Letters to Woodford and sponsors part 2
Below are more letters that our wonderful, positive, intelligent and creative members have sent in to the Woodford festival and their supporters.
I have just had a thought about all of this that I wanted to share with you. There are over 400 performers and speakers at Woodford this year. I don't know if that is about average or high or low, but let's assume that every year, there are at least that many. Many of those performers and speakers are controversial - Philip Nitschke, a raft of politicians from all political viewpoints, comedians etc.
When sponsors give money to Woodford and when Woodford has these performers and speakers at the event, are they endorsing what they say or are they just having them there because they are interesting and people want to hear what they say or view their act? Are sponsors supporting each individual performer or are they simply supporting the Festival as a whole?
I believe they are supporting the Festival and these attempts to make them withdraw their support because of one speaker who some people disagree with equals censorship - plain and simple.
Not only that, but the idea of running this sort of action to prevent someone expressing a point of view on a political issue is frightening in any democracy. Today, we are told we can't discuss the downside of vaccination in case someone listens and decides it might not be for them. Tomorrow, it could be education we're no longer allowed to discuss, or nuclear power, or whaling or any other issue with strong pros and cons. Think about it.
Next, I am having trouble keeping up with blogging all of these letters and that's great! I still haven't counted how many there are but it is well over 100. I have a large number sitting in my inbox that need to be put up on our blog and I will get to them soon. But if you haven't written, please do take the time (look at the next blog post for the details). We need to get overwhelming support - not just for the AVN - but for the Woodford Folk Festival as well. This is such a worthy group - they need all our help. Please continue to copy me into your responses at meryl@avn.org.au.
AVN - let them be heard at Woodford
To Whom It May Concern
I want to thank you for putting Meryl Dorey from the Australian Vaccination Network (AVN) on the program this year. I realise that this is a very emotive and contentious area and that there will be many people who do not want her to speak.
It is vital that the facts about vaccination are available for everyone to make an informed choice. The AVN provides much needed information on latest research and findings about the efficacy and the risks associated with vaccines.
I would like you to know that the AVN is fantastic volunteer organization that has helped my family (and many others) as we run the gauntlet of mainstream media and medical systems with questions about vaccines and their associates reactions and damage.
Meryl is determined, passionate and fair in her resolve to give parents factual information about vaccination. I know her research gives me continued zeal in making the best possible health choices for my family. Please allow Meryl to share her message with the folks at Woodford in 2011.
Regards
JC
AVN discussion at Woodford
Hi all,
It has been brought to my attention that there is opposition to Meryl Dorey from AVN speaking at Woodford this year.
I fully believe and promote freedom of speech as a basic human right for all and can only encourage you to have the courage to stand in the face of the opposition and allow those who wish to attend the discussions to do so.
I have been a homebirth midwife for nearly 30 years and have often directed inquiring parents to the AVN to gain information about vaccination prior to making any decisions around the issue.
I am also the mother of four (now adults) who were not vaccinated as children and are all supremely healthy beings.
Please stand strongly and do not allow the AVN's voice to be gagged. The community need to be able to hear both sides of the vaccination debate prior to making possibly life-changing decisions for their babies and children.
Yours for a free speaking community,
SC, RM
Vaccination
There is a real need in the community for information on the other side of the vaccination issue.
Stop the AVN (SAVN) are once again trying to censor this side of the issue. Through one of their main spokespeople - a prominent character with both the Australian Skeptics and SAVN, they have started a campaign on the internet via blogs, their Facebook page and emails.
In a democracy we have a right to choice ...
Both sides of an issue must be heard
Please ensure that informed choice and freedom of communication is supported.
JH
So glad
Hi Bill.
Just shooting a quick email to say I'm so glad to hear you are having a representative of the AVN speaking this year- because of this my family and our business hope to support the festival and come next year.
I think the options need to be shared, the truth spoken and people then can make informed choices. i applaud you for enabling this !
cheers,
LB
Woodford Festival
Dear Organisers
Due to the AVN and their efforts I was alerted to the concerns with vaccinations.
Then due to personal experience our family chooses not to vaccinate our children through the medical paradigm. Our neighbour’s child also passed away from SIDS the night their baby was vaccinated.
Our family uses a method which we believe protects our children from harm from disease and also from certain ingredients in the vaccinations themselves.
I have personally have read four books from very highly regarded sources. The research of Dr Isaac Golden and Dr Mayer Eisenstein on the vaccination issue is extensive and impeccable.
It is crucial that the Australian Vaccination Network educates the public on the questions regarding the safety of vaccinations and the Woodford Festival is an appropriate medium to help spread this vital information as other areas in the public arena seek to protect their own interests and not of our children.
‘First do no harm’ is the primary principle for public health from which all decisions should be based upon. The precautionary principle should always prevail.
