Being the first episode for season 15 after the summer hiatus, they continue the story line from the June 8th episode. In it, Stan's continual negativity calls him to the school counselor's office where he gets diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome after it is revealed he was immunized for the flu the year prior. Stan becomes the first confirmed case of Asperger's syndrome caused by a vaccine, and a law is made to ban mandatory vaccines. The planned HPV vaccine for all the school girls at South Park Elementary is assumed to have been canceled, and Cartman tries to cash in on the lawsuits by claiming to also have Asperger's (he thinks it is a condition where burgers grow out of your ass). Mayhem ensues.
Anti-social behavior is a symptom of Asperger's and it is one of several disorder's being blamed on vaccinations by the anti-vaccine movement. Those opposed to mandatory vaccines believe it will cause unknown consequences such as autism and Asperger's. In recent news, one debate among the Republican presidential candidates has been over the imposition of mandatory HPV vaccines to young girls. While there is no science to back the anti-vaccine agenda, the HPV controversy has more to do with parents not wanting to believe their daughters will ever partake in sexual interaction required to contract HPV. The benefits of mandatory vaccines far outweigh the possible consequences, if any even exist.
Oh, awesome. The online showing is embargoed until 5 November, and I can't wait to see it. What's depressing is that the web is FULL of posts about links between Asperger's and vaccines, posted by people who don't read or want to know the truth. The post-hoc fallacy (I got the vaccine, and I got sick, so the vaccine caused my sickness) is the hardest one to get people to understand.
ReplyDeleteA current presidential candidate is using that kind of logic as the foundation for the claim that the HPV vaccine causes mental retardation. I recently read and article where a woman spoke to one of the presidential candidate about her daughter receiving the vaccine. After the injection, the woman stated her daughter presented with problems relating to mental retardation. Due to this encounter, the candidate is extremely concerned about the effects of the vaccine. I do not think a person should make broad claims about a vaccine based on the anecdotal evidence of one individual.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/after-debate-bachmann-questions-safety-of-hpv-vaccine-for-girls/2011/09/13/gIQAynNfPK_story.html