Dan's Journal of Skepticism

Meryl Dorey of the Australian Vaccination Network has hit back at her critics by claiming not to be anti-vaccination. However we (her critics) have allot of evidence to support the position that she and her appalling organisation are indeed “anti-“vaccination.

Anti

a person who is opposed to a particular practice, party, policy, action.

Mery Dorey and the AVN are absolutely opposed to vaccination and it doesn’t take allot of effort to expose her for this. In fact not only is Dorey a liar but she is also an incompetent liar and so her lies are easily exposed for what they are. This is her latest claim about not being ‘anti-vaccine’.

I understand why it is so important for a certain segment of the community to use that term. To call someone ‘anti’ anything automatically paints a picture in people’s minds of something negative. ‘Anti’ is a prefix with bad connotations and labelling the AVN as anti-vaccine will mean that some people will form an opinion of this group based solely on that incorrect moniker. It’s a calculated tactic by those who oppose our rights to choose – but it is not accurate and using that term is immoral if it doesn’t accurately describe us – especially after we have said so many times that we are not anti-vaccine. –Mery Dorey

However on the 4th of February 2010 Dorey clearly stated on Facebook that she was Anti-Vaccination. We even have a screenshot for this:

So Dorey claims not to be ‘anti-vaccine’ but asserts that she would never take another vaccine ever. Just to help clarify Meryl’s position a little further the AVN currently sell t-shirts with the statement “Love them protect them never inject them.” and yes there is a screenshot:

However Meryl is silly enough to still have this item on sale in the AVNs online shop. Seriously if you’re going to make a bullshit claim at least remove contradictory evidence from your own website.

Mery Dorey has also likened vaccination to “Child Rape“.

In Meryl’s fantasy world Vaccination = Rape therefore if you support vaccination, you also support child rape. This is a disgusting assertion to make, and exposes the vileness to Meryl Doreys anti-vaccination ideology. Of course most people are overwhelmingly opposed to child rape, but that has no relation to vaccination; unless you’re Meryl Dorey.

The New South Wales Health Care Complaints Commission had a few words to say about Meryl and her organisation:

by the Health Care Complaints Commission under section 94A of the Health Care Complaints Act 1993

The Health Care Complaints Commission has investigated two complaints about the Australian Vaccination Network (AVN), a non-profit organisation registered in New South Wales that provides information about vaccination. The complaints alleged that the AVN provides incorrect and misleading information about vaccination. 

The Commission’s investigation of the complaints focussed on the material presented by the AVN on its website www.avn.org.au.

The Commission’s investigation established that the AVN website:

 

• provides information that is solely anti-vaccination
• contains information that is incorrect and misleading
• quotes selectively from research to suggest that vaccination may be dangerous.

On this basis, the Commission recommended to the AVN that it should include a statement in a prominent position on its website to the following effect:

 

• The AVN’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 provided by the AVN should not be read as medical advice.
• The decision about whether or not to vaccinate should be made in consultation with a health care provider.

The Commission recognises that it is important for there to be debate on the issue of vaccination. However, the AVN provides information that is inaccurate and misleading.

The AVN’s failure to include a notice on its website of the nature recommended by the Commission may result in members of the public making improperly informed decisions about whether or not to vaccinate, and therefore poses a risk to public health and safety.

–Health Care Complains Commission; NSW

So did the Office of Liqueur, Gaming and Racing. Who later revoked the AVN’s charitable status.

The organisation’s website is misleading in that it may lead people making donations to believe they are donating to a cause which promotes vaccination, whereas the organisation adopts an anti-vaccination position. -NSW Office of Liqueur, Gaming and Racing

We also have this truly fantastic quote from Dorey on Yahoo groups a few years ago:

There will come a time – I pray to God that it will happen in my lifetime – when those who have pushed vaccines upon innocent, helpless babies – doctors, pharmaceutical companies, government officials – will be proven to have lied and cheated these instruments of death into our children’s bloodstream. When that occurs, the outcry will be heard around the world and there will not be enough hiding places on the globe for these murderers to hide or enough money to pay for compensation. Of course, it will be too late for the babies, like this poor child, to be saved. But we will be able to take satisfaction from the fact that never again will anyone have to be pushed to poison their child because for once and for all, it will be known as poison and we will all wonder how it was we fell for the vaccine lie for as long as we did. -Meryl Dorey, AVN Yahoo! Group, Tue 16 December 2008 9:08 pm Message #36449

Meryl Dorey and the Australian Vaccination Network are strongly opposed to vaccination in any way shape or form and it seems unlikely that this ideology will ever change. Meryl continues to place half baked ideology ahead of science and reason. No matter how many times she is exposed (often due to her own stupidity) as a liar she is likely to continue repeating the same lies and her critics will continue to hold her accountable.

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.

….

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.

