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 in 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 reallly want to talk about,

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

I grew up understanding
my mother's beliefs

that vaccines are dangerous,

as she would 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 backslash
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 the 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 in debates

and in 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.

This may seem true in all essences
but it's not true for the vaccine debate.

And I approach my mother
with this concern, that she was incorrect.

I approached my mother numerous times,

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

Approaching her with articles from the CDC

exquisitely claiming

that ideas that vaccines cause autism
and extremely dangerous consequences

were incorrect.

And once again I approached my mother
with information from the CDC

that claims that vaccines
do not cause autism,

and 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 the evidence

that the defense of vaccines
was at least, and in a bottle 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 in social media

looking for her evidence and defense

rather than health officials
and credible sources.

This may seem to be anomalous

because of the dangerous
of non vaccination purposes.

But this is not the case.

My mother came in the sense

of loving her children
and being concerned.

This misinformation spreads,

and this is not necessarily justifiable.

Right here with this knowledge

would be 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 society
and to America.

were ideas that were pushed
by the sources 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
the information is incorrect.

For my mother, her love affection and care

was used to push the agenda
to create a false stress.

And the sources that spread
this misinformation

should be the primary concern
of the American people.

All the changes are already placed,
and more things can be done.

Almost 80% of the people

turn to the internet
for health related questions.

I further explained more statistics
in my written testimony.

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

and to finalize with,

my mother would turn
to illegitimate sources

that did not have peer-reviewed
evidence or information,

I could clearly saw

that the claims for myself
were not accurate

and because of that,

and because of my health
care professionals,

I was able to speak with
an 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 why misinformation is so dangerous.