In your own words - letters to change.org and Tanya Plibersek
Yesterday, I sent an email out asking for letters to be sent to both mail@change.org and the Federal Health Minister, Tanya.Plibersek.MP@aph.gov.au, letting them know how you felt about the petition being promoted by change.org asking the government to Stop the AVN. (to read more about this, visit our blog post by clicking here). As always, you have come through for us brilliantly! Many more letters are needed however. As you can see, the length can range from one sentence to several paragraphs but you don't need to take a lot of time getting these messages together - you just need to send them! Feel free to use any of the details from the letters below. The first group was sent to change.org - the next to Minister Plibersek.
To Whom it may concern,
I am completely disgusted by your petition which ,in essence, is trying to get the AVN shut down. Seems to me your site should be nochange.org because you are obviously only interested in protecting the status quo.
The letter sent to your subscribers claims that it is the AVN which uses scare tactics. Well your letter was one of the most emotive, scaremongering pieces of unscientific dribble I have read in a long time.
The AVN deals in facts. Why don't you try doing the same?
In support of real change,
AH
Dear Change. org and Minister Tanya Plibersek
I'm for freedom of information and informed choice.
Please respect every parent's right to choose how best to safeguard their children's health.
The AVN provides an important service for parents thinking for themselves and making informed choice. It's by no means the only place where one can find information on the potential pitfalls of vaccination. If you take the time to look, there is evidence of harm from vaccinating children.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-388051/Scientists-fear-MMR-link-autism.html
Vaccination is a medical procedure and as such, all potential side effects must be presented to parents so an informed choice can be made.
Vaccinations seem to be exempted from this practise. Why? How many other medical procedures are sold in this manner?
With most procedures there are records of success and failure and real percentages to consider before an informed choice is made.
It's well known vaccinations have side effects so why isn't this data being collected? Instead, the children who have suffered ill effects from their vaccinations are invisible.
These children's side effects and injuries must be collected and published each year. At the moment transparency is missing. Why?
Informed Consent in Vaccination
The American Medical Association defines informed consent as "a process of communication between a patient and physician that results in the patient's authorization or agreement to undergo a specific medical intervention."1 The principle behind this process reflects respect for patient autonomy, and it is particularly relevant to the administration of vaccines. The Declaration of Helsinki, the highly-regarded international guidelines for research on human subjects, states that "considerations related to the well-being of human subjects should take precedence over the interests of science and society."2While this statement was written with respect to biomedical research, it has been argued that a similar principle should be applied to vaccine policy. Some bioethicists, clinicians, and others argue that the decision to vaccinate should always be left to patients (or parents, in the case of children), despite years of evidence that mass immunization confers additional protection to the communities by reducing the spread of infectious disease--a phenomenon known as herd immunity. Regardless, the principle of informed consent requires that a patient (or his/her parents, in the case of children) understand the risks and potential benefits of a particular vaccine before receiving it.
/source: http://www.vaccineethics.org/issue_briefs/consent.php
regards
JT
Dear Change.Org Team,
On January 23 I received an email from Chang.org team member, Suzanne Culph, asking me to sign the Stop misinformation about vaccination #stopAVN petition. I joined Change.org a while ago and have signed many of the organization’s petitions but was shocked, to say the least, when I received the email in regards to this petition. I had a lot of respect for Change.org until I received the information about this petition. It’s a blatant attack on the Australian Vaccination Network by Dr Sue Ieraci and the Stop the Australian Vaccination Network and incorrectly blames the AVN for the death of baby Dana McCaffery.
I’m not a member of either group but am against any petition that does not contain facts and this is one of those petitions. Change.org should make sure the content in petitions is correct and not misleading to potential supporters.
For instance, the petition blamed the AVN for baby Dana’s death but didn’t mention that her parents had to take her to the doctor four times before a diagnosis was made and there was no mention that the whooping cough bacteria had mutated and the vaccinations at that time may not have protected those who were immunized with it as you can plainly see by clicking on the following link.
This petition and its misleading information has made me very aware of any future Change.org petitions and I’m seriously considering cancelling my membership. I thought you were an organization that could help the world change; I never expected you to support such a hate campaign against any group as you have done with this petition. You would do well to remove this petition or at the very least include facts and remove the misleading information.
Kind regards,
BG
To whom it may concern:
I thought change.org was an organisation dedicated to free speech and I am shocked to hear about your petition. The AVN was set up by parents who have children damaged by vaccines, and its purpose is to give parents a more complete picture of vaccination, as opposed to the rosy, unrealistic one given to many parents. Surely we all deserve to be given the truth so we can make an informed decision about the health of our children?
The group Stop the AVN is a hate group, run by people who's only interest is in stifling free speech and ridiculing parents who have genuine questions about vaccination. They only exist because the AVN does. Meryl Dorey, who runs the AVN, has had to put up with frightening threats and intimidation from these people. Do you really want to be associated with them?
