Trump Has Not Changed His Position on Vaccines

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the issue's role in presidential campaigns. In the 2016 campaign, a number of posts discussed Trump's support for the discredited notion that vaccines cause autism. He also has a bad record on science and disability issues more generally.

In response to a question, Trump recently said that parents should get vaccinations for their children. Some reports suggested that he was changing his position, but he was not. He has always claimed to be "pro-vaccine," but he has told parents to space out vaccinations. Many antivax activists make the same claim. But "spacing out" vaccines is harmful advice.

At a GOP debate:

Autism has become an epidemic. Twenty-five years ago, 35 years ago, you look at the statistics, not even close. It has gotten totally out of control.

I am totally in favor of vaccines. But I want smaller doses over a longer period of time. Because you take a baby in -- and I've seen it -- and I've seen it, and I had my children taken care of over a long period of time, over a two or three year period of time.

Same exact amount, but you take this little beautiful baby, and you pump -- I mean, it looks just like it's meant for a horse, not for a child, and we've had so many instances, people that work for me.

Just the other day, two years old, two and a half years old, a child, a beautiful child went to have the vaccine, and came back, and a week later got a tremendous fever, got very, very sick, now is autistic.

I only say it's not -- I'm in favor of vaccines, do them over a longer period of time, same amount.

I'm not saying to not give vaccines, I am just saying give them small doses over a long period of time - not one massive dose for a child.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 6, 2014

No more massive injections. Tiny children are not horses—one vaccine at a time, over time.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2014

To all haters and losers: I am NOT anti-vaccine, but I am against shooting massive doses into tiny children. Spread shots out over time.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2014

Cassidy Morrison at The Washington Examiner:

Amid a growing measles outbreak, more parents are choosing to alter the recommended vaccine schedule for their children in hopes of not overwhelming their immune systems, a practice doctors say could be just as risky as not vaccinating at all.

Dr. Paul Offit, a physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, told the Washington Examiner he has seen an uptick in parents asking whether they should alter the vaccine schedule recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

He tells parents that delaying vaccines doesn’t lessen any possible side effects from vaccines themselves, but rather that “it increases the amount of time that your child is vulnerable.”
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Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, has also seen an increase in parents asking about delaying vaccines. He told the Washington Examiner that spacing out doses is “all risk and no benefit.”

“The bottom line is that in spacing vaccines apart, parents only increase the likelihood that the vaccines won’t work,” Hotez said. “A lot of it is based on a theory with no evidence that giving vaccines close together overwhelms the immune system.”

Autism, Measles, Vaccines, and Quackery

In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the discredited notion that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing disease to spread.

On June 5, 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the number of measles cases nationwide so far in 2019 was 1,001. 

Ed Pilkington at The Guardian:

Thousands of American children are being put on homeopathic alternatives to vaccination by practitioners who claim they can prevent measles and “cure” autism, the Guardian has learned.

At least 200 homeopaths in the US are practicing a controversial “therapy” known as Cease that falsely asserts that it has the power to treat and even cure autism. The acronym stands for Complete Elimination of Autistic Spectrum Expression.

The “therapy” relies in part on administering high doses of vitamin C. Advocates falsely say it repairs the harm caused by vaccination – a double untruth as most vaccines are safe and there is no link between vaccines and autism, a condition for which there is no cure.

In addition 250 homeopaths, some of whom also practice Cease, are promoting “homeoprophylaxis” that advertises itself as an “immunological education program”. More than 2,000 American children have been put on the program which claims to build natural immunity against infectious diseases, though there is no scientific evidence that it works.

From the Public Policy Institute of California:

 As the US confronts its worst measles outbreak in more than 20 years, the California Legislature is considering a bill (Senate Bill 276) that would tighten the state’s already strict school immunization law. SB 276 would create a standardized form for parents seeking to medically exempt their children from vaccination and would require state review and tracking of exemption requests.

An overwhelming majority of adults (73%) think that parents should be required to vaccinate their children. Asked about child vaccines to prevent measles, mumps, and rubella, 62 percent of adults say these vaccines are very safe, and another 27 percent say they are somewhat safe. An overwhelming majority (79%) are concerned that the recent outbreak of measles will become more widespread (43% very concerned, 36% somewhat concerned).

Autistic Students Account for 10 Percent of Special Education Enrollment

In The Politics of Autism, I write about special education and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Between the 2016-17 and 2017-18 academic years, the number children 3 to 21 years old served under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B with a designation of autism increased from 661,000 to 710,000. As a percentage of total enrollment, that figure ticked up from 1.3 to 1.4 percent.  And as a percentage of all students served, it increased from 9.7 percent to 10.2 percent.