Yours sincerely
DF
Please continue to support information parents need to hear on vaccination
Dear Bill and all,
Please please continue to let Meryl speak up on the hotly contested issue of vaccination at the Woodford Festival.
Her voice is the one small minority presenting the ugly side of vaccinations that people (*with* money connections) continue to try to shut down.
I am aware of the huge pressure you have come under to cancel her appearance - please stand up for the right to know.
I have chosen *not* to vaccinate my four children, after conducting careful research about the pros and cons.
Thankfully the efforts of people to educate on vaccination now means we at least have recommendations to use vaccinations that are free of mercury preservatives. That is, recommendations in the main-stream health channels!
That is just one small reason why voices like Meryl's need to continue to be heard.
Thank you,
JT
Importance of the AVN being at the Woodford Folk Festival...
Hi, I am a parent and just want to share with you my thought’s on allowing the AVN to be aired at the Woodford Folk Festival...I believe there is a real need in the community for information on the other side of the vaccination issue.
All parents need information on this issue to be able to make an informed choice for their family as we have done.
We have personally done alot of research into both sides of Vaccination Debate..and I believe all the community should be able to have information available...in the community, as your Folk Festival would suggest .
Thank you for you time...
PNH and family
AVN presentation at Woodford
Dear Sir/Madam,
I have recently come to understand that you are being pressured or have been pressured to disallow the AVN from presenting information at your festival from the other side of the vaccination debate.
This I feel is a most unfortunate situation for you to be in as all information is valuable in regards to this highly debated subject.
I personally have brought up 3 children into adulthood without allowing vaccinations at all and as a consiquence we never once had to take our boys to a doctor. The first time one of them did go to a doctor was after a swimming accident when he was 16 years old. I can vouch for the safety and health of unvaccinated children from this first hand experience and I believe that free choice in the matter is paramount and that allowing an AVN presentation is valuable to assist parents and adults make an informed choice
Yours sincerely
NO
For some extra information from the www.healingwell.com websight
-- An unpublished study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on a "measles susceptible" (malnourished) group of children showed that the group who hadn't been vaccinated contracted measles at the normal contract rate of 2.4%. Of the group who had received the measles vaccine (MMR), 33.5% contracted measles.
-- In 1975 Japan raised the minimum age for infant vaccinations to 2 years. As a result, SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or, crib death) and infant convulsions virtually disappeared. In the 80's, Japan lowered the minimum age back down to 3 months and the rate of SIDS returned to previous levels.
-- In an Australian study, a group of recruits were immunized for Rubella, and all produced the expected antibodies. When later exposed to the disease, 80% of the recruits contracted it.
-- According to the U.S. National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (est.1986): To qualify for compensation, the adverse effects of vaccination must occur within four hours of receiving the vaccine. Despite this extremely severe limitation, as of February 28, 1998 compensatory payments have totalled $871,800,000.00. This figure is even more alarming when it is revealed that only one in four claimants were awarded compensation.
-- Some researchers postulate that the use of live viral vaccines introduce foreign genetic material into the human system, which has contributed to the unprecedented escalation of auto-immune disorders (like multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, cancer, Crohn's disease, asthma, etc.) in recent decades.
The above facts each highlight a different facet of the immunization question; effectiveness, adverse effects, and long-term consequences. The unspoken thread running through each of these is a pressing question: Why haven't more people been informed of this evidence, and indeed, why is vaccination presented carte blanche as a positive, imperative requisite for our children's health?
NO
Folk Festival
Thank you for presenting Meryl Dorey on stage at the Woodford Festival. It is a long way from the NSW/Vic border where I live, but if I can possibly make it I will get up there.
She was so helpful to me many years ago when I didn’t realize I had a choice about immunization and went ahead with the doctor’s direction that it was “time” for baby’s vaccination. Bad decision! Severe adverse reactions , convulsions, hospitalization and meningitis leaving her with brain damage. The AVN and Meryl Dorey guided me with information about the conscientious objector’s form which allowed me to receive the government child payment which they had refused earlier because I discontinued with further vaccination.
She is definitely not anti-vaccination, but all for free choice.
Vaccination must never become compulsory in our wonderful free country. It that happened, what would be next?
Thank you sincerely,
JH
Support for Festival
Hi there.
I just wanted to show my support for Meryl Dorey who, being from the Australian Vaccination Network is scheduled to present at the Festival. Meryl will not be there to make decisions for people and tell them what they should and shouldn't do regarding vaccination. She is going to inform people of a different point of view and let her audience make informed decisions for themselves.
Your website says:
"The festival is a place you can escape from ‘reality’ and immerse yourself in cultures from near and far. It is a place where artists inspire, community spirit engulfs and life memories are made. We hope you will join us."