If you want a taste of how they opperate please see their Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/stopavn?sk=wall
Please continue to promote free speech. Thank you.
Regards,
CH
Dear change.org
As a parent of a child with autism whose diagnosis led me to start questioning and seeking information in hundreds of books, magazines and websites, I've always been very impressed with the information presented by the AVN. I have never felt pressured to vaccinate or not by anyone other than vaccine providers who would have preferred to jab my children than sign a form presented by a parent well-informed on both sides of the vaccine argument!!
I support a parent's right to choose to vaccinate or not as one of the most basic rules of any civilised society and I encourage everyone to be informed on many health topics - not just vaccination. I suggest that the AVN would not be considered a 'threat' at all if there was nothing to be hidden when it comes to the vaccination debate.
The organisation known as Stop the AVN, Sue Ieraci and anyone who supports their suggested restrictions of AVN are very ill-informed and mis-led if they wish to prevent people accessing relevant, up-to-date information provided by compassionate people willing to put our basic freedom of access to information as a priority in our 'free' and civilised country.
Meryl, you are a champion of parents rights to free and informed choice and I support your cause and admire your strength and energy in the face of any opposition. Keep up the great work - anyone who supports freedom of speech and rights has my backing in any country.
"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing" Edmund Burke
BCG
To Whom it may concern
re: Petition to stop the AVN.
I am extremely disappointed and angered over what I have just read about this petition and how the AVN & its members are being made out to be disease carrying ferals that spread disease and kill people!
What a massive, far fetched lie!
STOP the AVN group is a vindictive, narrow minded, bullying group. If you care to take a look at their Facebook page you will clearly see how they conduct themselves and its downright disgusting.
The AVN is a life saver. - Yes, a LIFE SAVER! I had no idea that I had a CHOICE when it came to what put into my tiny baby's bodies.
Doctors didn't tell me the facts - they don't tell me that I had a choice. They made up lies and bullied me into putting an unknown substance into my newborn child’s bloodstream and made out it was 'safe and effective'. I can tell you, that my perfect newborn baby nearly died because he was vaccinated! I can tell you, that as a mother to a precious newborn baby, that to see my little miracle’s life slip slowly away is heart breaking. And this happened within 24 hours after the vaccine - which was 'meant to help and protect him.
My baby was perfect, he didn't need any vaccine! But according to the doctors it was safe & effective. I beg to differ!
Why was I not told the TRUTH? Why was I not told I had a CHOICE!?
The AVN has given me hope, knowledge & advice about vaccines and about CHOICE! - Something that EVERYONE is entitled to and should always have!
Everyone should know the ins and outs for anything they are about to do to their bodies.
The AVN has always supported people’s choices. And believes that everyone should be armed with ALL information before vaccinating & that all people should always have a CHOICE!
People are saying that a newborn baby died because of unvaccinated people. - Just because people haven't got a vaccine doesn't mean they are disease ridden.
Myself and my children are in perfect health and we aren't vaccinated. I can also say this for many of my unvaccinated friends & family.
You may also want to know that those who are vaccinated can still get the disease. I have personal experience with a friend's baby who was only 6mths old - fully vaccinated and still got Whooping cough. This child's parents were under the illusion that because she was vaccinated she couldn't get Whooping Cough so continued to take their 'contagious' child to daycare, shopping centres, friend’s houses, - everywhere!! In doing so, this fully vaccinated child was spreading Whooping Cough throughout the public!
It wasn't until later that this fully vaccinated child's tests came back as positive to Whooping Cough. Funny how this sort of thing never gets mentioned on TV!??! Who was the one spreading the disease??!!
Common sense goes along way. If you’re sick, you stay at home. But sadly, vaccines have given people a false sense of security, making them think they are invincible to diseases, which they aren't. Everyone can still get the diseases vaccinated or not.
Being vaccinated doesn't give you 100% immunity and those who aren't vaccinate are not full of disease. We are very healthy people who care about our bodies and what we put in them.
Why hasn't there been a study done that shows vaccinated vs unvaccinated & who are the ones actually getting the diseases?
Why is there no official reporting system for those who react to a vaccine? Why do doctors think a a child who goes into a coma within hours after being vaccinated is 'normal'?
I hope I’ve been able to open your eyes to both sides of vaccination and to help you realise that there is no quick fix to diseases. Please don't blindly blame those of us who haven’t vaccinated for deaths, when we have nothing to do with it.
Thank you for taking the time to read this,
TC
To whom it may concern:
I support informed choice for vaccination and I am against the SAVN
trying to stop the AVN from sharing information about vaccinations.