The anti-vaccination movement is full of nasty individuals, but it’s not often that I find one quite so repugnant as Mark Sircus who actually advocates the lynching of Centers for Disease Control personnel. Mark Sircus writes a blog post titled “String the Bastards Up” where he openly states the following:

Before I go into detail about what has been clear to many of us for years I want to bring the image of the case of a monster who commits mass murder and torments children and their parents. In this case we have a group of them who deserve to be lynched and they work for the federal government at the Centers of Disease Control (CDC). –Mark Sircus

Of course Meryl “I have a brain” Dorey of the Australian Vaccination Network is onboard with this one. Evidently these people are so opposed to life saving medicine that they would advocate murder, both Mark and Meryl are long past the point of reason and are now well and truly into the ideological fanatic stages of insanity.

Meryl endorces Mark Sircus

The anti-vaccination movement is really a cult against health and medicine. It is based solely on an ideology instead of science. Allot of people have legitimate concerns about vaccination and there’s nothing wrong with them seeking more information. But the danger comes from people like Meryl Dorey and Mark Sircus who not only spread lies and misinformation based on an ideology but may also be capable of so much worse; fanatical ideology is dangerous.

However some people who follow the anti-vaxxers are simply misguided by the lies a deceit they are fed by the fanatics and really believe they are being fed good information. However this time some of Doreys followers may have seen the anti-vax cult for what it is.

Loyal subjects sense a disturbance in the force.

It looks like that public health menace Meryl Dorey of the Australia Vaccination Network has found a new loon to worship on twitter. His name is Dr. Leo Rebello (@DrLeoRebello) and he’s quite the kook. He bills himself as a “Holistic Health Guru. [sic]” which lends severe doubts about his credentials. Meryl has been retweeting some of his nutty twitter comments.

Comments Meryl retweeted.

Of course he doesn’t supply any reference for his claims; so Meryl and Leo have something in common there. I have long learned that kooks don’t like evidence because it all too often conflicts with their ideologies. However Dr Rebello is even more loopy than Meryl and makes her look like Einstein by comparison. Here’s some more of his wisdom.

Comments too nutty even for Meryl.

I especially like the “VacciNAZIS” but of course no anti-vaxxer is complete without some child rape. Well a comparison between child rape and vaccination that is. They can leave the actual rape for the Catholic Church.

Catholics and Anti-Vaxxers rejoice.

At the start of the year Meryl Dorey claimed that an Australian court had ordered the rape of a child. “Court orders rape of a child. Think this is an exaggeration? Think again. This is assault without consent and with full penetration too. [sic]” In the minds of both Dr Leo Rebello and Meryl Dorey giving a child life saving medicine the the equivalent of rape. I honestly believe that some people; especially those who oppose life saving vaccination are simply beyond reason.

I do not respect the opinions and beliefs of those who oppose vaccination, and I thoroughly condemn the actions of those who choose not to vaccinate. Time and time again I see requests from anti-vaxxers that we all respect their decision not to vaccinate themselves or their children.

However some ideas are not worthy of respect. Some ideas are dangerous. Some ideas can even kill people and put the whole community at risk. The idea that we shouldn’t vaccinate against Measles and other diseases is a good example of an idea that deserves no respect. The decision not to vaccinate deserves the same respect as someone who believes they are ok to drive while intoxicated because they ‘know what they are doing’. That is to say “None”. Yet the cries for respect are still coming from the anti-vaccine crowd.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Vaccination has the ability to eradicate disease. Yet we have people who are strongly opposed to vaccination and if those people are expecting any respect from me then they are going to be waiting a very long time. Because if people opposed to life saving medicine want any form of respect from me they must first do the right thing and vaccinate their children.

Respect belongs to those who do the right thing, not dimwitted tossers and their dangerous unscientific ideas.The notion that it should be customary to respect another persons position is just wrong. Some ideas do not deserve respect.

Just over a year since the NSW Office of Liquor Gaming and Racing revoked the Australian Vaccination Network’s charity status, forbidding them from collecting donations. The anti-vaccination group has been caught asking for donations at it’s recent seminars in Western Australia.

Consumer Protection is investigating whether an anti-vaccination group breached charity laws by seeking donations at a series of meetings in WA in the past two weeks.

The NSW-based Australian Vaccination Network held public forums in Perth, Busselton, Jurien Bay and Geraldton, charging $15 and giving out brochures asking people to donate to the group. –The West Australian

Did Meryl honestly think she could get away with soliciting donations? Did she think no one would be watching after being busted by both the Health Care Complaints Comission and the OLGR?

It seems that Meryl Dorey simply doesn’t learn. She should know by now that her group is being watched, not only by Skeptics but also by government authorities, journalists and anyone else she has crossed paths with. Her rapidly snowballing legal problems are a result of her own inability to do the right thing.

