In 1998, a British doctor named Andrew Wakefield and his 12 colleagues had a study published in the Lancet that suggested a link between the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine and autism.
As Wakefield’s peers, pointed out, the article had logical flaws and seemed to imply causation mostly because both the onset of autism spectrum disorder and the injection of MMR vaccine occur in early childhood.
Further research uncovered that Wakefield hadn’t disclosed his financial interests and falsified facts in his report.
However, despite all this, his study still gained popularity among concerned parents and despite the CDC’s efforts and several follow-up studies that found no link between vaccines and autism, the anti-vaxxer movement still persists.
However, one Ohio teen is officially not among their members anymore.
He’s recently received a round of vaccinations and plans to get more — this is his story.
Growing up, 18-year-old Ethan Lindenberger didn’t see much reason to distrust what his parents had to say about vaccines.
Although his eldest sister and brother had received vaccines, NPR reported that his mother chose not to vaccinate her other five children once she learned she had the right to opt out.
After that, all Ethan heard as a child was that they had negative side effects and could cause autism or brain damage.
Thus, Ethan lived his early life believing he was safe, as he thought it was normal not to receive them.
Looking back on those days, he said, “God knows how I’m still alive.”
As he told NPR, he would later learn both from his classmates and concerned educators that he was the only one in his class that wasn’t vaccinated.
As he researched the matter further, he found that “there was a lot more evidence in defense of vaccinations, in their favor.”
This culminated in him posting a thread on Reddit asking where he could get vaccinated now that he had turned 18.
Although Ethan was pleasantly surprised by the reaction from his dad, his mom’s reaction was, unfortunately, what he expected.
As he told Reddit, “My mom was especially angry but my dad said because I’m 18 he doesn’t care that much.”
As far as his mom was concerned, this meant that Ethan didn’t care about her.
As he said to NPR, “She looked at it as me getting vaccines for a gesture of rebellion and not for my own sake and for the sake of people around me.”
However, since his mom could no longer legally stop him, Ethan got his vaccinations.
NPR reported that he received shots to protect him from HPV, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and influenza.
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According to People , he’s got his eyes on measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, and polio vaccines next.
After Ethan’s story became public, his Facebook page has received a lot of traffic from anti-vaxxers trying to argue with and expose him.
From the looks of it, Ethan seems to be taking this unwanted attention in stride and ignoring most of the comments.
However, his mother is taking his decision as a wake-up call to talk to her younger children.
As People reported , she said, “It has opened my eyes to say ‘I better educate them now. Not wait until they’re 18. But I need to start educating my 16-year-old, and my 14-year-old now, saying this is why I don’t believe in it.”
So far, her words have had somewhat limited effects since his 16-year-old brother also wishes to get vaccinated when he turns 18.
His 14-year-old sister. however, appears to believe his mom.
Yet, Ethan is apparently particularly concerned for his two-year-old sister.
As he told People , “It breaks my heart that she could get measles and she’d be done.”
Indeed, it’s possible that she could end up in a similar situation to other minors seeking vaccinations against their parents’ wishes.
According to NPR , there are no federal laws regulating the age of consent for vaccines, so minors are instead bound to state laws on the subject.
In many states, they would have to do what Ethan did and wait until they turn 18.
h/t: NPR
