Measles Outbreak Traces To Vaccine-Refusing Megachurch

[namey]

A measles outbreak in Texas traces to a congregation of a megachurch whose leader, Kenneth Copeland, reportedly has warned followers away from vaccines, advocating for faith healing and pushing the debunked notion that vaccines cause autism. One of Copeland’s churches, Eagle Mountain International Church in North Texas, is the epicenter of the

Comments

[nitasee]

Why is it that these types think God will take care of everything - wanting a miraculous healing - instead of considering that maybe God is handling it by the existence of doctors and vaccines?

[shadwrayvn]

I really hate all these anti-vax people! They are willfully putting children too young to be vaccinated,senior citizens, & immunodeficient people in danger!

[vulturoso]

I hate them as much as I love your icon.

[wrestlingdog]

Anti-vaxxers are among my least favorite groups on the planet.

[masakochan]

lol anti-vax people. And by 'lol' I mean 'ahahskaf I hate everything'. But ya know what- I wouldn't be one damn bit surprised if there are some parents who are happier that their children are getting something like measles instead 'TEH EVUL SOUL-STEALING AUTISM' because of books like this one. (WARNING: The book in that link might cause a person to want to put their fist through the screen- since the title of it is 'I Wish My Kids Had Cancer: A Family Surviving the Autism Epidemic'.)

[stainedfeathers]

As someone who recently lost a younger brother (26) to cancer, just reading that title made me want to strangle the author so badly... See icon for more interesting ideas of what to do to that author...

[crooked_halo]

Makes me think of this perfect response

As a mother of a child with autism (possibly two, youngest is getting tested next month) the whole anti-vaccine movement makes me RAGE-Y. The fact that people still believe that vaccines cause autism when it has been debunked over and over again is ridiculous. The fact that people willfully ignore the fact that refusing to get your child vaccinated not only puts their life in danger but endangers others by risking bringing back diseases that were all but wiped out by these vaccines? RAAAAAGE.

[mickeym]

This. So much, this.

And as the parent of a child also on the spectrum, Autism isn't deadly. Measles, etc., definitely can be.

[crooked_halo]

Exactly! Thank you for putting this so well. I think you just touched on one of the reasons this hits a nerve so well.

Because basically, these people are saying that they'd rather risk their child dying of a horrible disease than risk them having autism. That is so incredibly offensive and idiotic.

Of course, most of the times these people genuinely believe that it won't happen to them and choose to ignore the scientific evidence that vaccines are the only reason we've beaten back so many diseases that used to wipe out large groups of people. And they choose to ignore the fact that getting your child vaccinated does not just benefit your child and not getting your child vaccinated does not just put your child at risk, but puts the general population and those who can not get vaccines due to being too young or too old or other various conditions, at risk.

[ohmiya_sg]

Fucking idiots.