Mephisto
Philosopher
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2005
- Messages
- 6,064
Hmmmm, mercury in medicine? Who thought this was a good idea? An old article, but still relevant.
A Capitol Hill Mystery: Who Aided Drug Maker?
by Sheryl Gay Stolberg
WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 — Lobbyists for Eli Lilly & Company, the pharmaceutical giant, did not have much luck when they made the rounds on Capitol Hill earlier this year, seeking protection from lawsuits over a preservative in vaccines. Senator Bill Frist, Republican of Tennessee, tucked a provision into a bill that went nowhere. When lawmakers rebuffed a request to slip language into domestic security legislation, a Lilly spokesman said, the company gave up.
Now, in a Washington whodunit worthy of Agatha Christie, the provision has been resurrected and become law, as part of the domestic security legislation signed on Monday by President Bush. Yet in a city where politicians have perfected the art of claiming credit for deeds large and small, not a single member of Congress — or the Bush administration — will admit to being the author of the Lilly rider.
"It's turning into one of Washington's most interesting parlor games," said Dave Lemmon, spokesman for Senator Debbie Stabenow, Democrat of Michigan, who has promised to introduce legislation to repeal the provision. "There's a lot of guessing, a lot of speculation as to who did this."
The provision forces lawsuits over the preservative, developed by Eli Lilly and called thimerosal, into a special "vaccine court." It may result in the dismissal of thousands of cases filed by parents who contend that mercury in thimerosal has poisoned their children, causing autism and other neurological ailments. Among them are Joseph and Theresa Counter of Plano, Tex., devoted Republicans whose party allegiance has run smack into family ties.
The Counters' 6-year-old son, Joseph Alexander, was normal and healthy until he was 2, they say. Then he took an unexplained downward slide. Today, the boy struggles with words. He cannot zip his pants, snap buttons or tie his shoes. His parents say tests eventually showed that he had mercury poisoning, which they attribute to vaccines. They sued last year.
"I know that our legislative system can be very, very messy at times," said Mr. Counter, a political consultant, who with his wife has spent many thousands of dollars on medical care and therapy for their son. "But for them to attempt this, in the dead of night? It disgusts me. This morning, I am ashamed to be a Republican."
With lawmakers now scattered across the country, Washington is rife with speculation about who is responsible for aiding Lilly, a major Republican donor. During the 2002 election cycle, the company gave more money to political candidates, $1.6 million, than any other pharmaceutical company, with 79 percent of it going to Republicans, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonprofit research group that monitors campaign finances.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/1129-03.htm
____________
And more recently:
New Legislation Aims to Resolve Controversy About Mercury and Vaccines
Reps. Maloney and Osborne introduce bill that would require new study of the possible link between mercury and autism
WASHINGTON, DC – Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Tom Osborne (R-NE) introduced new legislation today that would require the National Institutes of Health to conduct a comprehensive comparative study of vaccinated and unvaccinated populations, which may resolve the controversy about the possible link between autism and mercury or other vaccine components (Text of legislation).
A large number of parents have raised concerns about the effect that thimerosal, which is used as a preservative in vaccines and is a form of the known neurotoxin mercury, may have on a child’s chances of developing autism and other neurological disorders. Some of the parents have concerns about other components used in vaccines. The study mandated by this new legislation would try to help resolve this controversy.
“Childhood immunizations greatly reduce human suffering from infectious disease, and I think it would be in the best interest of everyone if we definitively resolve parents’ questions about vaccines,” said Rep. Maloney. “Parents deserve answers. As the most scientifically advanced country in the world, we should be able to conduct a comprehensive study of the health effects of vaccines to restore absolute trust in the nation’s vaccine program. Our nation’s children deserve no less.”
http://maloney.house.gov/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1168&Itemid=61
A Capitol Hill Mystery: Who Aided Drug Maker?
by Sheryl Gay Stolberg
WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 — Lobbyists for Eli Lilly & Company, the pharmaceutical giant, did not have much luck when they made the rounds on Capitol Hill earlier this year, seeking protection from lawsuits over a preservative in vaccines. Senator Bill Frist, Republican of Tennessee, tucked a provision into a bill that went nowhere. When lawmakers rebuffed a request to slip language into domestic security legislation, a Lilly spokesman said, the company gave up.
Now, in a Washington whodunit worthy of Agatha Christie, the provision has been resurrected and become law, as part of the domestic security legislation signed on Monday by President Bush. Yet in a city where politicians have perfected the art of claiming credit for deeds large and small, not a single member of Congress — or the Bush administration — will admit to being the author of the Lilly rider.
"It's turning into one of Washington's most interesting parlor games," said Dave Lemmon, spokesman for Senator Debbie Stabenow, Democrat of Michigan, who has promised to introduce legislation to repeal the provision. "There's a lot of guessing, a lot of speculation as to who did this."
The provision forces lawsuits over the preservative, developed by Eli Lilly and called thimerosal, into a special "vaccine court." It may result in the dismissal of thousands of cases filed by parents who contend that mercury in thimerosal has poisoned their children, causing autism and other neurological ailments. Among them are Joseph and Theresa Counter of Plano, Tex., devoted Republicans whose party allegiance has run smack into family ties.
The Counters' 6-year-old son, Joseph Alexander, was normal and healthy until he was 2, they say. Then he took an unexplained downward slide. Today, the boy struggles with words. He cannot zip his pants, snap buttons or tie his shoes. His parents say tests eventually showed that he had mercury poisoning, which they attribute to vaccines. They sued last year.
"I know that our legislative system can be very, very messy at times," said Mr. Counter, a political consultant, who with his wife has spent many thousands of dollars on medical care and therapy for their son. "But for them to attempt this, in the dead of night? It disgusts me. This morning, I am ashamed to be a Republican."
With lawmakers now scattered across the country, Washington is rife with speculation about who is responsible for aiding Lilly, a major Republican donor. During the 2002 election cycle, the company gave more money to political candidates, $1.6 million, than any other pharmaceutical company, with 79 percent of it going to Republicans, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonprofit research group that monitors campaign finances.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/1129-03.htm
____________
And more recently:
New Legislation Aims to Resolve Controversy About Mercury and Vaccines
Reps. Maloney and Osborne introduce bill that would require new study of the possible link between mercury and autism
WASHINGTON, DC – Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Tom Osborne (R-NE) introduced new legislation today that would require the National Institutes of Health to conduct a comprehensive comparative study of vaccinated and unvaccinated populations, which may resolve the controversy about the possible link between autism and mercury or other vaccine components (Text of legislation).
A large number of parents have raised concerns about the effect that thimerosal, which is used as a preservative in vaccines and is a form of the known neurotoxin mercury, may have on a child’s chances of developing autism and other neurological disorders. Some of the parents have concerns about other components used in vaccines. The study mandated by this new legislation would try to help resolve this controversy.
“Childhood immunizations greatly reduce human suffering from infectious disease, and I think it would be in the best interest of everyone if we definitively resolve parents’ questions about vaccines,” said Rep. Maloney. “Parents deserve answers. As the most scientifically advanced country in the world, we should be able to conduct a comprehensive study of the health effects of vaccines to restore absolute trust in the nation’s vaccine program. Our nation’s children deserve no less.”
http://maloney.house.gov/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1168&Itemid=61