The Festival seems to be a very cultural and open place and to be where people can express their own opinions and their own uniqueness in their creative expressions.
I ask that you include Meryl in the Festival as she has been a major source of help and encouragement to thousands of people, including our family, in shedding light upon a very contraversial issue.
We chose not to vaccinate after our second son would stop breathing numerous times throughout the day for no apparent reason. Through further investigation, we discovered that if we vaccinated him he would very possibly have died while he was asleep as he had very weak bronchial tubes and one of the vaccines can slow the airways.
We did not take this opposing view of not vaccinating lightly. I have spent 7 years reading thousands of pages of material expressing both points of view. Whilst I see the reasoning behind vaccination, we chose not to for the benefit of our own family. Our 6 children are all very healthy even without vaccinations.
The Australian Vaccination Network has been a great encouragement with making more information available and for answering the many questions that our family has had over the years. They are invaluable to Australians everywhere and it would be a tragedy to see them silenced.
As Australian's we pride ourselves in being a 'free' country where we are able to express ourselves under 'freedom of speech'. When we stop letting people share their opinions, we begin to take this freedom away and we are only a few steps away from a dictatorship. We live in a very beautiful country with wonderful people of many different and diverse cultures. We are all unique and we should be able to listen to others as intellectual people and filter the information received to make informed decisions.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope that you will still allow Meryl to speak. She deserves to be listened to.
DC
Woodford Folk Festival - Autism Emergency Seminar
To The Woodford Folk Festival
I'm writing in regards to the Autism Emergency seminar that Meryl Dorey is presenting at the Woodford Folk Festival. It is my understanding that this seminar is in jeopardy of being pulled from the Festival for no apparent reason.
I would like to appeal your decision to pull this seminar based on the following:
The Woodford Folk Festival has grown by leaps and bounds since I lived in Brisbane. The Festival is a mixture of old traditions, spirituality and open-mindedness. When I lived there, I know many people who opposed going to the Festival because it was "weird". It fell out of the "norm" for most of the people I knew at the time.
Your Sponsors, in my opinion should understand the open-mindedness of this Festival. They sponsor to market their product or service because of the number of people who attend. They hope that we, the public will be interested in purchasing from them. Thus, they should be respectful of us, our differences, our traditions, our spirituality and our open-mindedness. That is the nature of the Festival.
We live in a country which is suppose to offer free speech and free religion. This means an individual has the choice to make their own decisions. They can listen and participate in an event or not. Once we begin to censor information, individuals no longer have a choice. If you pull this seminar, what message are you sending to us, the people?
Today, with so many avenues of information, it is becoming difficult to get to the "truth" on many subjects. Vaccinations is one of the controversial subjects where information is lacking.
The Government is not providing adequate information regarding the facts and the risks. They are protecting the Pharmaceutical Companies through Government Laws, Commercial Laws and Labeling Laws.
In addition, in my opinion, the Pharmaceutical Company's top priority are to their share holders; not the protection of children. They have one goal which is to make money.
As a parent of (3) children, I have a duty to ensure I'm making good choices. My children have to live with the choices I make which could change the course of their lives forever.
When my oldest child was born, she had the Vitamin K injection. I thought it's a "Vitamin" until I read the Manufactures Insert. I was wrong. There was more in the vial than Vitamin K (e.g. formaldehyde). Also, the insert said, 1 in 10,000 babies could die of hemorrhaging.
After the injection, 1 in 500 could get leukemia. Why is this product on the market? I do not know.
No one told me risks. Had I known, I would NOT have allowed the Vitamin K shot. My child has speech difficulties and auditory processing issues.
No, I cannot prove the Vitamin K injection created this.
But I cannot prove the Vitamin K injection helped either.
This was my turning point regarding Vaccinations.
I have read a plethora of information regarding them in addition to the history of the diseases. I have read medical journals, chemistry books, etc. to educate myself about the human body. I have read herbal books and other alternative health books, etc.
I have concluded there is not enough information (e.g. risks) nor research done regarding Vaccinations. Firstly, Vaccinations have not undergone the double-blinded placebo controlled trials. Second, Vaccinations have not been tested on the reproductive system. I have more reasons which I will not go into here.
Thus, I have chosen not to Vaccination my children.
Lastly, we have seen in the past person's who have stood for their beliefs before the majority. They were ostracized, condemned to death, vindicated, crucified, etc. Today, we should be able to discuss with respect and without hostility or threats controversial subjects anywhere.
I hope you find this letter informative as well as positive in nature.
KVM
AVN to speak at festival
Hello Bill and Ingrid
I am writing this because Meryl from AVN has sent out an email saying that there are concerns about her speaking about vaccinations at the festival.
