NOTE: Visit www.voicesforchoice.com for detailed information and tickets re: “Vaxxed: From Cover-Up To Catastrophe” at 9 screenings around the once-and-future Republic of Vermont.

Drop the phrase “vaccine choice” into casual conversation at a week-end cocktail party, and guaranteed sparks will probably fly. For many new parents, fewer decisions are more fraught than whether or not to inject their young babies with sharp needles carrying the promise of immunized protection from measles, mumps, rubella, and other dangerous diseases. Balancing the cultural tension between individual choice (should parents have the right to decide NOT to vaccinate their children?) and the “public good” is an ongoing topic of discussion and debate for many citizens, particularly here in Vermont.

Inject into this conversation “Vaxxed: From Cover-Up To Catastrophe,” a new 90-minute documentary film that explores the emerging controversy around the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) ongoing support for and use of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine. Rather than framing the question around the dualistic “to vax or not to vax?” question, “Vaxxed” interviews parents, scientists, public health officials, and journalists who contend, with detailed evidence from CDC whistleblower Dr. William Thompson, that widespread use of the MMR vaccine has contributed to a dramatic rise in autism amongst newborn babies in the United States, AND that the CDC has knowingly covered up the dramatic irreparable damage done to thousands of American kids and families. “This movie is not anti-vaccine,” as one observer noted. “It is pro-transparency, pro-science, and pro-informed consent.”  Just as disturbing, the film argues, is the collusion between Congress and the CDC in shielding the pharmaceutical industry from legal liability by enacting the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine’s Injury Act.

“Vaxxed gives us an up close look at what can happen when regulatory agencies are not held accountable – In meetings held behind closed doors, CDC officials made the decision to omit data that demonstrated an increased risk of autism for certain populations upon administration of the MMR vaccine before the age of 36 months,” explains concerned Vermonter Naomi Malik. “As a result, healthcare decisions have been made based on fraudulent research and children have been put in harm’s way.”

“Vaxxed: From Cover-Up To Catastrophe” is also dramatic call to action, advocating:

1) That Congress subpoena Dr. William Thompson and investigate the CDC fraud.

2) That Congress repeal the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine’s Injury Act and hold manufacturers liable for injury caused by their vaccines.

3) That the single measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines be made available immediately, instead of continually promoting the MMR alternative exclusively..

4) That all vaccines be classified as pharmaceutical drugs and tested accordingly.

“Vaxxed” is sure to promote public conversation about vaccinations and the public’s right to know at a moment when Big Pharma and the Feds are already under close scrutiny, “Even during historical outbreaks of smallpox and polio, parents have always been afforded the discretion to choose which medical procedures (vaccines) their children are subject to – vaccination has always been voluntary!” explains Jennifer Stella, a longtime Vermont activist on this issue. “However, this film comes at a time when parents are being put under increasing pressure by pediatricians to follow CDC vaccination recommendations, while the medical/pharmaceutical industry lobbies for laws that remove our right to object and say, ‘no thanks’ to a vaccine.”

In the final analysis, “Vaxxed” is a nuanced and thoughtful look at a vital public discussion too often prone to knee-jerk hysteria from all sides of the issue. “If we are to put the health of our children in the hands of government health agencies, it is absolutely crucial that such agencies be free of conflicts of interests that may seriously undermine the integrity of the advice and recommendations they are giving,” states Vermont activist Ariel Brewer. “As of now, such conflicts of interest are rampant in these agencies and the fact that pharmaceutical companies cannot be held liable for vaccine damages, are responsible for their own safety testing, and that the vaccine schedule has almost tripled since the 1980’s (with an associated decline in children’s overall health) should be proof of that.”

“Vaxxed: From Cover-Up To Catastrophe” is an eloquent, well-researched, thought-provoking documentary film. Don’t miss it at one of nine screenings around the once and future Vermont republic. Visit www.voicesforchoice.com for detailed information and tickets.