From The National Center for Education Statistics:

Enacted in 1975, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), formerly known as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, mandates the provision of a free and appropriate public school education for eligible students ages 3–21. Eligible students are those identified by a team of professionals as having a disability that adversely affects academic performance and as being in need of special education and related services. Data collection activities to monitor compliance with IDEA began in 1976.

From school year 2000–01 through 2004–05, the number of students ages 3–21 who received special education services under IDEA increased from 6.3 million, or 13 percent of total public school enrollment, to 6.7 million, or 14 percent of total public school enrollment.1 Both the number and percentage of students served under IDEA declined from 2004–05 through 2011–12. Between 2011–12 and 2017–18, the number of students served increased from 6.4 million to 7.0 million and the percentage served increased from 13 percent of total public school enrollment to 14 percent of total public school enrollment.

 

The Cliffs of Autism

In The Politics of Autism, I write:

When disabled people reach their 22d birthday, they no longer qualify for services under IDEA. ... People in the disability community refer to this point in life as “the cliff.” Once autistic people go over the cliff, they have a hard time getting services such as job placement, vocational training, and assistive technology. IDEA entitles students to transition planning services during high school, but afterwards, they have to apply as adults and establish eligibility for state and federal help. One study found that 39 percent of young autistic adults received no service at all, and most of the rest got severely limited services.

Medicaid and private insurance have their own cliffs. 

Joseph Lee, the brother of an autistic person write at The Globe Post about a Medicaid cliff:

The crux of this issue is Medicaid’s age caps. Like most families of autistic children, the few therapy sessions we can afford for Esther rely heavily on the Early Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) Medicaid benefit, which entitles children to any services medically necessary to address their health conditions. This entitlement discontinues, however, after the age of 21.
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To Esther and my family, the EPSDT age cap is an insult. It advances an underlying societal stigma that autistic adults are hopelessly unintelligent and incapable. Having access to a comprehensive range of services should be guaranteed for all people with disabilities who are among the most medically fragile and have the most complex needs.

Restricting autistic adults from these services doesn’t just neglect the simple fact that autism is a lifelong developmental disability – more harmfully, it conveys the notion that autistic adults are lost causes that society should stop investing in..

Blythe Bernhard at Disability Scoop:

While nearly every state requires insurance companies to cover autism therapies, most cut off mandatory coverage beyond childhood.

Age caps for people with autism are arbitrary since “they don’t suddenly become cured at age 18 or age 21,” said Lorri Unumb, CEO of the Council of Autism Service Providers.

This year, however, several state legislatures including New Mexico, New York, Utah and Virginia removed age restrictions on insurance coverage. About a dozen states now require coverage regardless of age.

RISE Act

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the growing number of college students on the spectrum. 

A release from Senator Bob Casey:

U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Todd Young (R-IN) introduced the Respond, Innovate, Succeed, and Empower (RISE) Act to help ease the burden of transitioning to college for students with disabilities. The legislation would amend the Higher Education Act (HEA) and clarify that students with previous documentation of a disability would be able to continue using that documentation as proof when they transition to higher education. This would help ensure students who receive special education or accommodations because of a disability do not need to spend time and money to go through unnecessary new diagnostic testing.

The RISE Act would also make school policies and data more transparent for students and families so they can make informed decisions on the college that best fits their needs. The legislation provides additional support for technical assistance to colleges and universities to better serve people with disabilities.

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The RISE Act is endorsed by the following organizations:

The National Center for Learning Disabilities, AIM Institute for Learning and Research, American Association of People with Disabilities, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, Association of University Centers on Disabilities, Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Decoding Dyslexia Network, Eye to Eye, Higher Education Consortium for Special Education, Learning Disabilities Association of America, National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, National Down Syndrome Congress, Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children and The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates.

Amid Measles Outbreak, CA Governor Reluctant to Tighten Vax Exemptions

In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the discredited notion that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing disease to spread.

From CDC: "From January 1 to May 31, 2019, 981 individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 26 states. This is an increase of 41 cases from the previous week. This is the greatest number of cases reported in the U.S. since 1992 and since measles was declared eliminated in 2000."

Hannah Wiley and Sophia Bollag at The Sacramento Bee:

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Saturday he’s concerned about having government officials sign off on vaccine exemptions, arguing those decisions should be made between patients and doctors without government involvement.