I very much support her being able to talk about these issues. I have selectively vaccinated my children but I chose to not vaccinate them with every vaccination available.
I once believed that vaccinations were always beneficial until I met a family with 2 children who were harmed by vaccines and whose GP advised against further vaccinations. Places like AVN allowed me to read about the other side of the argument. I am often mystified by the vitriol hurled at people who dare whisper the question 'are vaccines always safe all of the time'. I would never dream of telling another person what medical procedures they should have or not have.
I appreciate people like Meryl having the courage to raise her concerns about vaccinations. My dream is that researchers will get serious about identifying why some people are so harmed by vaccinations and others experience little or no side effects so that truly safe ways of preventing disease are developed. Vaccinations may or may not be part of that but the issue is that if there is no me to give voice to the problems how can we ever find a solution.
I hope that Meryl is able to speak at the festival.
Kind regards
AW
Allowing Free speech at the Festival
Dear Woodford Festival Promotors,
Each year I have relatives who attend your festival, although I have never attended myself.
I am sure there is a diverse range of exhibitions and stalls allowing people to show their wares, dance as they may see fit and speak of any subject they should desire.
However, vaccination appears to be another matter altogether.
I have been researching vaccinations for over 14 years and I am now completely opposed to them. My biggest worry in life is that my grandchildren will be damaged or killed by vaccination.
In fact the more you study this subject the more alarming it all becomes. Vaccines now cause great anxiety and arguments in families and they have destroyed the joy of childbirth by the dangerous and unecessary vaccines given to newborns. There are many tragic stories for those who want to do their own research.
Those who speak out against vaccines are persecuted by those who have a financial interest in their continuation, or those who ignore the science that they are dangerous and cause many deaths, health problems and life long suffering. We all now know a child with cancer, asthma, autism or diabetes, something that did not happen until vaccination was commenced in the 1950's.
Even parents who have seen the dramatic plunge into Autism after vaccinations are ignored.
PLEASE for the sake of free speech and the health of our little children allow any person who approaches you to speak freely on vaccinations, so that both sides of this story can be considered by those wanting to know more about this vital subject.
Sincerely,
BP
Grafton NSW.
Woodford Festival and Freedom Of Speech
Hi Ingrid,
I’ve watched this single minded attack by the Skeptic’s Association on the AVN for some time now, and for the life of me cannot understand why an organisation simply presenting an alternate point of view in a supposed ‘free’ country, takes so much heat? So much so that an academic was moved to write an entire study paper on the ferocity of the attack from both individuals and the media.
Are vested interests under threat?
I have met the founder of the AVN several times (Meryl Dorey) and know she is a person with a good heart, good intentions, an avid researcher and simply wishing to present an alternate point of view to that of the medical juggernaut, so that parents can make an informed decision. We need to have rigorous debate about this issue, not one-sided pharma-funded marketing hype that lines shareholder’s pockets.
As a parent myself I simply wanted to know benefits and risks of vaccination. When my wife was pregnant we did months of reading and research. I am not against immunisation at all, for to be so would be to argue that once we ‘catch’ something we don’t build up immunity. However as I did my research, the thought of sticking needles into my sons (now 40 combinations on the schedule by the age of 4!) simply didn’t feel ok to invade their delicate immune systems in such a way. I only had smallpox, diphtheria and polio when I was a kid (with the polio on a sugar cube!), so why our children now have to have 40 different vaccinations is a mystery.
Consequently we chose to use homeoprophylaxis (homeopathic immunisation) for our boys, and even though the Skeptic’s Association says homeopathy is bunkum, I have seen it work first hand on my children with extraordinary results.
As an example, when a bout of whooping cough hit one of the kids in our eldest son’s primary school, we called our homeopath and asked for a homeopathic ‘booster’ for the whole family. We picked it up and inside the envelope was a note that in some sensitive people, after 24hrs of taking the booster, whooping cough-like symptoms sometimes occur for a couple of hours. Frankly we didn’t take much notice of the note!
Well, the next day almost 24hrs to the dot, our 2yo developed a strange cough. We called the homeopathic clinic who advised us this was normal and a sign the remedy was working. Sure enough the symptoms disappeared after a few hours. So if there’s ‘nothing’ in homeopathy and it’s only ever a placebo, how can a 2yo firstly understand what a placebo is, and secondly develop the symptoms as predicted and only for a few hours, then self-clear? A placebo effect doesn’t make any sense in this scenario, however a predictive response from the homeopath that actually happened, does! And our 2 sons are healthy beyond belief with no allergies, asthma, eczema, ADD, ADHD etc etc.
Whether you agree or disagree with either side of the vaccination debate isn’t what is at stake here. It’s more to do with choice and allowing people to be informed so they are better able to make their own choice.
