What you say defines who you are
It's said that you can tell a lot about a person by the company they keep. Well, I think the same can be said about an organisation.
Stop the AVN, the group that was established to force the shut-down the Australian Vaccination Network, a legally-operating, volunteer-run health and vaccine safety watchdog, proves this point perfectly.
When I was due to speak in South Australia recently, members of this group sent letters to the venue, asking them to cancel the event and giving descriptions of both myself and the AVN which were based on their own twisted distortions.
I believe that if you read their letters, you will get a very good idea of exactly what they are on about and most of it would not be considered - normal - in a civilised society.
For those who are interested, the claims that they make about my personal beliefs were sourced by following links on articles that I have posted. I do not endorse the things they say I do, nor have I ever done so.
These people have outright lied (as anyone who has ever contacted us for support would know - to accuse us of abusing them or providing links to pornography is more than absurd!) but slander seems to be their method of operation and they do not let a little thing like the truth stand in their way.
This is a selection of 5 letters out of dozens sent to different venues where the AVN was due to hold seminars. To the best of my knowledge, all 5 of these authors have made official complaints about the AVN to the HCCC; only one of which was provided to me by that organisation.
These are the 'rational' and 'sane' people who the HCCC took notice of when compiling their report on the AVN. After you have read this, read a copy of our final response to the HCCC and ask yourself what sort of evidence the HCCC relied upon to make their decision.
Dear Pastor,
It is my understanding that Meryl Dorey is scheduled to give a talk at your church. I urge you to reconsider the invitation for the following reasons:
Meryl Dorey and the AVN are anti-vaccination conspiracy theorists and are currently under investigation by the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission.
Meryl Dorey subscribes to many conspiracy theories, including:
The Queen and Presdient Obama are reptilian aliens with a thirst for human blood.
There is a European based "Illuminati" that plan a mass cull of human beings by way of the swine flu vaccine.
Vaccines given at birth are a cover to implant micro-chips into people for the purpose of mind control.
Meryl Dorey denies the existence of the AIDS virus which has killedm millions.
The AVN has caused, by way of their rhetoric, a sharp decline in vaccinations in the Northern Rivers region of NSW and as a result there is an epidemic of whooping cough, which has already cost the lives of 3 children.
Some of my claims against Meryl Dorey may seem outlandish, but they are made in good faith after having read her own words and having been provided with ample evidence, which I am more than happy to forward to you if you wish to investigate the matter further.
If you were expecting a frank, balanced discussion by the AVN on the subject of vaccination, prepare to be sorely disappointed. They are, purely and simply, dangerous conspiracy theorists with no regard for the health of children. They serve only their own agenda.
As well as a complaint to the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission, which is being investigated, there are also letters fo support with additional evidence against the AVN being submitted, as well as a petition in support which has so far garnered more than 400 signatures.
Ultimately, the decision is yours, but I must strongly recommend that the invitation extended to Meryl Dorey to talk at your church be rescinded. As mentioned above, I am only too happy to provide you with additional material upon request.
Yours sincerely, DR
To the XXXXXXX Congregation,
I am writing to you with regards to an upcoming seminar to be conducted by Meryl Dorey of the AVN, on the 19th of August.
I was attracted to the AVN because they appeared to have an objective of providing credible information, allowing people to make informed choices with regards to health and particularly vaccination, so I joined their group on Facebook.
Unfortunately my experience was not a happy one. Much of the information I found was inaccurate, anecdotal and deceptive. On assessment I came to the conclusion that the Australian Vaccination Network is not about informed choice, but rather promoting anti vaccination through hysteria and fear mongering.
When I requested the references to the material they presented, I was presented with pictures of dead babies, abused, provided with links to pornography and eventually banned from their group, simply because I politely and respectfully asked questions.
My observation is that the AVN attracts a following of 'true believers' that are absolutely closed minded to the possibility that they may be deceived, deluded or just plain wrong. Anyone critical of the AVN is demonised and individuals portrayed as either good or evil. Their ideology makes exaggerated claims for possessing airtight logic, making it appear as an absolute truth with no contradictions.
These are the attributes of a cult and I suggest that you reconsider the seminar.
Of further concern is that members of the AVN Facebook group are also members of an openly anti vaccination group called Vaccination Information Network (VINE), who subscribe to a bizarre conspiracy theory, based around microchips concealed in vaccines that will enable the Illuminati to control the human race.
