Republican presidential candidates Ben Carson, Donald Trump and Rand Paul responded to a question about vaccines and autism at the GOP debate. (CNN)
The CNN moderator laid out the question for Ben Carson like a baseball on a tee, just waiting to be crushed.
“Dr. Carson, Donald Trump has publicly and repeatedly linked vaccines, childhood vaccines, to autism, which, as you know, the medical community adamantly disputes,” Jake Tapper said. “You’re a pediatric neurosurgeon. Should Mr. Trump stop saying this?”
[The fraudulent origins of Donald Trump’s vaccine theory]
For months, Carson has touted his medical expertise while on the campaign trail. And in the weeks since the first debate, the famed surgeon has risen in the polls as a milder-mannered, more rational alternative to Trump.
Now was his chance for a home run; a big hit as swift and incisive as any surgical operation.
Instead, Carson bunted.
“Well, let me put it this way,” he began hesitantly. “There has — there have been numerous studies, and they have not demonstrated that there is any correlation between vaccinations and autism.”
[Jousting with Trump signals new stage in race]
Carson’s tepid response drew immediate criticism from doctors and pediatricians across the country.
“No Ben Carson,” Baltimore pediatrician Scott Krugman wrote on Twitter. “The answer is ‘yes’ Donald Trump is wrong. Vaccines don’t cause autism. What are you talking about?”
Yet, on an issue that could prove prickly for Republicans in the general election, Carson’s comment was actually the most forceful of the night.
Trump essentially doubled down on his past statements by again suggesting that vaccines, or concentrations of them, cause autism.
“Autism has become an epidemic,” he warned. “Twenty-five years ago, 35 years ago, you look at the statistics, not even close. It has gotten totally out of control.”
Rand Paul, like Carson, a doctor, also equivocated on the issue.
“I’m all for vaccines,” he said. “But I’m also for freedom.”
The exchange, particularly Trump’s comments, drew a sharp response from autism groups.
“Despite a wealth of scientific evidence debunking any link between autism and vaccinations, tonight’s Republican primary debate featured prominent commentary from a leading candidate repeating inaccurate information suggesting a link,” the Autistic Self Advocacy Network said in a statement. “Autism is not caused by vaccines — and Autistic Americans deserve better than a political rhetoric that suggests that we would be better off dead than disabled.”
Whether or not the vaccine “debate” did any damage to Carson, Trump, Paul or the GOP among voters is still unclear. But it was a talking point from a testy night full of politicians pushing back against science and “big government.”
Technically, Carson’s answer was in line with the overwhelming scientific consensus that vaccines don’t cause autism. (The research Trump has cited has been roundly debunked; its author stripped of his medical license. In contrast, over the past 12 years, nine consecutive CDC studies have found no link between vaccines and autism.)
But even Carson’s tepid initial response quickly began to unravel.
[Winners and losers from the CNN debate]
“This was something that was spread widely 15 or 20 years ago,” he said of the supposed vaccine-autism connection, “and it has not been adequately, you know, revealed to the public what’s actually going on.”
Already fuzzy, the neurosurgeon’s statements then grew hazier and hazier, like a patient’s vision as he slips under anesthesia.
“Vaccines are very important,” Carson said, before qualifying: “Certain ones. The ones that would prevent death or crippling. There are others, there are a multitude of vaccines which probably don’t fit in that category, and there should be some discretion in those cases.”
Tapper had couched his question not only in contrast to Trump, but also in reference to the recent measles outbreak in California, where Wednesday’s debate was held.
The outbreak began in December after dozens of kids became sick with the virus at two Disney theme parks in Southern California. Nearly 200 Americans caught the disease in 2015 — 15 years after it was declared eradicated — because of the growing anti-vaccine movement, according to the CDC.
Nobody died in the outbreak, however. So does that mean Carson thinks opting against the measles vaccine is okay? It’s unclear, at least from his answer Wednesday night.
When asked again if Trump should stop saying that vaccines cause autism, Carson dodged the question.
“Well, you know, I’ve just explained it to him,” he said. “He can read about it if he wants to. I think he’s an intelligent man and will make the correct decision after getting the real facts.”
But the surgeon went further, appearing to stoke anti-vaccine sentiment by adding that: “You know, a lot of this is — is — is pushed by big government.”
Much of the criticism came after Carson echoed Trump’s concerns over grouping vaccines together.
“The fact of the matter is, we have extremely well-documented proof that there’s no autism associated with vaccinations. But it is true that we are probably giving way too many in too short a period of time,” Carson said. “And a lot of pediatricians now recognize that, and, I think, are cutting down on the number and the proximity in which those are done, and I think that’s appropriate.”
(Both the CDC and Institute of Medicine have said that giving children multiple vaccines at once is completely safe.)
If Carson’s equivocations raised eyebrows because he’s a doctor, Trump’s stirred outrage because … well … Trump.
After asking Carson about vaccines and autism, Tapper turned to The Donald to see if he would defend his past statements, which have repeatedly linked “massive” injections and the neurodevelopmental disorder.
I am being proven right about massive vaccinations—the doctors lied. Save our children & their future.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2014
“Mr. Trump, as president, you would be in charge of the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health, both of which say you are wrong,” Tapper said. “How would you handle this as president?”
“Autism has become an epidemic,” Trump answered. “Twenty-five years ago, 35 years ago, you look at the statistics, not even close. It has gotten totally out of control.”
