In normal circumstances, I wouldn’t think twice about who ABC hires to co-host “The View.” Unfortunately, when they hire the outspoken anti-vaxxer Jenny McCarthy, that becomes a problem.
Despite scientific evidence proving otherwise, McCarthy continues to spew her erroneous claims that autism is caused by vaccinations. In a culture where people are prone to believing their favorite celebrities at face value when pushing a specific message or cause, McCarthy’s medical misinformation is not only a huge public disservice, but also dangerous.
Even if ABC hired her under the condition that she not speak of vaccines, it’s a horrible move because when she is spewing her nonsense elsewhere, she will still be known as a daytime television star. For some people, that will be all the validation they need to accept her as credible.
Phil Plait writes about this subject far better then I can. An astronomer, skeptic and Slate.com blogger, Plait has written extensively about McCarthy’s anti-vaccine movement, while also providing the necessary proof on how the benefits of vaccinations largely outweigh any potential risk.
Plait has already written a new blog about today’s news. It’s a great read, and once again, includes a handful of links for anyone interested in learning more about the subject.
James Poniewozik wrote an exceptional column for TIME, further detailing how children who are not vaccinated are not only endangering themselves, but also their classmates and to a greater extent, the general public.