Best regards,
FM
To whom it may concern:
I am wondering why you are supporting a hate group such as Stop The Australian Vaccination Network by running a petition to stop the Australian Vaccination Network, it totally goes against freedom of speech. You at change.org are supposedly out there for what’s right and just, yet you are supporting this hateful group that does nothing but spread lies about the Australian Vaccination Network. I am totally disgusted in the support you are giving to these people and your stand against freedom of speech. I will be removing my account from your page forthwith.
Regards,
TA
Dear change.org:
I support informed choice on vaccination and oppose the efforts of Stop the AVN and change.org in trying to prevent parents from accessing the information put forward by the AVN.
Yours Sincerely,
KV
To Whom it may Concern:
Regarding your petition from Sue Ieraci: Anti-immunisation scare tactics are causing a public health risk.
I totally disagree with this statement and this petition. Australia is supposed to be a free country and yet it is clear that there is an agenda to make vaccinations compulsory. I am a very healthy 50 yr old who does not want to be made to have any vaccination I choose not to. I am not against anyone choosing to vaccinate and I likewise want the right not to.
It makes no sense to me whatsoever, that those who don’t vaccinate can have any effect on those that do if the vaccination is meant to prevent the disease. Regardless, I am as always, pro choice.
Yours Sincerely,
FB
Letters to Minister Plibersek:
Dear Ms Plibersek,
I am a firm supporter of a person's right to choose in regards to vaccinations. As you are aware every vaccine carries a risk of damaging the recipient. Everyone should be fully informed of benefits and risks of any medical procedure and then have the right to decline that procedure if that is what they decide. For some people the risks of vaccine damage are simply too high.
I am a supporter of the AVN. Contrary to many reports the AVN is not anti-vaccine. It supports fully informed consent prior to vaccination and also the right to refuse vaccines.
Please inform yourself of the FACTS in this debate, not the hysterical nonsense that is being generated by certain groups.
In support of health freedom
AH
Dear Ms Plibersek,
I am writing in regards to the Change.org petition, ‘Stop misinformation about vaccination #stopAVN’. As you will read in the email to Change.org that I have copied below this petition is very misleading and is nothing more than a smear campaign against the AVN.
“Dear Change.Org Team,
On January 23 I received an email from Chang.org team member, Suzanne Culph, asking me to sign the Stop misinformation about vaccination #stopAVN petition. I joined Change.org a while ago and have signed many of the organization’s petitions but was shocked, to say the least, when I received the email in regards to this petition. I had a lot of respect for Change.org until I received the information about this petition. It’s a blatant attack on the Australian Vaccination Network by Dr Sue Ieraci and the Stop the Australian Vaccination Network and incorrectly blames the AVN for the death of baby Dana McCaffery.
I’m not a member of either group but am against any petition that does not contain facts and this is one of those petitions. Change.org should make sure the content in petitions is correct and not misleading to potential supporters.
For instance, the petition blamed the AVN for baby Dana’s death but didn’t mention that her parents had to take her to the doctor four times before a diagnosis was made and there was no mention that the whooping cough bacteria had mutated and the vaccinations at that time may not have protected those who were immunized with it as you can plainly see by clicking on the following link.
This petition and its misleading information has made me very aware of any future Change.org petitions and I’m seriously considering cancelling my membership. I thought you were an organization that could help the world change; I never expected you to support such a hate campaign against any group as you have done with this petition. You would do well to remove this petition or at the very least include facts and remove the misleading information.
Kind regards,
BG
Ms Plibersek I believe that parents should have a right to factual information in regards to vaccinations so they can make an informed decision about whether to vaccinate or not vaccinate their children. We all know that there is no conclusive evidence that vaccinations are not harmful.
Kind regards,
BG
To Ms Plibersek MP,
I am wishing to add my support of Informed Choice on vaccination and oppose the efforts of Stop the AVN and change.org in trying to prevent parents from accessing our information.
Obviously without this information being accessible, there is no informed choice available to many of us who choose to research before making a well informed choice and decision for our family’s health.
Regards,
CB
Dear Ms Plibersek,
I am writing you in regards to the petition to stop the Australian Vaccination Network that was sent out by change.org on behalf of Stop The Australian Vaccination Network.
I support informed choice on vaccination and totally oppose the efforts of both change .org and Stop The Australian Vaccination Network in trying to prevent parents from having access to Australian Vaccination Network which gives a balanced view from both sides that parents can read and make an informed decision from. Never have I seen them ever tell people not to vaccinate their children. All I have ever seen from them is information and people are advised to read as much information for and against as possible and make the choice that’s right for them.
I am a mother of 6 children ranging from 23 to 5 years of age. All my children are fit and healthy and I appreciate the information that has been available to me over the years that has enabled me to make the choices to raise my children to be fit and healthy. I resent the efforts by these parties to try to prevent me from having as much information as possible to make these choices. It is very wrong.
Regards,
TA