Meryl Dorey head of the deceptively named and widely discredited Australian Vaccination Network is returning to Perth for another round of lies and bullshit. The Anti-vaccination group is going to hold a seminar called “VACCINATION:MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE” however Meryl Dorey intends to repeat the same lies an discredited information that she has become infamous for. Including the claim that vaccines contain Mercury.

It’s true that some vaccines use thimerosal as a preservative, but the mercury found in thimerosal is ethylmercury which is safely discharged from the human body it is a very safe preservative, which is why it’s use in the first place. However mercury can also be bound as a methyl and methylmercury is dangerous to humans. People often get these two different types of mercury confused. However no vaccines or thimerosal has ever contained methylmercury. This is simply scaremongering from the anti-vaccination groups. What’s more childhood vaccines do not contain thimerosal so not even the safe, organic ethylmercury is used in childhood vaccines.

There simply is no mercury in childhood vaccines. It’s a lie to scare parents our of vaccinating their children. Don’t just take my word for it; ask your doctor.

This is just one of many lies that Meryl Dorey intends to present as fact to perents tomorrow in Floreat. Along with her normal tirade of government and corporate conspiracies, and of course those evil skeptics.

If you’re in Perth you can attend her seminar but be warned it’s very difficult to sit through. There’s nothing worse than seeing someone lie to parents and provide them with misinformation that puts the whole community at risk.

A much better source of information for people attending the AVN seminar is at Vaccination Facts a website setup by Kylie Sturgess in response to the AVNs misinformation seminars held in Perth.

Looks like that public health menace is at it again. Meryl Dorey has just sent out an email to her followers complaining about a Government Health care initiative. I couldn’t find a source for it, but according to Dorey the government is going to require welfare parents to take their children to a GP in order to check the child’s health. If the parent is not looking after their child’s medical needs then they could lose the taxpayer funded handout. (citation needed)

This sounds like an excellent initiative if the government is going to give parents financial support then it makes sense for them to check that the child is cared for medically. Although I think this should be extended to all parents, not just those claiming financial assistance from Centrelink.

As predicted the Anti-Vaxxers have a problem with this, as they seem to with health care in general. Why anyone would be so against health care, especially early childhood health care always escapes me. Meryl Dorey in particular seems to value personal philosophy more than scientifically proven medical procedure. Here is part of her email:

What if your primary care practitioner is not a GP? What if your health philosophy has indicated that mainstream medicine is not in your child’s best interests? What if you are a Christian Scientist whose religion says that you don’t see doctors?

Are there exemptions available for those who don’t normally see doctors? And if the doctor – whose philosophy and practices differ from you own – determines that your child is at risk, what are the potential outcomes? –Meryl Dorey

While some people many indeed value their own personal ideology more than the health of their children, fortunately such people are just a minority of idiotic fringe dwellers. I’m sure most parents recognise the need for their child to visit a competent medical professional. A person does not have the right to deny their child health care just because it conflicts with their own; often unqualified ideas about medicine. I hope the government starts taking a hard line approach to people who think that their personal philosophy is more important than health care.

Vaccination is the equivalent of child rape. At least according to Meryl Dorey of the Australian Vaccination Network. Just when it seems that the Anti-vaccination crowd couldn’t get more absurd. The AVN and it’s supporters appear to excel in all area’s of stupidity.

A MOTHER has been ordered by the Family Court to have her five-year-old daughter immunised.

The girl’s father, who has remarried and has another child, wanted the girl vaccinated against preventable diseases for her own wellbeing, and for the health of his other children.

But the girl’s mother said her daughter was healthy and the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases was very small.

The couple separated before their daughter was born, and the father initially consented to her not being immunised because, he claims, he was desperate to establish a relationship with his daughter. But the father now wants her vaccinated and produced medical evidence that immunisation provided no unacceptable risks for his daughter. –Herald Sun

It’s a good thing the father of this child took the mother to court to get this resolved. It can’t have been easy but at least it is one more life that may now be protected from preventable disease. Parents who refuse to protect their children from disease are unfit to raise kids. It’s ashame the father wasn’t awarded full custody, one step at a time I guess.

Calling all Skeptics. We know that Meryl Dorey of the Australian Vaccination Network likes to ignore government authorities and likes to claim that she is beyond their jurisdiction. With the recent Office of Liquor Gaming and Racing decision to revoke the AVN’s charity status, forbidding them from collecting donations coming into effect tomorrow (20th). The AVN will not legally be allowed to collect donations from members of the public from tomorrow onwards.

I propose that we keep a close watch on the AVN and if they do not remove their donations page tomorrow we should all send in donations and then immediately report the AVN to the OLGR for unlawful collection of donations. You can email the OLGR here: charity.inquiries@olgr.nsw.gov.au

It’s time to put this watchdog to sleep.