If there’s anything you can do to ensure freedom of speech at Woodford and stop this mindless attack on an organisation that is simply filling a gap for parents, who want more objective information other than that put out by pharmaceutical companies, then please do!
Many thanks,
JB
AVN Speaking at woodford
To Whom It May Concern,
I have been an attendee at Woodford over the many years that it has been running – first attending with my parents as a child when it was held at the Maleny Showgrounds.
Woodford has always been known not only for its fabulous music but also as a venue where guest speakers talk on a variety of issues and topics. Having attended many of these in the past I am always impressed that the topics are interesting and thought provoking and aim to expand the knowledge of the people attending. Often presently a view point that is rarely heard.
I was delighted to hear that AVN was speaking at Woodford and I am very disappointed to hear that there is a possibility of AVN’s attendance being cancelled due to objections from others on the content.
Why would the Woodford committee considering cancelling?
There will always be people who disagree and surely many of your other presenters will probably have people who disagree with the content that they are presenting also – but free speech and the sharing of information for both sides of any debate is critical and Woodford has always provided an avenue for this.
AVN has always been not about anti vaccination but about ensuring that people are informed. AVN is one of the few if only places that is able to provide well researched information on the disadvantages associated with vaccination. The AVN presentation will be intelligent, thought provoking and well researched.
Allow AVN to speak.
Your Sincerely,
KB
Meryl Dorey at Woodford Folk Festival...support!
Hi Bill
I just read this blog http://www.mamamia.com.au/news/woodford-folk-festival-allows-dangerous-anti-vax-woman-to-speak/ by Peter Bowditch, which included your interview with Rick Morton and I just wanted to drop you a line to say how impressed I was to read your responses.
I have listened to both sides of the vaccination story and now assess each individual vaccine on the schedule on an individual basis and am relieved and grateful to have found the wealth of information the AVN gives out, as our mass media deliberately portrays only the other side of this issue. I honestly don’t mind what people decide to do for themselves or their families but I strongly believe that Meryl Dorey and the AVN need to have a stronger voice in the community so people can at least make an informed decision about this issue. Thank you for sticking to your guns and giving that opportunity to the people attending your festival. If was in QLD, I would be there with bells on.
Kind regards
GJ
Support for Woodford and sponsors
Hi,
We just wanted to let you know that we completely support the Woodford festival and its sponsors for allowing the issue of vaccination to be aired, and having Meryl Dorey there to provide people with such important information. As parents, we choose not to vaccinate our children, having researched in depth after our firstborn reacted negatively to her initial shots. We feel huge gratitude towards Meryl Dorey for her tireless efforts to make the other side of vaccination heard. It's amazing that people have such a violent reaction to someone speaking out against vaccination- but with so much propaganda to actually promote it, we feel it is absolutely necessary. Freedom of choice means having access to all information!
Thank you,
RTN
Don’t censor the debate!
Hi
In relation to the attempted censorship of the AVN seminars at the folk festival this year I would like to voice my concern.
I commenced researching the topic of vaccination before my child was born last year. My research lead me to the AVN which enabled me to access a whole world of literature and DVD's by authors with various backgrounds. People with personal experiences, to medical doctors with their own research to researchers dedicated to investigating everything about the history and current research findings about vaccines and insight regarding vaccinations, the government, drug companies, the medical industry and everything related to this topic.
I purchased a lot of media about all things you would never have known about vaccines and also the homeopathic approach to preventing infectious disease of which I would never had been able to access any of this material without finding the AVN.
After doing a lot of research I decided not to have my child injected with or any other means of putting medical vaccines into her body, she is a bubble of joy going from strength to strength at an accelerating rate.
I strongly feel that being a democratic developed country that all people have the right to access everything the AVN has to offer being all the literature from around the world and including presentations at public events like your festival. There is a whole world of knowledge and scientific research about the things people should be able to know about vaccines.
I would like put forward to your organisation my recommendation that the censorship of AVN at this years festival and all future festivals should not be allowed.
I have travelled to attend the festival on previous occasions and I would recommend to my friends and family that the festival is worth attending to enable access to seminars and literature offered by the AVN, among all the other wonderful things on offer at the festival.
Thanks for considering my concern and opinion.
Regards
KM
Vaccination debate
To the organizers of the Woodford Folk Festival,
I have attended the Woodford Folk Festival each year for the last ten years and it has come to my attention that you may be under some pressure to not let Meryl Dorey speak.
I would like to encourage you to stand firm and allow freedom of speak on such important topics and information.
Kind regards
Woodford folk festival: anti vaccination speech
Hi,
I have always loved folk music. It sings about honesty, about goodness, about emotions and about people.
It sings about being good to people by the people for the people.
