Trump, Gingrich, Vaccines, Autism

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the issue's role in presidential campaigns.   In this campaign, a number of posts have discussed Trump's support for the discredited notion that vaccines cause autism. 

Sara Reardon, Jeff Tollefson, Alexandra Witze & Lauren Morello report at Nature;

Some scientists have expressed fear about how Trump’s presidency will affect research in the United States. The president-elect has questioned the science underlying climate change and has linked autism to childhood vaccinations; his vice-president, Indiana governor Mike Pence, does not believe in evolution or that human activities have caused climate change. Still, some science advocates caution against a rush to judgement about how the Trump administration will approach science and research issues.

“The verdict remains out,” says Tobin Smith, vice-president for policy at the Association of American Universities in Washington DC. “There are many people who have been strong supporters of science you might not have been expecting.” Smith says that a prime example is Newt Gingrich, the former Republican congressman for Georgia, who is rumoured to be up for a top job in Trump's administration.

At this blog pointed out nearly five years ago, Gingrich has been highly critical of the vaccine notion that Trump champions:

From To Save America (rev. ed., 2011, pp. 142-143):

But perhaps no anti-scientific argument is more dangerous today than the claim put forward by radical environmentalists, most notably Robert F. Kennedy Jr., that childhood vaccinations can cause autism. Numerous peer-reviewed studies have disproved this connection. Moreover, the Lancet, a prominent British journal that published a 1998 study confirming a vaccination-autism connection, recently retracted the study, whose findings had already been repudiated by ten of its thirteen co-authors.

Yet some parents, worried by these rumors, have stopped vaccinating their children, endangering public health.

Nine-Year-Old with Autism Grills Presidential Candidates

Sam Wessels, a nine-year-old Iowan with autism, has been asking presidential candidates about their positions on autism.  A previous post showed his encounter with Ron Paul.  Others are below.


Mitt Romney:

 

Rick Santorum:




Newt Gingrich:



Michele Bachmann:

Gingrich on the Vaccine Theory

Newt Gingrich has weighed in on vaccines and autism.


From To Save America (rev. ed., 2011, pp. 142-143):

But perhaps no anti-scientific argument is more dangerous today than the claim put forward by radical environmentalists, most notably Robert F. Kennedy Jr., that childhood vaccinations can cause autism. Numerous peer-reviewed studies have disproved this connection. Moreover, the Lancet, a prominent British journal that published a 1998 study confirming a vaccination-autism connection, recently retracted the study, whose findings had already been repudiated by ten of its thirteen co-authors.

Yet some parents, worried by these rumors, have stopped vaccinating their children, endangering public health.

Note, however, that some on the right have also embraced the vaccine theory. Most notable is Gingrich's former colleague, Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN).

Gingrich and Neuroscience

At the Concord Monitor, Molly A.K. Connors notes that Newt Gingrich has introduced a new subject into presidential debate:

Pay attention at just the right moment, though, and you'll hear former U.S. House speaker Newt Gingrich throw out a phrase that none of his competitors do: brain science.

It is an umbrella term Gingrich uses to refer to the research and understanding of illnesses ranging from Parkinson's to autism, and it's an issue that hits Gingrich, 68, close to home.

"My mother had bipolar disease, and I'm as interested in the whole issue of mental health, which is all brain-science related," Gingrich said in a recent interview with the Monitor. "You realize, for example, the impact of depression, which is a major undercurrent of our health problems. So if you could just understand depression, biologically, the savings would be enormous."

...


n a recent interview, Gingrich narrowed the list to four things he thinks need to be done to address the costs of Alzheimer's in particular and brain-related disorders in general. Some of them overlap with points he regularly makes while campaigning.

• Set up a public-private partnership that funds brain science independent of the regular federal budget.

Gingrich said creating the public-private partnership would allow a more effective conversation with researchers to find out "the maximum they can invest practically," instead of the current system, which allocates to scientists only what "the politicians" will give them.

No one affected by or working in the area feels the disorders receive enough research money. The National Institutes of Health spends about $150 million annually on autism and about $160 million on Parkinson's. Compare that to, for example, breast cancer, on which NIH spends more than $700 million annually.