[Fact checking the second round of GOP debates]
That claim, however, is disputed by many autism groups and studies.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-on-vaccines-and-autism/?tid=trending_strip_5
The CNN moderator laid out the question for Ben Carson like a baseball on a tee, just waiting to be crushed.
“Dr. Carson, Donald Trump has publicly and repeatedly linked vaccines, childhood vaccines, to autism, which, as you know, the medical community adamantly disputes,” Jake Tapper said. “You’re a pediatric neurosurgeon. Should Mr. Trump stop saying this?”
[The fraudulent origins of Donald Trump’s vaccine theory]
For months, Carson has touted his medical expertise while on the campaign trail. And in the weeks since the first debate, the famed surgeon has risen in the polls as a milder-mannered, more rational alternative to Trump.
Now was his chance for a home run; a big hit as swift and incisive as any surgical operation.
Instead, Carson bunted.
“Well, let me put it this way,” he began hesitantly. “There has — there have been numerous studies, and they have not demonstrated that there is any correlation between vaccinations and autism.”
[Jousting with Trump signals new stage in race]
Carson’s tepid response drew immediate criticism from doctors and pediatricians across the country.
“No Ben Carson,” Baltimore pediatrician Scott Krugman wrote on Twitter. “The answer is ‘yes’ Donald Trump is wrong. Vaccines don’t cause autism. What are you talking about?”
Yet, on an issue that could prove prickly for Republicans in the general election, Carson’s comment was actually the most forceful of the night.
Trump essentially doubled down on his past statements by again suggesting that vaccines, or concentrations of them, cause autism.
“Autism has become an epidemic,” he warned. “Twenty-five years ago, 35 years ago, you look at the statistics, not even close. It has gotten totally out of control.”
Rand Paul, like Carson, a doctor, also equivocated on the issue.
“I’m all for vaccines,” he said. “But I’m also for freedom.”
The exchange, particularly Trump’s comments, drew a sharp response from autism groups.
“Despite a wealth of scientific evidence debunking any link between autism and vaccinations, tonight’s Republican primary debate featured prominent commentary from a leading candidate repeating inaccurate information suggesting a link,” the Autistic Self Advocacy Network said in a statement. “Autism is not caused by vaccines — and Autistic Americans deserve better than a political rhetoric that suggests that we would be better off dead than disabled.”
Whether or not the vaccine “debate” did any damage to Carson, Trump, Paul or the GOP among voters is still unclear. But it was a talking point from a testy night full of politicians pushing back against science and “big government.”
Technically, Carson’s answer was in line with the overwhelming scientific consensus that vaccines don’t cause autism. (The research Trump has cited has been roundly debunked; its author stripped of his medical license. In contrast, over the past 12 years, nine consecutive CDC studies have found no link between vaccines and autism.)
But even Carson’s tepid initial response quickly began to unravel.
[Winners and losers from the CNN debate]
“This was something that was spread widely 15 or 20 years ago,” he said of the supposed vaccine-autism connection, “and it has not been adequately, you know, revealed to the public what’s actually going on.”
Already fuzzy, the neurosurgeon’s statements then grew hazier and hazier, like a patient’s vision as he slips under anesthesia.
“Vaccines are very important,” Carson said, before qualifying: “Certain ones. The ones that would prevent death or crippling. There are others, there are a multitude of vaccines which probably don’t fit in that category, and there should be some discretion in those cases.”
Tapper had couched his question not only in contrast to Trump, but also in reference to the recent measles outbreak in California, where Wednesday’s debate was held.
The outbreak began in December after dozens of kids became sick with the virus at two Disney theme parks in Southern California. Nearly 200 Americans caught the disease in 2015 — 15 years after it was declared eradicated — because of the growing anti-vaccine movement, according to the CDC.
Nobody died in the outbreak, however. So does that mean Carson thinks opting against the measles vaccine is okay? It’s unclear, at least from his answer Wednesday night.
When asked again if Trump should stop saying that vaccines cause autism, Carson dodged the question.
“Well, you know, I’ve just explained it to him,” he said. “He can read about it if he wants to. I think he’s an intelligent man and will make the correct decision after getting the real facts.”
But the surgeon went further, appearing to stoke anti-vaccine sentiment by adding that: “You know, a lot of this is — is — is pushed by big government.”
Much of the criticism came after Carson echoed Trump’s concerns over grouping vaccines together.
“The fact of the matter is, we have extremely well-documented proof that there’s no autism associated with vaccinations. But it is true that we are probably giving way too many in too short a period of time,” Carson said. “And a lot of pediatricians now recognize that, and, I think, are cutting down on the number and the proximity in which those are done, and I think that’s appropriate.”
(Both the CDC and Institute of Medicine have said that giving children multiple vaccines at once is completely safe.)
If Carson’s equivocations raised eyebrows because he’s a doctor, Trump’s stirred outrage because … well … Trump.
After asking Carson about vaccines and autism, Tapper turned to The Donald to see if he would defend his past statements, which have repeatedly linked “massive” injections and the neurodevelopmental disorder.
I am being proven right about massive vaccinations—the doctors lied. Save our children & their future.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2014
“Mr. Trump, as president, you would be in charge of the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health, both of which say you are wrong,” Tapper said. “How would you handle this as president?”
“Autism has become an epidemic,” Trump answered. “Twenty-five years ago, 35 years ago, you look at the statistics, not even close. It has gotten totally out of control.”
[Fact checking the second round of GOP debates]
That claim, however, is disputed by many autism groups and studies.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-on-vaccines-and-autism/?tid=trending_strip_5