“I’m a parent. I don’t want someone that the governor of California appointed to make a decision for my family,” he told reporters after his speech at the California Democratic Party Convention.

Although he didn’t mention the bill explicitly, his comments indicate he doesn’t support a bill by state Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, that would require the California Department of Public Health to sign off on doctors’ medical exemption requests. If the Legislature passes the bill, it would need Newsom’s signature to become law.

A release from Senator Pan:

As our country is experiencing the greatest number of measles infections in 25 years – 940 cases this year to date – the California Medical Board voted on Tuesday to support requirements in SB 276 that there is a review of medical exemptions and allow the Medical Board to receive medical exemption data to allow investigations of unscrupulous physicians.

“I appreciate that the Medical Board of California voted to support requiring reviews of medical exemptions,” said Dr. Richard Pan. “SB 276 addresses barriers to the Medical Board’s ability to perform their duty to protect the public, and the Medical Board recognized that they need SB 276 to investigate unprofessional behavior on the part of physicians violating standard of care and endangering the public by selling inappropriate medical exemptions.”

“I am pleased the Medical Board recognizes that current law is not sufficient to protect children and communities,” said Leah Russin, a mother from Palo Alto and co-founder of Vaccinate California, a group of parents who volunteer their time and energy to support vaccines in California. “The thousands of parents of Vaccinate California agree that oversight of medical exemptions is necessary.”

Under our current review system, the Medical Board can only act after the fact— they cannot prevent or invalidate unjustified medical exemptions. This system allows measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases to take hold and spread in communities with low vaccine rates.

The Medical Board’s staff analysis for SB 276 emphasized further barriers that currently exist that have prevented the Board from investigating unethical physicians selling medical exemptions: “For all quality of care cases, the Board must obtain authorization from the patient or their parent or guardian (if the patient is a minor) to release the medical records. For medical exemption cases, many times the parent or guardian does not want the Board to investigate the physician who issued their medical exemption, so the parent will not sign an authorization. This has created barriers to the Board investigating these cases because for most of these medical exemption cases, the Board does not have enough evidence to subpoena the medical records. Without the medical records, the Board’s physician expert cannot review the case to determine if the physician acted within the standard of care.”

Under SB 276, physicians will submit information to California Department of Public Health (CDPH), including the physician’s name and license number and the reason for the exemption, which CDPH will check to ensure they are consistent with the Center for Disease Control’s precautions and contraindications to vaccination. The physician must also certify that they have examined the patient in person.

Additionally, under SB 276, CDPH will create and maintain a database of medical exemptions. CDPH and County Health Officers will have the authority to revoke medical exemptions granted by licensed physicians if they are found to be fraudulent or inconsistent with contraindications to vaccination per CDC guidelines. This authority will give state and county health officers the tools necessary to contain and prevent further outbreaks. Data on physicians writing large numbers of inappropriate medical exemptions will be provided to the Medical Board of California, to investigate unprofessional conduct.

As the Medical Board’s staff analysis of SB 276 pointed out, the Board is only aware of cases that are specifically reported. Even when a physician is reported, the Board usually doesn’t have enough information to investigate questionable exemptions unless the parents choose to share information, which will not happen in these situations because the parents are working in concert with the physician. In fact, since the passage of SB 277, the Board has only completed one investigation related to medical exemptions.
As a result of the implementation of Senate Bill 277, which abolished the personal belief exemption in California, overall vaccination rates increased sharply to more than 95 percent statewide. That is greater than the 94 percent vaccination rate necessary to achieve community immunity to prevent the spread of a measles outbreak.

The increase followed the dramatic increase from 92.9 percent in the 2015-16 school year to 95.6 percent in the 2016-17 school year after implementation of SB 277 in 2016 and a vaccination rate of only 90.7 percent in 2010-11 when Dr. Pan entered the legislature and authored AB 2109. AB 2109 required parents to be counseled before they opted out of legally mandated vaccines.

Despite the success of SB 277 in increasing the overall immunization rate of kindergarten students, California has also experienced a dramatic increase in the number of medical exemptions. Since the passage of SB 277, the rate of medical exemptions has more than tripled (from 0.2% in 2015-16 to 0.7% in 2017-18). Low vaccination rates in certain pockets of the state have put children and communities at risk.

A very small percentage of the population, less than 1 percent, suffers from qualifying medical condition, such as a severe allergic reaction to a vaccine component that would lead to the granting of medical exemption.

