | ||
Jenny Lam edited English subtitles for WATCH: Teen explains why he defied mother's anti-vaccination ideas | ||
Jenny Lam edited English subtitles for WATCH: Teen explains why he defied mother's anti-vaccination ideas | ||
Jenny Lam edited English subtitles for WATCH: Teen explains why he defied mother's anti-vaccination ideas | ||
Jenny_PM edited English subtitles for WATCH: Teen explains why he defied mother's anti-vaccination ideas | ||
Maurício Kakuei Tanaka edited English subtitles for WATCH: Teen explains why he defied mother's anti-vaccination ideas | ||
Maurício Kakuei Tanaka edited English subtitles for WATCH: Teen explains why he defied mother's anti-vaccination ideas |