Pediatricians Want Austism/Vaccines Show Axed
January 30, 2008
From the DIS News:
The American Academy of Pediatrics is urging Disney’s ABC network to cancel its first episode of ‘Eli Stone’ scheduled to air on Thursday.
The legal drama debuts with a story based on a link between vaccines and autism. A trial ensues in which the lead character discovers that the vaccine manufacturer won’t allow his own child to get the shot which leads to a guilty verdict.
I have to be careful here . . . I don’t want to venture down the road of commenting on the purported link between autism and vaccines. I’ve had a horse in this race, and I have some opinions, but they’re better shared among friends, over coffee (preferably at Kona Cafe, the one decent cuppa java at Walt Disney World).
But I do get a little twitchy when people want fictional shows yanked off the air because they’re afraid people don’t know the difference between drama and news shows. (A certain Mr Quayle comes to mind, and his distaste for a certain television drama featuring a single mom by choice.)
True, there are plenty out there who have a hard time telling the difference between drama and documentary. But does that mean we have to self-censor? The First Amendment isn’t at issue here, since these pediatricians are not acting with the force of government. But there’s a similar chilling effect.
Entry Filed under: ABC Television, American Academy of Pediatrics, Eli Stone, First Amendment, autism. .
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1. Jon | January 30, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Everyone has an agenda these days. The bottom line is that no one can claim anything since there has been no studies to confirm either side. I check it out and found a few things:
On MSNBC, they list an Associated Press article that shows a study done on this topic. They found that there was not a link between the two. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22542677/
“Federal statistics show about one in 150 children in the United States have autism, higher than previous estimates. Researchers say it’s unclear if the increase is due to changes in how the disorder is classified or whether it’s an actual spike.”
So I’m on the fence myself. If only 1 in 150 kids have autism, but the majority of those kids are vaccinated, it would be a stretch to show the link statistically.
That being said…I watched the 10 minute preview of Eli Stone and that show shouldn’t be pulled because it uses unfounded science as a plot device, but rather because its boring. Seriously, this has middle age woman demographic written all over it. (No offense ladies). Ally McBeal was innovative…this is derivative.
I know you didn’t want to stir the pot Jen, but I thought I’d do it for you. LOL.
2. Ken in Atlanta | February 1, 2008 at 10:11 am
I know at the end of the show there was a slate saying that the events, vacinne, and company were fictional and gave a website to people to go to for info on autisum.
3. Jennifer | February 1, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Thanks for the comments Ken and Jon!
Being a proud, card-carrying member of the middle-aged women demographic, I Tivo’ed Eli Stone . .. but only to watch the Oceanic Air commercial that had been promised to us Lost fans.
And quite frankly, even that was kinda disappointing.