I am sorry I am not making this up.
Please feel free to contact me, should you wish to discuss this further.
Warm Regards GH
Dear Pastor XXXX
I refer to the forthcoming seminar to be presented by Ms Meryl Dorey, of the Australian Vaccination Network, on Wednesday August 19th, 7:15 which I understand will be conducted at your Church's premisis.
This is to inform you that Ms Dorey and the AVN have maintained a consistent anti-vaccination campaign for over 15 years, and her writings have been roundly condemned by experts in the field of immunology and the medical profession. Indeed she and the AVN are being investigated by the New South Wales Health Care Complaints Commission for providing incorrect medical advice. See http://scepticsbook.com/.
Anti-vaccination lobbyists, including Ms Dorey and the AVN, have been condemned by Nobel laureate Professor Peter Doherty, who has said that Childhood Vaccination Denial is a “Crime Against Humanity.”
You should be aware that Ms Dorey has admitted on television that she has no qualifications whatever, apart from "having a brain."
The parents of baby Dana McCaffery (who died of Pertussis this year) have written that they are outraged that without their knowledge, “Meryl Dorey rang the Director of the North Coast Area Health Service Public Health Unit on 12 March 2009 seeking details on Dana’s death and contended the department had misled the public.”
They go on: “Even after I told Meryl what happened to Dana at the (TV) debate, a few weeks afterwards I found an AVN blog with members making false claims that stated they had information she was sick from birth, immune-compromised from the HiB vaccine or died as a result of the antibiotics or medical treatment she received.
“Not only is no-one privy to this information, it is wrong and extremely distressing. In the latest Living Wisdom, Meryl got every fact wrong about Dana - her age, when she died, where she might have caught it, when the last death was and uses language to downplay the seriousness.” [i][i]
So, Meryl Dorey is not above the most egregious invasions of privacy, she is quite capable of misrepresenting the facts to suit her agenda, while engaging in wild conspiracy theories. MS Dorey is not a qualified health professional and her presentations are completely unbalanced. She is no expert, will not present good science or a balanced view of vaccination issues, her presentation will damage the reputation of your church, and will be detrimental to the health of the children in your community.
I ask to you to reconsider your decision to make your premises available to the Australian Vaccination Network.
Yours sincerely,
KM
Dear Sir/Madam,
RE: Seminar 19 August 2009 - Australian Vaccination Network XXXXChurch
It has come to my attention that the above seminar is now being held at the XXXXX Church, XXXX SA after the original host, the XXXX, decided that it was not appropriate for the school to be associated with the above seminar. (Meryl's note: The school cancelled after receiving these same letters. The cancellation had nothing to do with the appropriateness of our information and everything to do with intimidation at the hands of SAVN.)
I would like to bring to your attention what the Australian Vaccination Network is about, citing evidence from their own discussion forums and seminars. In contrast to their misleading name, the Australian Vaccination Network, the AVN, is an outspoken anti-vaccination group that subscribes to various conspiracy theories.
Their anti-vaccination stance is quite disturbing. The president, Meryl Dorey, describes vaccines as "instruments of death", and cites the recent measles epidemic and swine flu pandemic as being deliberately manufactured. Further to that, she presents articles outlining that the swine flu vaccine is a conspiracy to infect the global population with mind-control nanobots to inflict genocide at a later date. This article was originally written by the well-known conspiracy theorist, David Icke, and the article goes on to mention the illuminati, reptilian overlords and the like. (original article: http://www.davidicke.com/content/view/25191)
In addition, Meryl Dorey and the AVN also support AIDS denialism, as can be evidenced here http://www.aras.ab.ca/rethinkers.php The doubters on this page do not believe that HIV causes AIDS, that AIDS medicines extend life, that AIDS is heterosexually transmitted, or that HIV and AIDS are decimating Africa and Asia. I note that this stance is in direct conflict with the following Lutheran Church policy http://www.lca.org.au/resources/csbq/hivaids1.pdf
At present the AVN and Meryl Dorey are under investigation by the Health Care Complaints Commission after a complaint was lodged that the AVN is a threat to public health.
I ask that your church review its decision to allow a destructive conspiracy theory group such as the AVN use of your facilities, or to be associated with your organisation.
Yours Sincerely,
CB