"Mr. Wakefield: My child is not a blight. On me, my family or on anyone else."

[HuckleB]

Andrew Wakefield to Grace Hightower: “your family’s life [has] been blighted by autism”
https://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2016/04/22/andrew-wakefield-to-grace-hightower-your-familys-life-has-been-blighted-by-autism/

"...

Just to be clear, Mr. Wakefield:

My child is not a blight. On me, my family or on anyone else.
My child is not blighted.
My life is better for my child. Challenges, struggles and all.

Just to be clear Ms. Hightower: if you didn’t respond to Mr. Wakefield in a way similar to the above, shame on you. But, while I am at it, shame on you for promoting this man and his damaging message. If you believe him, take a moment and ask yourself: if he’s lying (he is) how much harm has he caused to me, my family and mostly my son?

When you dehumanize people Mr. Wakefield, you make it easier for people to murder my child. You made it easier for people to abuse my child. You make it easier for people to disrespect my child. It is already a struggle to get adequate supports and assistance. How much will people be willing to help the “blighted”?

..."

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For further context:

Paging De Niro and Hightower...Wakefield isn't really in it to help autistics
http://justthevax.blogspot.com/2016/04/paging-de-niro-and-hightowerwakefield.html

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Anyone defending Wakefield's ugliness needs to pay attention to the full grotesqueness of his acts.

[LeftishBrit]

1. As a UK-er, apologies for inflicting that export on you!

Horrible man all round. No wonder he found he had to leave a country with an NHS for the profit-driven medical system of Texas.

[jwirr]

2. There is a large body of ignorance that allows people to say

that there are people who and of less value than others. It is used two ways. As it is used above and the divide the minorities that are usually the targets to be divided.

Both are wrong and should be stopped. But we are NEVER going to fix this if we continue to let them divide us. To turn us into enemies.

I as the mother of a severely disabled child would be working very hard to see that man is shut up once and for all. And that others get the message.

[HuckleB]

3. I would love to see sociologists and psychologists explore what drives him and his cronies.

It's interesting how much they explored the Nazis, and others who did dramatic harm within systems, but I've seen little serious exploration of folks who go down these roads of exploitation, division, and deceit.

[jwirr]

5. Most of the time it is not seen as a nationwide problem in

our country. No need to worry. But when you look at the body of law that enforces these attitudes then it can be seen that it effects real human being.

The speaker in the OP is calling a child a burden - that is when policy dictated that children like this and my child would live in institutions, die very young from lack of care and hardly ever see their family again. That was the policy made by people who had no idea what they were talking about but still created the laws. Thank God we have for the most part abandoned this backward thinking today. But unfortunately the people who think that still exist. And they are still pushing their agenda.

[HuckleB]

6. Wakefield, the anti-vaxer, is the one calling certain children "a burden."

And he still has far too much sway over far too many people.

[jwirr]

7. Definitely. Ironically what he advocates can also result in

many children being born with some form of disability not because of the vaccines but because the mother did not get vaccinated.

[HuckleB]

8. Indeed. -eom-

[Fairgo]

4. Disability Rights

There is a mountain of literature, all well meaning, that has analysed the "burden" of disability on the family. It can be quite convincing in its volume and history, its rigour and author pedigree...but it doesn't actually do anything for the family. Then came this one little gem of a study that question the assumption of burden that underpinned the entire body of literature. Children with disabilities are not a blight, they are family. They are loved. They bring joy and challenge and make the family what it is. The burden, as we came to find out, was the opinion of others, the society that was intolerant of diversity and unable to provide for its citizens according to their needs.

We are all to be forgiven for the medical model oppression that we have been a party to, but once forgiven, you are required to wake the hell up and do something. You want to talk about privilege? On the common list of marginalised groups we say we stand with, the one that is regularly left out...people with disabilities and their families.

[HuckleB]

11. Indeed. Still, there are "teammates" on all sides!

Keep fighting the good fight.

[Warren DeMontague]

9. I suspect this thread will be graced with the 'widsom' of our resident anti-vaxxers soon enough

...

[HuckleB]

12. I think they hope it will die a quiet, non-vaccinated death.

[KamaAina]

10. KamaAina to Andrew Wakefield: "Our entire planet has been blighted by your bigoted claptrap."

Folks, ableism is a very real thing. It is at least as pervasive as its cousins racism, sexism, homophobia, etc.; witness Trump mocking the disabled NY Times reporter. I style it as "America is breaking out in a RAASH: racism, ageism, ableism, sexism and homophobia."

[HuckleB]

13. +1,000... 000

[Odin2005]

14. This autistic person thinks Wakefield can go eat shit.