Ok, I’ve been slow to get around to this but Meryl Dorey of the Australian Vaccination Network is set to speak at the Woodford Folk Festival. Somehow Meryl has gotten the idea that skeptics are going to write to the organisers to ask that she be removed as a speaker. So she’s asking her supporters for help to ensure that she will get the chance to spread her dangerous lies and misinformation.
Of course, Stop the AVN (SAVN) and their minions are once again trying to censor this side of the issue. Through one of their main spokespeople – a prominent character with both the Australian Skeptics and SAVN, they have started a campaign on the internet via blogs, their Facebook page and emails to the Woodford management and their sponsors.
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We urgently need anyone who believes in freedom of speech and communication (no matter what your opinion is about the benefits and risks of vaccination) to send letters to the organisers and the sponsors to let them know that there is a real need in the community for information on the other side of the vaccination issue. -Meryl Dorey
Of course her paranoia isn’t unfounded because that’s exactly want we’re doing. Here’s the email that I sent:
Dear Woodford Folk Festival.
I write to you to express concern about your decision to include Meryl Dorey of The Australian Vaccination Network as a speaker at this year’s festival. While Mrs Dorey bills herself an a ‘expert’ on vaccination the reality is in fact far different. Last year the Health Care Complaints Commission conducted an investigation into the information that Ms Dorey and the Australian Vaccination Network provided to the public and concluded: http://skep.li/HCCC-Report
“the Australian Vaccination Network’s purpose is to provide information against vaccination in order to balance what it believes is the substantial amount of pro-vaccination information available elsewhere;
the information should not be read as medical advice and;
the decision about whether or not to vaccinate should be made in consultation with a health care provider.”
The HCCC also issued a public warning about Ms Doreys organisation: http://www.hccc.nsw.gov.au/Publications/Media-Releases/PUBLIC-WARNING-/default.aspx
The Australian Vaccination Network was later stripped of it charity status for failing to act in good faith: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/anti-vaccination-group-stripped-of-status/story-e6frf7ko-1225938818276
Mrs Dorey is not an expert on vaccination or any other area of medicine and spreads discredited information in order to push a medical ideology that is not supported by science or any credible medical association. The misleading and false information provided Mrs Dorey has the potential to do serious harm to the community.
I implore you to reconsider Meryl Doreys inclusion on your list of speakers.
Kind Regards,
Dan Buzzard,
Concerned Citizen
Of course I BCC’ed the email to Meryl so she has the right of reply.
I'm particularly fond of the BCC. I wonder if Meryl has any intact blood vessels left?
Well it was Meryl's request that she be included in the BCC line. Although I would be surprised if my email address wasn't being filtered to trash at this point. If not perhaps Meryl will do another blog post about those 'evil skeptics' and include my email.