Meryl has constantly stood alone against the might of the corporatized pharmaceutical organisations and government machinery to have her voice heard because she believes that vaccination has hurt her child before and all she is asking now is for fairness for others to hear her story and decide for themselves. I think we should give the people a chance to decide for themselves and not let fear rule the day.
After all she is doing to save children, the heart and soul of the movement.
Contrary to what you may have heard, there is growing amount of literature and studies showing that vaccination is not as safe as one thought. Do you know vaccines have never been monitored/tested clinically on a mass scale before their release to the public?
The foundation of science rests on verifiable repeatable events. Vaccination has never been verified in this manner. The growing oppositions does not come only from concerned mothers or fathers, but from doctors, scientists, medical professionals and applied scientists.
Please give the people a voice, give Meryl Dorey a chance to speak.
"Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
...
You've thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatenin' my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain't worth the blood
That runs in your veins "
Bob Dylan
Thank you.
Yours truly,
PT
AVN RIGHT TO SPEAK AT WOODFORD FESTIVAL
TO THE ORGANISERS AND SPONSORS OF WOODFORD FESTIVAL
Vaccines contain toxic substances that are tolerated by most, but not all children. Why else would the Australian Immunisation Handbook in the section dealing with “Valid Consent” talk about “the potential risks and benefits” and “medical conditions that contraindicate vaccination”? Why does the USA have a compensation fund that all vaccine manufacturers are required to contribute to in order to fund claims from the parents of medically recognised vaccine damaged children? Many years ago, all of our children had their vaccinations and fortunately there were no adverse reactions. I am a grandparent, but if I had my time over again, I would selectively vaccinate my children on the basis of their risk of contracting a specific illness. However, I would be thinking, please don’t let it be my child that has a bad reaction. I am aware my ability to choose individual vaccines is now quite limited as many vaccines are combined and unavailable separately.
I have read literature by Dr Tinus Smits M.D (deceased) in the Netherlands who treated, over something like 25 years, many vaccine damaged children. He used the term vaccinosis. Dr Smits was quite successful in many cases using homoeopathic remedies made from the vaccines. He found that sometimes a child would react to stabilisers, fillers or preservatives in the vaccines and not the infective agent. I am also conversant with published literature by Dr Isaac Golden who did his PhD at Swinburne University on longitudinal data collected for more than 10 years from homoeoprophylaxis (alternative to vaccination) patients.
I am very concerned that attempts to prevent the AVN from speaking at your Festival represent a diminution of the democratic right of people to hold an opposing view. Also, the right of all parents to be aware of an opposing view, in order for them to make informed and responsible choices on behalf of their children.
Similar attempts were made in Western Australia when the AVN attempted to hire a venue to address the public following a case of severe brain damage said to have been incurred after a child received a flu shot. Many other children in WA and in the other Australian States had adverse reactions from flu shots. After losing one venue the AVN was successful in hiring the Alexander Library lecture theatre.
I sincerely hope the Woodford Festival committee, and its sponsors, support the right of responsible freedom of expression and recognise that all Australian parents need to make responsible choices based on a level playing field free from any form of intimidation
PH
Meryl Dorey AVN
Hi Bill
Just a quick note to thank you for allowing Meryl to give the freedom of choice point of view at your Festival.
I personally did not vaccinate my children against whooping cough (many years ago, as the oldest is now 34). Back then it was freely reported that there could be a connection between whooping cough vaccination and epilepsy. As my niece, who was three then, had been severely epileptic since seven months of age, my doctor advised me against it. Even back then, there was whooping cough in my children’s pre-schools a few times, but my kids didn’t get it.
I saw Lisa on Today a week or so ago, talking about this issue with Karl and Georgie (their surnames escape me). Lisa said all three of her children, fully vaccinated, got whooping cough. Also, she said she had a friend who has a child with autism, who believes there is a possibility of a connection to vaccination. Karl said “So, are you saying, if you had a baby now, you wouldn’t vaccinate?” Lisa said, “No, I would, but I just believe people should be informed.” I agree with her. People should be allowed to be informed
Best of luck with the coming Festival. I’m sure you don’t need it, except perhaps for the weather.
Kind regards
MS
AVN Presentation at Woodford festival
Dear Woodford festival organiser,
I have been made aware by Meryl Dorey from the AVN that there has been a number of actions by the "Stop the AVN" organisation who are trying to silence open discussion in regards to vaccination to the Woodford festival.
I would like to encourage you to openly welcome Meryl to speak at the festival as the AVN has been instrumental in promoting an open debate in regards to vaccination and providing accessible unbiased information to Australian parents and health practitioners.