1. Read the IEP 2. Trust No One. 3. Push Back

In The Politics of Autism, I write about special education and laws that affect students with disabilities, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.  School districts prevail in most due-process hearings.  Here are some reasons:

School districts have built-in expert witnesses in the form of teachers and staff.  They also have full access to all relevant information about a proposed placement, and often deny parents access to those programs in advance of hearings. When parents’ experts can observe children in class, districts can limit their observations.   More important, parents have to foot the bill for their experts because of a 2006 Supreme Court decision that IDEA does not authorize reimbursement of witness fees. “While authorizing the award of reasonable attorney's fees, the Act contains detailed provisions that are designed to ensure that such awards are indeed reasonable,” Justice Alito wrote for the majority. “The absence of any comparable provisions relating to expert fees strongly suggests that recovery of expert fees is not authorized.” It goes without saying that this decision disadvantages all parents, and especially those with modest incomes. 

At The Albert Lea Tribune, Sarah Kocher reports on an investigation into a Minnesota school district where parents raised concerns about their 18-year-old daughter graduating before she was ready.

Alexa Newman received special education services from Alden-Conger Public Schools since kindergarten. Legally, through a federal law called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, students with disabilities are eligible to continue receiving a free public education until they are 21 years old.

Parents Amy and Kory Newman filed a special education state complaint with the Minnesota Department of Education in May alleging the district violated IDEA and at times did not meet Alexa Newman’s individualized education program.

“It’s just unfortunate that you trust somebody … that they’re doing what’s best for your daughter and here to find out it’s like OK, they’re just going through the motions,” Kory Newman said.

...
Kory Newman said he took full responsibility for not being engaged in his daughter’s IEP from the time she was in kindergarten all the way through her education.

“We didn’t know better,” Amy Newman said.

That has changed.

“I know more about special education now than I ever thought I would,” Kory Newman said. “I sat up at night reading.”

Amy Newman wondered how many children should have received services past 18 through SMEC and did not because their parents did not fight.

She said the couple is not filing a lawsuit. They have two younger children in the district. Now, they are looking ahead and behind at other families with students in special education. She said she wants other children to get what the law says they are entitled to: special education through age 21.

“We shouldn’t have had to fight this hard,” Amy Newman said. “… In our minds, too many have graduated, gotten their signed diploma and missed out on the opportunities.”

Antivax Misinformation Lingers on Facebook

In The Politics of Autism, I look at the discredited notion that vaccines cause autism.  Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms have helped spread this dangerous myth.

Jeff Horwitz at The Wall Street Journal:

Ten weeks after Facebook Inc. FB -3.03% pledged to fight vaccine misinformation, such content remains widely available across its platforms as the social-media giant grapples with how aggressively to limit the spread of hoaxes and deceptions.

Facebook as of this week is still running paid ads for a prominent antivaccination group that suggests unethical doctors have conspired to hide evidence of harm vaccines do to children. Both the company’s main platform and its Instagram app recommend additional antivaccine content to users who view similar material. And the top three vaccine-related accounts recommended by Instagram are “vaccinetruth” “vaccinesuncovered” and “vaccines_revealed”—all advocates for the discredited claim that vaccines are toxic.

“We’re not where we want to be,” Monika Bickert, Facebook’s head of global policy management, said in an interview. “And we know that.”

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Some solutions implemented by the company can be less than meets the eye. Facebook’s commitment to cull advertising from antivaccine groups, for example, is being applied only to ads that include falsehoods in their actual text.

A prominent antivaccination organization, the World Mercury Project, is pitching a free e-book alleging that vaccines can cause autism, sudden infant death syndrome and sterility—all claims that Facebook would ban under its stated policy. But the company deems the ad acceptable because the ad text itself makes only vague claims about “conflicts of interest” and “tainted science,” before directing users to material containing claims explicitly banned by Facebook.

Twice Exceptional

In The Politics of Autism, I write about special education and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Twice-exceptional students are both gifted and disabled.  Rachel Blustain at The Hechinger Report:

“We see kids whose challenges don’t show up on their report card, so they aren’t getting services,” said Jennifer Choi, a parent and founder of the advocacy group 2eNYC and a trustee of the nonprofit Twice Exceptional Children’s Advocacy. “And we see kids who are gifted, but they also have a disability, who lose the ability to participate in any sort of accelerated program because those programs often decline to provide special education services.”

But a handful of school systems across the country are searching for better ways to accommodate bright students with disabilities. Colorado trains teachers across the state in twice exceptionality, for example, while Montgomery County, Maryland, is perhaps the only school district to offer self-contained classes for students in elementary school who need both an accelerated curriculum and more support than they would receive in a mainstream classroom.

