Deadly Quackery
Originally posted August 2005
Many parents, autistic activists, and others concerned about the proliferation of unsafe quack cures had warned that it was only a matter of time before an autistic child was killed by chelation "therapy." Well, now it has happened.
More in-depth discussion can be found on pro-neurodiversity blogs, which have been raising awareness about the danger of chelation for some time. However, you won't find either intelligent discussion or the least shred of concern or sympathy on pro-cure lists such as Evidence of Harm, because the quacks and their cultlike supporters are in full damage control mode, interested in nothing besides covering their asses.
I was going to post various assorted vulgarities to describe the greedy charlatans who prey on worried, confused parents with dire predictions about a young child's future and promise miracle cures with dangerous and untested treatments. But on second thought, there are no words vile enough to describe them adequately.
And after that, I was going to ask: Where are the government regulators who are supposed to protect our children from life-threatening medical fraud? I already know where they are, though. They're busy concocting phony statistics to make the existence of autistic people look like an epidemic, winking at the dangerous and unapproved use of neuroleptic drugs on autistic children, and funding genetic prenatal testing research as a "final solution" to the autistic problem.
So I'll just close with this comment: Presumably, the boy's parents know that they are burying a human being. But to the quack cure peddlers, the eugenics supporters, and the autism-awareness bureaucrats, that five-year-old child was nothing more than an object of profit and hate.
Many parents, autistic activists, and others concerned about the proliferation of unsafe quack cures had warned that it was only a matter of time before an autistic child was killed by chelation "therapy." Well, now it has happened.
More in-depth discussion can be found on pro-neurodiversity blogs, which have been raising awareness about the danger of chelation for some time. However, you won't find either intelligent discussion or the least shred of concern or sympathy on pro-cure lists such as Evidence of Harm, because the quacks and their cultlike supporters are in full damage control mode, interested in nothing besides covering their asses.
I was going to post various assorted vulgarities to describe the greedy charlatans who prey on worried, confused parents with dire predictions about a young child's future and promise miracle cures with dangerous and untested treatments. But on second thought, there are no words vile enough to describe them adequately.
And after that, I was going to ask: Where are the government regulators who are supposed to protect our children from life-threatening medical fraud? I already know where they are, though. They're busy concocting phony statistics to make the existence of autistic people look like an epidemic, winking at the dangerous and unapproved use of neuroleptic drugs on autistic children, and funding genetic prenatal testing research as a "final solution" to the autistic problem.
So I'll just close with this comment: Presumably, the boy's parents know that they are burying a human being. But to the quack cure peddlers, the eugenics supporters, and the autism-awareness bureaucrats, that five-year-old child was nothing more than an object of profit and hate.
Labels: biomed
posted by abfh at
2:57 PM
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