Vaccinations...

In light of the recent measles outbreak and the buzzing of media and fellow autistics alike, I'm going to give my two cents on the topic of vaccinations. I realize that there are two sides of the fence, and it's rather obvious which side I stand on...

Do vaccines cause autism? No, they don't. It's been scientifically proven. In fact, the doctor who claimed to have proven this has had his license revoked.

That said, why is autism being used as a scare tactic? Are people really trying to insinuate that being born with a unique operating system is worse than contracting a deadly disease? Whatever the "cause" of my autism, I was born this way for a reason. I'm personally glad to be just who I am. If I wasn't autistic, then I'd be someone else besides me, which would be fine, were I to be someone else who was born someone else. However, I was born me, complete with all the side dishes that come with the package. I wouldn't want to be any other way :)

I'm not telling anyone what to do here; that's your call. What I am doing is encouraging you to think. Of one is deciding not to vaccinate based in the misconception they vaccines cause autism, are they thinking of how that makes autistic people feel? Say the same were to be said about blue eyes? Tall stature? Certain skills? Would they think of it the same way? Autism has been given a bad rap, and needs to be seen in a different light. The best we can do is advocate and educate, and show people that it's not something to fear, but rather just a difference to embrace!