As a tertiary educated parent of three children (who have never been vaccinated), I undertook substantial research in regards to whether or not to vaccinate my children and unfortunately the medical profession only provides biased information which has been "sold" to them by the very pharmaceutical companies manufacturing the vaccines. In addition the medical profession quickly deserts parents whose children have had an adverse reaction from vaccination as I have heard from numerous parents.
My children have to date experienced superior health in comparison to the majority of their peers and I am confident that this has in part been due to not having their immune systems compromised by the toxins included in vaccinations. They have not had recurrent ear and other viral infections like the majority of their friends not any other "childhood" illness.
As a democracy I believe open debate in regards to important issues, including health choices, should be encouraged and I would urge you to ensure that Meryl has an opportunity to present important information in regards to the vaccination debate at your festival
Yours sincerely
SC
Freedom of Speech at Woodford
Hi there Woodford Folkers,
I am writing to express my gratitude towards you and the festival for being a consistent forum for alternative and underground music, art forms, and points of view. I have been to the festival a number of times (travelling all the way from W.A. with my partner and kids) and have even applied to perform there in the past. In addition to the sounds of Dya Singh, the sights of Mr. Om, and the smells of the Chai Tent, I have enjoyed talks on topics of importance (such as Graeme Sait on soil health and human health, and David Holmgren on peak oil).
I have heard through the grapevine that some vocal anti-democratic groups are pressuring you to end your tradition of providing insightful and alternative lectures. I wanted to let you know that I am among the tens of thousands of Woodford fans that turn up each year precisely to cartwheel and samba over such stifling conformity, and fully support your role as a forum for the alternative.
Without healthy debate, challenging art forms, and experimental sounds life would become a very un-Woodford-like beige.
Thanks again,
SC
Thank you for standing strong & allowing a dissenting voice to be heard
Dear Bill,
I'd like to personally thank you for standing strong on allowing a dissenting voice to be heard - Meryl Dorey's at the AVN.
Our family have recently had a negative experience with the medical profession at in a NSW Hospital ER and Meryl's advice on the matter has been fair & pro choice for "consumers". I can assure you, that the Director of the hospital we met with is NOT pro-choice and actively supports his doctors "giving patients enough information to make the right decision .. the decision we want them to make." These Doctors do not give people enough information to make an informed decision (for themselves and their family), and in some case (ours in particular) it is malpractice.
Thank you, once again, for standing strong & allowing a dissenting voice to be heard.
Sincerely,
AD
The Blue Mountains NSW
Vaccination Choice
It has been brought to my attention that threat are being made against a proposed talk on pro-choice in vaccinations at this year’s Woodford Folk Festival. As a regular attendee for many many years I have enjoyed many so-called controversial conversations on a myriad of topics, and do not see this as any different. It is the presentation of the ‘other’ side that is often missing in many mainstream conversations, which is so badly needed to help those seeking information find the links to make an informed decision.
As a mum of three, and a scientists, I spent many hours researching this topic and made the decision to not vaccinate. All three children have been healthy and happy, and in fact have had brushes with some diseases that are vaccinated against – curiously it was the vaccinated kids that contracted the disease (and presumably spread them), which left me extremely puzzled given the pro-vaccination claims. I am happy with my choices, and knew many who are in the process of doing their own research. Please don’t succumb to the threats and allow other ideas to be suppressed.
Yours sincerely
CD
re the AVN"s Meryl Dorey speaking at the festival
Dear Bill,
I am a Maleny local and have attended the Maleny Folk Festival since 1989/90 many, many times. You would know my face if you saw me.
Please Bill don’t bow to these damn skeptics and their draconian and threatening ways. Please allow Meryl to speak. If the other side of the vaccination debate is not allowed to be heard many more people will blindly think that there are no problems with vaccination until it affects their family. WE simply cannot stifle debate – while the drug companies are not telling the whole truth and to anyone (esp anyone who may actually have evidence) who may suggest other than their touted lines are open to castigation and humiliation in the public arena. Or as they are doing with Homeopathy – (my profession) carrying out a concerted plan to discredit and outlaw this valid type of treatment regardless of the scientific evidence that shows it works. These skeptic associations have links and funding that have already been in some cases traced back to drug company funding – and they hide behind the banner of so called legitimate science – however true science does not have a closed mind and this is not what is happening.
These same people have been scouring our websites to find anything that they can report homeopaths to the TGA – even if it is erroneously taken out of context to suit their needs and then leave the practitioner to have to fight their way out of the allegations that are made ‘anonymously’ by these cowardly people. They say they are out there to ‘save people’ however their closed mind is far more dangerous than any suggestion by the AVN that we need to look at the evidence that is mounting about vaccination.
Please, Please don’t bow to their pressure. Allow freedom of information
Many thanks for your time.
