AVN now trying to access private information about nursing home deaths | reasonable hank

Stop the Australian (Anti)Vaccination Network was basically founded because of the callous antivax opportunism of Australian Vaccination-skeptics Network founder and current committee member, Meryl Dorey.

Back in March 2009, Dorey contacted the then-head of North Coast Area Health Service’s public health unit, Paul Corben, contending that baby Dana McCaffery did not die from whooping cough – she did – and sought access to confidential medical information surrounding Dana’s death. From Toni McCaffery (Dana’s mum)...

Read on: AVN now trying to access private information about nursing home deaths | reasonable hank

Introducing the antivax AVN’s odious new public officer | reasonable hank

...Appropriately, the AVN has recently appointed its latest public officer. Wayne Baird is a right-wing conspiracy theorist from Tintenbar, in the NSW Northern Rivers; residing not far away from Dorey...

Full story here: Introducing the antivax AVN’s odious new public officer | reasonable hank

AVN achieves precedent-setting government immigration ban for overseas antivaxers | reasonable hank

When I first encountered the anti-vaccination pressure group, the Australian Vaccination-skeptics Network, over 8 years ago, as a part of Stop the Australian (Anti) Vaccination Network, one of the first things which became apparent was that the anti-vaccination activists would become self-fulfilling prophecies – due to their verbose, unearned hubris, along with their vilification of bereaved families, and their attacks on doctors and other public health workers, and their attacks on the media, and their attacks on politicians – who would succeed in bringing about that which they were, at that stage, strawmanning for business: fighting against (then-nonexistent) compulsory vaccination and the censure of their as-yet unchecked and lucrative, awful behaviour...

Read on: AVN achieves precedent-setting government immigration ban for overseas antivaxers | reasonable hank

Inside the anti-vax cult: Cathering and Greg Hughes bombarded with vicious attacked 24 hours after their baby son Riley’s death | Herald Sun

WITHIN 24 hours of their baby boy’s death, Catherine and Greg Hughes were confronted with the ugliness that drives the misinformed anti-vax warriors.

The grieving parents were bombarded with vicious attacks claiming they were “baby-killers” and that their infant son Riley had died because they did not treat him with vitamins and essential oils...

Full exposé here: Inside the anti-vax cult: Cathering and Greg Hughes bombarded with vicious attacked 24 hours after their baby son Riley’s death | Herald Sun

Anti-vaccine nurses and midwives 42 | reasonable hank

On October 11 2016, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia responded to a number of complaints regarding anti-vaccination material and advice being disseminated by registered nurses, enrolled nurses, and registered midwives, by publishing a new position statement on anti-vaccination misinformation..

Read full post & comment here: Anti-vaccine nurses and midwives 42 | reasonable hank

Some naturopaths are clearly a danger to public health | Edzard Ernst

Recently I had an unpleasant exchange with an Australian naturopath by the name of Brett Smith. It started by him claiming that ‘chemo’ only kills cancer patients and enriches the pharmaceutical industry. And then it got worse, much worse, and very unpleasant. This got me interested in Mr Smith and prompted me to look him up. […]

Read on: Some naturopaths are clearly a danger to public health

Floppy Fascism | Losing In The Lucky Country

Since announcements that the Abbott government will from January 2016 introduce a “no jab, no pay” policy, noting the increasing misuse of particular terms became inescapable.

Fascism, Nazism, Nazi, Fascist, Mandatory, Forced, Freedom. These words are being used increasingly by anti-vaccine lobbyists to describe changes in public health policy. Changes planned to protect the wider community from the impact of increased vaccine preventable disease notification consonant with lower herd immunity.

The words are being used incorrectly due to error born of ignorance by some...

Read the full story: Floppy Fascism | Losing In The Lucky Country

The Church of Conscious Living – another Stephanie Messenger Anti-vaccine Enterprise | reasonablehank

Stephanie Messenger is in the business of anti-vaccinationism. She’s an old hand.

Messenger is one of the founders of the Queensland anti-vaccination group, the Vaccination Awareness and Information Service. She ran the group with anti-vaccine stalwart Susan Lindberg and Roxanne Iwinski, the latter leaving later to gain a conscience. Messenger and Lindberg even wrote an anti-vaccine manual with Meryl Dorey, called Vaccination Roulette, which was published by the hideous anti-vaccine pressure group, the Australian Vaccination Network. Messenger’s husband, Leslie Bailey – remember that name – is the business name holder for Vaccination Awareness and Information Service.

Read on: The Church of Conscious Living – another Stephanie Messenger Anti-vaccine Enterprise | reasonablehank

ACCC v Homeopathy Plus 21st November 2013 – Sheffield evidence. | mochuck's musings

This is Part 4 of a series of 4.

I must give a big shout out to Carolyn Bond for the notes from the last day’s proceedings. I was unable to attend and she stepped into the fray for me. I would also like to acknowledge Carolyn’s help in proof reading and editing my previous posts and her spouse for his legal advice and review. Follow her on Twitter for all things consumerish & some humour.

Ms Sheffield was cross examined in the witness stand on her written evidence by Ms Higgins for the ACCC...

Read on: ACCC v Homeopathy Plus 21st November 2013 – Sheffield evidence. | mochuck's musings