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PEOPLE & ARTSThursday 31 March 2016
Medical community is fighting
a new germ: celebrities
- In this Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015 file photo, Robert De Niro attends JAKE COYLE by a disgraced doctor. passion for his interest in
AP Film Writer Michael Specter, the New prompting a conversation
a news conference in Macau. On Saturday, March 26, 2016, NEW YORK (AP) — When Yorker staff writer and med- about his son’s condition,”
celebrity and science col- ical expert, called it “a dis- says Silberman. “The prob-
De Niro removed the anti-vaccination documentary “Vaxxed” lide, harmful side effects grace” for the festival, and lem is that if we’re argu-
may occur. compared Wakefield’s film ing about vaccines, we’re
from the lineup of his Tribeca Film Festival, after initially defend- The latest case happened to “Leni Riefenstahl mak- having the wrong conver-
last weekend when the ing a movie about the Third sation. We should be talk-
ing its inclusion. Associated Press Tribeca Film Festival pulled Reich.” ing about how we should
a documentary from its The episode is only the lat- give people like Robert De
program by a discredited est instance of the medical Niro’s son a better future,
former doctor whose re- community being forced one in which they can live
search into the connection to combat the influence more independently, have
between vaccines and au- of a celebrity promoting access to the support and
tism has been debunked. questionable science. It resources they need, and
After festival co-founder has particularly bedeviled have a chance to make a
Robert De Niro initially de- questions over vaccina- living.”
fended the film’s inclusion, tions, beginning with the Increasingly, doctors are
Tribeca — facing an uproar anti-vaccination advoca- fighting to seize the spot-
from doctors and experts cy of TV personality Jenny light for health and medi-
— pulled it. McCarthy. cine issues from celebrities,
The film, “Vaxxed: From “Celebrities have had an whose public platforms
Cover-Up to Catastrophe,” out-of-proportion impact have far more reach than
is directed by Andrew on the public’s understand- medical journals. Celebri-
Wakefield, a former Brit- ing of vaccine risk,” says Ar- ties are also sought out to
ish gastroenterologist who thur L. Caplan, head of the be spokespeople for new
was stripped of his medical Division of Medical Ethics drugs, blurring their role.
license in 2010. The British at New York University. “I Since Milton Berle stumped
medical journal BMJ called don’t want to overplay it; in the 1950s for an antide-
Wakefield’s study connect- most people vaccinate. It’s pressant called Miltown,
ing autism and vaccines — not like hordes of people they’ve been prominent
which was retracted by the are listening to Jenny Mc- endorsers, from Jack Nick-
Lancet, a medical journal Carthy and saying, ‘Forget laus for high blood pressure
— an “elaborate fraud.” the American Association to Brooke Shields for thin
Scientific research has con- of Pediatrics, I’m going with eyelashes to Sally Field for
sistently found the MMR the former Playboy Bun- osteoporosis.
vaccine (given to children ny.’” Their influence can be con-
for measles, mumps and ru- Jim Carrey and Rob Sch- siderable, sometimes for
bella) to be safe and have neider have also spoken good. But often, the health
no link to autism. Cases of out against vaccines, as advice of celebrities —
measles, however, have have some politicians. In well-meaning as it may be
increased in recent years, a GOP debate last year, — could come with its own
largely infecting unvacci- Donald Trump, while saying Surgeon General warning.
nated people. he supported them, added Reality star Kristin Cavallari
De Niro acknowledged he a story about a 2-year-old (who has also spoken out
personally chose to pro- boy developing autism fol- against vaccines) recently
gram the film at the festival, lowing vaccination. caused a stir when she pro-
something he had never Wakefield has vowed to vided a homemade goat’s
previously done. “My intent press on with his film. He milk baby formula recipe
in screening this film was to called the Tribeca Film to People Magazine. The
provide an opportunity for Festival reversal “another magazine listed it online
conversation around an is- example of the power of under the section “Great
sue that is deeply personal corporate interests censor- Ideas” before removing it.
to me and my family,” said ing free speech, art, and (The American Academy
De Niro, who, with his wife, truth.” of Pediatrics recommends
Grace Hightower De Niro, Steven Silberman, author of breast feeding for an in-
has an 18-year-old son with “NeuroTribes: The Legacy fant’s first six months, and
autism. of Autism and the Future warns against the dangers
No one would question of Neurodiversity,” believes of homemade formulas.)
that the issue is personal the claims of anti-vacci- “It’s part of the general im-
to De Niro. But the Tribeca nation campaigners are pact celebrities are having
Film Festival, which opens rooted in a misunderstand- on health,” says Caplan.
its 15th edition on April ing of autism history. Autism “Gwyneth Paltrow is cer-
13, is an extremely public isn’t a historical aberration, tainly emitting an unceas-
event. When news of the he says, but has long been ing stream of hot air about
documentary’s scheduled part of humanity — just less many health practices,
screening spread, disease diagnosed. from colonics to who knows
experts were distressed “I have tremendous re- what. It’s a constant battle
that the festival would lend spect for Robert De Niro to try to correct mispercep-
its megaphone to a film and tremendous com- tions.” q