Regards
PA
AVN presentation
Hi There
I really don't have much time to write to you, my computer's collapsed and I'm at my Mum's using hers, my three children are patiently waiting for their lunch as I type!
But, this issue is so important to me that I wanted to write to you and let you know that I fully support the work of Meryl Dorey and the AVN in distributing information on vaccination, on choices for vaccination and our legal rights and responsibilities as individuals and parents, not only that but Meryl and the AVN are staunch defenders and protectors of our health rights here in Australia. Their information and voice must be heard!
In some ways it's not even a matter of "to vaccinate or not" ; it's a matter of freedom for people to become as diversely informed as possible to make the choice they believe is best for the wellbeing of themselves and their families.
My husband and I chose about 10 years ago that we would not have any of our children vaccinated. My oldest child is now 9, I have another 6 and another 4. None of them have ever presented with ANY of the diseases vaccinations are supposed to protect against even thought they've been surrounded by cousins, childhood friends and children in playgroup and kinder that have still managed to contract whooping cough, chicken pox and measles even though they've been fully vaccinated!
Whatever your personal choice, it's important to have as much information as you can.
I've said many times to my vaccinating and non vaccinating friends who are parents, we all want what's best for our children, none of us want to harm them, I don't want to harm my children and I think not vaccinating is best.
Some of my dearest friends are staunch vaccinators from a medical background, they think vaccinating is best. How could any of us make an informed choice without diverse information from all sides of the debate.
And to be a little facetious, why do proponents of vaccination try so hard to stop Meryl and the AVN, after all of them and their children and families are 'protected' because they've been vaccinated, and all us 'uneducated unvaccinators' will all die out through catching all the diseases we haven't been vaccinated for and then the world will be safe!
Please do let Meryl hold her presentation, there's such an imbalance of information in this debate, there are so many vested interests and so many quick and easy ways the government could stop this debate immediately if vaccines were safe and effective, they merely need to start disclosing the vaccine status of everyone who gets diseases, and gather the statistics of a percentage of unvaccinated people who get diseases. If the AVN's so wrong they need not rely on boycotts, vicious emails and campaigns, they could just prove it!
Regards from a very content Conscientious Objector
LD
Support for Meryl Dorey
The Vaccination issue:
I write to thank you for inviting Meryl Dorey to speak at your festival and confirm it is essential the public learn the "other side" of the vaccination issue ..
Meryl is an excellent speaker .. her aim is to enable parents to make an "informed choice" regarding vaccination .. to encourage them to "research" the pros and cons of vaccinations instead of blindly adhering to the limited information their GP gives them
I have worked in the medical profession all of my adult life and have met very many physicians who do not vaccinate their own children but because of peer pressure continue to vaccinate the children of "others" accepting payment along the way for so doing .. it is a brave physician whose ethics prevent them from following this path but I assure you there are many in this country who are aware of the adverse side effects of vaccinations and whose integrity spells out every aspect of vaccination to unwary and uninformed parents to give them every opportunity to make an "informed choice"
Vaccinations are given on the first day of birth before the immune system is developed .. I refer to the Hep B vaccination now mandated for every child instead of those just at risk from an infected mother and for a child born with a compromised immune system this puts them on the downward slope .. followed by regular vaccinations which further weaken an already struggling immune system until at approx 14 months the child regresses completely, loses speach, awareness, cognition, no longer meets their early childhood milestones and is subsequently diagnosed as being on the Autism spectrum .. included in this spectrum are those children who are in severe pain, resulting in reactions of uncontrollable behaviour because they are unable to speak and say what hurts .. their poor parents at wit's end do not know how to help them and at this stage wish they had been better informed !
I am surrounded by hundreds of children in whom this scenario has developed and it is a very very sad indictment on our Govt an our medical profession that they will not "listen" to parents and experts like Meryl Dorey who are all to familiar with the tragedy that has developed in the current generation of children and is set to increase with every passing year UNTIL common sense prevails and vaccinations are scaled back or given when the child is older and has developed a viable immune system better able to counteract the horrendous contents of vaccines .. especially those that are combined to cover multiple perceived illnesses
Meryl has researched for years and is perhaps the most informed person in this country .. she very much needs to be heard because it is only when a child experiences an adverse reaction to vaccines that the parents become aware of the inherent dangers and by then it is TOO LATE
One of my own grandchildren succumbed in this way .. tragic to witness and appalling in the effect it had on parents .. subsequent grandchildren have not been vaccinated and are very healthy neurotypical children with strong immune systems because "informed choices" were made
If all parents in this country were aware and could make an "informed choice" I am positive the levels of autism and sickness in the current generation of children would vastly diminish .. yes there are other external factors why so many children now have health problems but there is more awareness of environmental toxins and no awareness of the dangers vaccinations can present
Sincerely
JB
Neena Love