Now parent activists in New York City are fighting to get the country’s largest school system to be more responsive to 2e students. Last fall, after Choi’s group presented the New York City Department of Education with a survey of more than 500 parents that described the challenges facing 2e students, the agency began to offer training to staff in gifted-and-talented programs on how to work more effectively with students who have ADHD. In the last few years, three of the city’s most selective public high schools — Brooklyn Technical, Bard College and Townshend Harris — have sent teachers to learn about twice exceptionality from employees of the Quad Preparatory School, a six-year-old private school that focuses on educating these students. And in New York state, lawmakers introduced bills in 2017 that would require teacher training about twice exceptionality and programming for twice exceptional students.

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One of the biggest barriers to educating 2e students, advocates say, is simply proving they exist. Under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, all students are entitled to the special services and accommodations necessary to enable them to learn. But to qualify for those services under the law, a student’s disability must “adversely affect educational performance.”

Russia and Autism Myths

In The Politics of Autism, I look at the discredited notion that vaccines cause autism.  Russian trolls have spread the myth via social media.

From CDC:  Today, CDC is reporting 971 cases of measles in the United States thus far in 2019.  This is the greatest number of cases reported in the U.S. since 1994, when 963 cases were reported for the entire year.

A 2018 release from George Washington University:

Social media bots and Russian trolls promoted discord and spread false information about vaccines on Twitter, according to new research led by the George Washington University. Using tactics similar to those at work during the 2016 United States presidential election, these Twitter accounts entered into vaccine debates months before election season was underway. The study, "Weaponized Health Communication: Twitter Bots and Russian Trolls Amplify the Vaccine Debate" was published today in the American Journal of Public Health.

The team, which also includes researchers from the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University, examined thousands of tweets sent between July 2014 and September 2017. It discovered several accounts, now known to belong to the same Russian trolls who interfered in the U.S. election, as well as marketing and malware bots, tweeted about vaccines and skewed online health communications.

"The vast majority of Americans believe vaccines are safe and effective, but looking at Twitter gives the impression that there is a lot of debate. It turns out that many anti-vaccine tweets come from accounts whose provenance is unclear. These might be bots, human users or 'cyborgs' -- hacked accounts that are sometimes taken over by bots. Although it's impossible to know exactly how many tweets were generated by bots and trolls, our findings suggest that a significant portion of the online discourse about vaccines may be generated by malicious actors with a range of hidden agendas," David Broniatowski, an assistant professor in GW's School of Engineering and Applied Science, said.

 Ben Popken and Maggie Fox reported last year at NBC:

An NBC News analysis of over a million tweets sent by identified Russian trolls published by the data journalism website FiveThirtyEight and Clemson University researchers found over 500 examples of tweets that mention vaccines, often spreading misinformation and discredited theories.

“The Vaccine Hoax is Over — Secret Documents Reveal Shocking Truth,” wrote Russian troll _NICKLUNA_ in February 2017. “Autism Rates in California Have Skyrocketed Following Mandatory Vaccination Bill,” tweeted Amelie Baldwin, a prolific Russian troll, in December of 2016.

Now the Russians are pushing a new myth.

William J. Broad at NYT:

The cellphones known as 5G, or fifth generation, represent the vanguard of a wireless era rich in interconnected cars, factories and cities. Whichever nation dominates the new technology will gain a competitive edge for much of this century, according to many analysts. But a television network a few blocks from the White House has been stirring concerns about a hidden flaw.

“Just a small one,” a TV reporter told her viewers recently. “It might kill you.”

The Russian network RT America aired the segment, titled “A Dangerous ‘Experiment on Humanity,’” in covering what its guest experts call 5G’s dire health threats. U.S. intelligence agencies identified the network as a principal meddler in the 2016 presidential election. Now, it is linking 5G signals to brain cancer, infertility, autism, heart tumors and Alzheimer’s disease — claims that lack scientific support.

Federal Legislation

In The Politics of Autism, I write:

No government agency has exclusive jurisdiction over all of these areas. The federal government takes the lead with some, while states and localities may be the main arenas for others. At each level, different bureaucracies deal with different aspects of autism. Courts and private organizations also play important roles in autism policymaking. Each place on the autism policy map has its own jargon and rules, hence the “alphabet soup” that bedevils parents.

Some major legislation before the 116th Congress:

The Autism CARES Act of 2019 (H.R. 1058/ S. 427) would reauthorize the primary federal autism law, the the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support, or Autism CARES, Act. It continue federal support for autism research, prevalence tracking, screening, professional training and other initiatives.

