CDC Slams Door on Parents of Autistic Children

No Autism Organizations Notified or Invited to Press Conference on Autism and Thimerosal

7/19/2005 12:47:00 PM
To: National Desk
Contact: Stephanie Morris, 202-628-7772, for SafeMinds

WASHINGTON, July 19 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is holding a secret press conference in Washington, D.C. today on autism and thiomerosal in childhood vaccines. Curiously, the invitation-only meeting is taking place the day before an autism rally in the Capital which will focus on connections between thimerosal in vaccines and autism. Not one of the 13 organizations involved in the rally was notified of the CDC press conference

The meeting, being held at 2 p.m. at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is open only to a select, handpicked group of reporters. Despite repeated demands for open communication with the autism community, the CDC did not invite any of the national autism groups to speak, nor did they share any copies of what will be presented with these groups. The Director of the CDC, Dr. Julie Gerberding, is the lead speaker.

"This is just one more example of the CDC's absolute lack of transparency or willingness to cooperate with the autism community," said Lyn Redwood, president and co-founder of SafeMinds, one of the rally organizers.

"We find the timing of this press conference to be especially dubious given that our Power of Truth rally to raise awareness of the thimerosal and autism issue has long been scheduled for tomorrow morning", stated Amy Carson, president of Moms Against Mercury, another rally organizer. "This is a shameful attempt to head off publicity from the rally, but we will not be undermined."

Many representatives from different autism organizations plan to be at HHS during the conference today as a showing of solid force and to communicate that the government cannot continue to conduct these studies or hold such press conferences and expect the community to not be involved. The 13 organizations that were not invited or notified about the CDC press conference include Moms Against Mercury, the National Autism Association, Safeminds, CoMed, A-Champ, Dads Against Mercury, Generation Rescue, NoMercury, NVIC, Unlocking Autism, and Educate Before You Vaccinate.

More information about the rally may be found at www.momsagainstmercury.com and more information about SafeMinds may be found at www.safeminds.org or by calling Stephanie Morris at 202-628-7772.
http://releases.usnewswire.com/

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/© 2005 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/

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