...

• Reorganize the National Institutes of Health.

The NIH is the part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services charged with medical research and "making important discoveries that improve health and save lives." It spends about $31.2 billion annually, according to its website, but it doesn't dispatch that money effectively enough, Gingrich said.

...

• Reorganize the Food and Drug Administration.

With a budget of about $1 billion, the Food and Drug Administration is charged with approving any new drug or other treatment for disorders such as Alzheimer's, autism and Parkinson's. But the process has become too slow, Gingrich said.

"The analogy I use is the iron lung, which disappeared because of the polio vaccine. In 1950, there were 60,000 people who died of polio," Gingrich said. "Now here's the fascinating thing. (Jonas) Salk develops this vaccine, he gives it to his own family to prove it's safe. The following year, (1.4 million) volunteers take the vaccine and the year after that the whole country's vaccinated," he said.
...

• Eliminate the capital gains tax.

Gingrich proposes eliminating the capital gains tax to enable entrepreneurs to invest their profits in ventures that could treat or prevent brain-related illnesses.

See earlier post on Gingrich, brain science, and the debates

See earlier post on Gingrich Foundation donation to the Autism Society

Gingrich on Brain Research

The Rick Perry gaffe has overshadowed a moment in last night's debate where Newt Gingrich stressed the need for research into neurological disorders:

Let me just say it very straight. One, you go back to a doctor-patient relationship and you involve the family in those periods where the patient by themselves can't make key decisions. But you re-localize it.

Two, as several people said, including Governor Perry, you put Medicaid back at the state level and allow the states to really experiment because it's clear we don't know what we are doing nationally.

Three, you focus very intensely on a brand-new program on brain science because the fact is the largest single out-year set of costs we are faced with are Alzheimer's, autism, Parkinson's, mental health, and things which come directly from the brain.

And I am for fixing our health rather than fixing our health bureaucracy because the iron lung is the perfect model of saving people so you don't need to pay for federal program of iron lung centers because the polio vaccine eliminated the problem.

Gingrich Foundation Recognizes Autism Society

A news release from the Gingrich Foundation:

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 6 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — In honor of National Autism Awareness Month, the Gingrich Foundation has selected the Autism Society as Charity of the Month, recognizing the organization’s devotion to improving the lives of all individuals affected by autism spectrum disorders.

Approximately 1.5 million Americans live with autism, which has seen a 600 percent increase over the past two decades. Autism, a complex developmental disability that affects a person’s communication, socialization, and behavior, places a heavy burden on families, requiring extra time and special attention for the affected family member, in addition to what the Autism Society estimates to be $3.5 million to $5 million in cost to care for one child with autism over their lifetime.

As the nation’s leading grassroots autism organization, the Autism Society, founded in 1965, works to increase awareness and provide resources about autism spectrum disorders (ASD), as well as promote the dignity of all individuals on the spectrum. With 150 chapters across the United States, the Autism Society advocates for the best and most appropriate services for individuals and families.

“I would like to sincerely thank Newt and Callista Gingrich for supporting the Autism Society and honoring its accomplishments by naming it the Gingrich Foundation’s Charity of the Month, a move that carries particular significance during April, National Autism Awareness Month,” said Jeff Sell, Autism Society Vice President of Public Policy. “Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability in the United States, and individuals affected by autism have great potential if they have access to the services and supports they need. By supporting the Autism Society, the Gingrich Foundation and its supporters are helping to change lives, and we thank them for their invaluable contribution.”

“The Autism Society has made remarkable advancements in increasing public awareness and supporting research to improve the lives of those affected with autism,” said Callista Gingrich, President of the Gingrich Foundation. “We are pleased to select the Autism Society as our Charity of the Month and encourage others to support their outstanding efforts.”

In recognition of National Autism Awareness Month, the Autism Society has extended its ongoing partnership with AMC Theaters to include a special 40-city screening tour of a new documentary on autism, entitled, Wretches & Jabberers.

The Gingrich Foundation is a domestic non-profit corporation founded by Callista and Newt Gingrich to support charitable purposes.

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