The IDEA Full Funding Act (H.R. 1878/S. 866) would  bring the federal share of funding for special education programs up to 40 percent, the amount the Congress authorized when the IDEA became law in 1975.  On March 26, Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Pat Roberts (R-KS) introduced the bill in the Senate.  House sponsors include Jared Huffman (D-CA) and John Katko (R-NY).

The ABLE Age Adjustment Act (H.R. 1814/S. 651) would increase from 26 to 46 the age threshold for tax-favored ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) accounts. (ABLE accounts are designed to enable individuals with disabilities to save for and pay for disability-related expenses. To establish an account, an individual must have a qualifying impairment that began before the individual attained the age threshold.)  House sponsors include Tony Cardenas (D-CA) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA). Senate sponsors include Bob Casey (D-PA) and Jerry Moran (R-KS).

The Lifespan Respite Care Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 2035/S. 995) would reauthorize the Lifespan Respite Care Program (LRCP) program through FY 2024 at $200 million over five years. The bill was introduced in the House by Jim Langevin (D-RI), Cathy McMorris Rodgers  (R-WA) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and in the Senate by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).

Disability Integration Act (H.R. 555/S. 117)   This bill would prohibit government entities and insurance providers from denying community-based services to individuals with disabilities that require long-term service or support that would enable such individuals to live in the community and lead an independent life.  House sponsor is F. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Senate sponsor is Charles Schumer (D-NY).

Transformation to Competitive Employment Act (H.R. 873/S. 260) would phase out subminimum wage certificates over the next six years, support people with disabilities as they enter the workforce, and provide grant funding to employers as they navigate the new labor market. House sponsors are Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA). Senate sponsor is Bob Casey (D-PA).

Bleach Book Update

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss autism quackery.  One particularly dangerous"cure" involves bleach.

Nina Golgowski at The Huffington Post:

Amazon has removed from its offerings several books that promote the use of bleach to cure autism and other health conditions after reports of parents force-feeding their children the toxic chemical as a “miracle cure.”

The books and online publications preach the use of chlorine dioxide, a disinfectant that’s marketed as “Miracle Mineral Solution,” or MMS. A spokesperson for Amazon confirmed the publications’ removal to HuffPost on Wednesday but declined further comment.

One of the removed books claims MMS has cured “a wide range of disease,” including cancer, diabetes, hepatitis, Lyme disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinsons, AIDS, Alzheimers, arthritis, and autism.

That book’s author, Jim Humble, is a former Scientologist and self-appointed archbishop of a church that sells MMS. He’s also claimed to be a billion-year-old god from another galaxy, KABC has reported. Humble did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

State GOP v. Vaccines

In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the discredited notion that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing disease to spread.

Arthur Allen at Politico:

The GOP tilt is more pronounced among state lawmakers than among federal ones; many prominent Republicans in Congress including most of the 16 GOP doctors have endorsed vaccines. The most visible and voluble exception is Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), an ophthalmologist who says his own kids were vaccinated but the decision should be left to the parents, not the government.

But in states where legislators have advanced serious efforts to tighten restrictions, such as Maine, Washington, Colorado and Oregon, nearly all of the opponents are Republicans who’ve taken a medical freedom stance.

“The more they dig into it being about freedom, the more susceptible they become to the theories,” said Dave Gorski, a Michigan physician who has tracked the anti-vaccine movement for two decades. “Appeals to freedom are like the gateway drug to pseudoscience.”

At the extremes are legislators like Jonathan Stickland, a pro-National Rifle Association, Christian conservative in the Texas Assembly, who has described vaccines as “sorcery” while personally attacking Baylor University scientist Peter Hotez, who has a daughter with autism and works on vaccines for neglected tropical diseases. “Parental rights mean more to us than your self-enriching 'science,'" Stickland tweeted at Hotez earlier this month.

That same day, the Oregon Republican Party’s official Twitter account posted that Oregon Democrats were “ramming forced injections down every Oregon parent's throat.”
Other Republican state officials have blamed Central American immigrants for disease outbreaks, echoing a talking point of Fox commentator Lou Dobbs. In fact, experts say, children in many of those countries are more thoroughly vaccinated than their U.S. counterparts against diseases like whooping cough and measles.

From CDC:

From January 1 to May 24, 2019, 940 individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 26 states. This is an increase of 60 cases from the previous week. This is the greatest number of cases reported in the U.S. since 1994 and since measles was declared eliminated in 2000.