Oprah's New Protg: Jenny McCarthy
Quote:
Oprah Winfrey is taking Jenny McCarthy under her wing.
Following in the heels of Dr. Phil and Rachael Ray, McCarthy has signed a deal with Harpo Productions to develop multi-platform projects, including a syndicated talk show and a blog, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
McCarthy's blog launched Friday on Oprah.com and already features three entries from the actress.
In recent years, McCarthy has been a frequent guest on Winfrey's talk show, discussing her efforts in helping her son, Evan, combat autism. She also appeared this past Friday as part of Winfrey's Friday Live panel.
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I sat back and rolled my eyes when Oprah was promoting Dr. Phil, and Sylvia Browne (who apparently does not like Oprah anymore,) but this is in a league of its own. I could deal with Phil's horrendous pop psychology and Browne's fraud, but I cannot keep quiet about the anti-vaccination movement.
Medicine needs to be evidence-based and evidence-based alone. The Wakefield study relied on falsified results and an invented bowel disorder to get Dr. Wakefield's desired results. Studies of thousands of children across the world have shown no correlation between childhood vaccines and autism. The only problems caused by Thimerosal were rare allergic reactions. Through widespread childhood vaccination, we have all but eradicated diseases like smallpox and polio. In the cases of others like measles, mumps, and rubella that can have lasting effects like sterility in adulthood, we have minimized infection rates.
Vaccination is not just about the individual being immunized. Widespread vaccination produces herd immunity, which stops the spread of preventable diseases. In recent years, the hubris of the anti-vaccination movement has not only harmed the children of parents who have been conned into refusing vaccinations, it has led to outbreaks of these preventable diseases. Since June of 2007, over 18800 children have been infected with these preventable illnesses and over 160 have died.
People like Jenny McCarthy are spreading lies and misinformation, and now one of the most influential people in media has given her a bigger soapbox and a louder voice. I can't compete on that kind of scale, but hopefully things like posting this will help to generate outrage and opposition.
This isn't your typical pseudoscience that hits the wallets of its victims, this is a tangible thread to public health. Its proponents make money writing books and appearing on TV, they have their followers. They have an almost religious zeal driving them.
They also have a body count.