-
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.