Protesters at Centers for Disease Control

Moms Against Mercury (MAM) protested vaccine Wednesday at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Protesters at Centers for Disease Control
Mary Silver
10/22/2009
Updated:
10/22/2009
ATLANTA—Moms Against Mercury (MAM) protested vaccine Wednesday at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). According to the group’s Web site, mercury-based thimerosal in vaccines can cause autism. The protest targeted the H1N1 vaccine.

Some MAM members wore hazmat suits to represent the idea that vaccines contain toxic chemicals. The use of suits provided by the group was approved by the Department of Homeland Security, but no American flags were allowed, said the group in a statement. The group discouraged violence, blocking entrances, or the use of bullhorns, but a Web site they link to calls doctors who recommend vaccination “liars.” The related Web site speculates that the HINI virus has a “suspicious pedigree” and may have been released from a lab.

The CDC recommends that children, young people and some other groups get the H1N1 vaccination. Some of the vaccinations will contain thimerosal. “CDC is aware that the presence of the preservative thimerosal in vaccines and suggestions of a relationship to autism has raised concerns,” according to a statement.

At the CDC, media contact Patricia Allen said the protesters “were here this morning. I didn’t see them. I came in the back way.”
Mary Silver writes columns, grows herbs, hikes, and admires the sky. She likes critters, and thinks the best part of being a journalist is learning new stuff all the time. She has a Masters from Emory University, serves on the board of the Georgia chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, and belongs to the Association of Health Care Journalists.