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Thank you, Chairman Alexander,
senator Murray,

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and distinguished committee members

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for the opportunity to speak today.

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Good morning, everyone.

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As I stated, my name
is Ethan Lindenberger,

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and I'm a senior in Norwalk High School,

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and my mother is an anti-vax advocate

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who believes vaccines
cause autism, brain damage,

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and do not benefit the health
and safety of society

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despite the fact such opinions
have been debunked numerous times

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by the scientific community.

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I went my entire life
without numerous vaccines

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

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However, in December of 2018,

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I began catching up
on my missed immunizations

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despite my mother's disapproval,

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

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

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

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

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I grew up understanding
my mother's beliefs

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that vaccines are dangerous,

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and she would speak openly
about these views.

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Both online and in-person,

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she would voice her concerns,

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and these beliefs were met
with strong criticism.

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

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and questions arose

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because of the backslash
my mother would receive.

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But overtime that didn't really
lead anywhere.

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Now, it's important to understand

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that as I approached high school

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and began to critically think for myself,

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I saw that information
in defense of vaccines

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outweighed the concerns heavily.

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I began leading debate clubs in my school

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and pursuing truth above all else,

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and I realized one certain
quality to debates

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and to conversations in general

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when it comes to
the controversial discussions

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

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There always seems to be
a counterclaim or rebuttal

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

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Though this may seem true in all essences,

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this is not true for the vaccine debate,

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and I approached my mother
with this concern

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that she was incorrect.

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I approached my mother numerous times,

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

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Approaching even
with articles from the CDC

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exquisitely claiming that ideas
that vaccines cause autism

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and extremely dangerous consequences

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were incorrect.

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In one such instance
where I approached my mother

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

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

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

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Now, conversations like these reaffirmed

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that evidence in defense of vaccines

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was at least, on anecdotal level,

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much greater than 
the deeply rooted misinformation

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my mother interacted with,

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

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To combat preventable disease outbreaks,

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

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

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looking for her evidence and defense

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rather than health officials
and through credible sources.

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This may seem to be a malice

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because of the dangerous
that not vaccinating imposes,

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but this is not the case.

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My mother came in the sense
of loving her children

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and being concerned.

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This misinformation spreads,

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and that's not necessarily justifiable.

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But I carry this knowledge with me that

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

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And with the information she provided,

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I continue to try and explain
that it was misinformed.

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

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and also that the measles outbreak

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is of no concern to the society
and to America,

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

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And for certain individuals
and organizations

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that spread this misinformation,

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they instill fear into the public
for their own gain selfishly

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and do so knowing
that the information is incorrect.

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

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

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and these sources
which spread misinformation

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should be the primary concern
of the American people.

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

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

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turn to the internet
for health related questions.

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

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

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and kind of finalize with.

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Although my mother would turn
to very illegitimate sources

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that did not have peer-reviewed
evidence or information,

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I could clearly saw the evidences
and claims for myself

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were not accurate,

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and because of that,

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

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and the information provided to me,

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

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Approaching this issue
with the concern of education

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and addressing misinformation properly

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can cause change, as it did for me.

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Now, although the debate around vaccines

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

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

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Subtitles by Maurício Kakuei Tanaka
Review by Jenny Lam-Chowdhury