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

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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.
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    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 upbring.
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    I grew up understanding
    my mother's beliefs
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    that vaccines are dangerous,
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    as 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
    and began to critically think for myself,
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    I saw that the 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
    and pursuing truth above all else,
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    and I realized one certain
    quality in debates
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    and in conversations in general
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    when it comes to the
    controversial discussions
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    which is that there seems
    to 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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    This may seem true in all essences
    but it's not true for the vaccine debate.
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    And I approach my mother
    with this concern, 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 i should be vaccinated.
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    Approaching her with articles from the CDC
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    exquisitely claiming
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    that ideas that vaccines cause autism
    and extremely dangerous consequences
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    were incorrect.
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    And once again I approached my mother
    with information from the CDC
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    that claims that vaccines
    do not cause autism,
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    and 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 the evidence
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    that the defense of vaccines
    was at least, and in a bottle level,
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    much greater than the deeply rooted
    misinformation 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 in social media
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    looking for her evidence and defense
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    rather than health officials
    and credible sources.
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    This may seem to be anomalous
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    because of the dangerous
    of non vaccination purposes.
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    But this is not the case.
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    My mother came in the sense
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    of loving her children
    and being concerned.
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    This misinformation spreads,
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    and this is not necessarily justifiable.
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    Right here with this knowledge
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    would be that 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 society
    and to America.
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    were ideas that were pushed
    by the sources 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
    the information is incorrect.
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    For my mother, her love affection and care
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    was used to push the agenda
    to create a false stress.
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    And the sources that spread
    this misinformation
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    should be the primary concern
    of the American people.
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    All the changes are already placed,
    and more things can be done.
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    Almost 80% of the people
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    turn to the internet
    for health related questions.
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    I further explained more statistics
    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 to finalize with,
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    my mother would turn
    to illegitimate sources
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    that did not have peer-reviewed
    evidence or information,
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    I could clearly saw
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    that the claims for myself
    were not accurate
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    and because of that,
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    and because of my health
    care professionals,
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    I was able to speak with
    an 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
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    and why misinformation is so dangerous.
Title:
WATCH: Teen explains why he defied mother's anti-vaccination ideas
Description:

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Video Language:
English
Team:
Amplifying Voices
Project:
COVID-19 Pandemic
Duration:
04:51

English subtitles

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