Vaccines, like Ebola some months ago, has hit the media and political spotlight recently thanks to an outbreak of measles in the US that has affected more than 100 in January alone.

A number of pols, Chris Christie, Rand Paul, the POTUS, Bobby Jindal and Marco Rubio, have come out to voice their thoughts on voluntary vs mandatory vaccinations and a number of other issues.

Image/donkeyhotey
Image/donkeyhotey

What about the likely Democratic nominee for President in 2016, former Senator and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton?

Mrs. Clinton chimed in on the debate Monday on Twitter to say, “The science is clear: The earth is round, the sky is blue, and . Let’s protect all our kids.

Was Mrs Clinton that absolute when she ran for President in 2008? According to a questionnaire with a large autism and vaccine injuries political action organization, Clinton had some concerns.

Here is an example of a some of the questions posed to Mrs Clinton and her answers:

Do you think vaccines should be investigated as a possible cause of autism?

I am committed to make investments to find the causes of autism, including possible environmental causes like vaccines. I have long been a supporter of increased research to determine the links between environmental factors and diseases, and I believe we should increase the NIH’s ability to engage in this type of research. My administration will be committed to improving research to support fact-based solutions, and I will ensure that the NIH has the staff and funding to fully explore all possible causes of autism.

What will you do to protect Americans, especially young children and pregnant women, from exposure to mercury through vaccines?

I will ensure that all vaccines are as safe as possible for our children by working to ensure that Thimerosal and mercury are removed from vaccines. I plan to fully invest in our research agencies so they can protect our children’s health, and so they can find the causes and cures for conditions such as autism.

clintonWould you support a large-scale federal study of the differences in health outcomes between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups?

Yes. We don’t know what, if any, kind of link there is between vaccines and autism – but we should find out. The lack of research on treatments, interventions, and services for children and adults with autism is a major impediment to the development of delivery of quality care. We need evidence-based research on what works and what doesn’t in order to provide the most effective services for people with autism. In addition to a large-scale federal study, I will create a task force that would include significant representation from the autism community and would be charged with identifying gaps in evidence-based biomedical research, behavioral treatments, and services for children and adults with autism. The task force would present these findings to Congress and the Executive Branch and would make recommendations on how to make evidence-based treatments, interventions, and services available at the state and local levels. Once the task force has completed its work, I will provide funding to establish state-based demonstration grants to provide these evidence-based autism treatments, interventions, and services.

Would you support a federal right for families and individuals to choose for themselves which vaccines they will use?

As President, I will support efforts to ensure that vaccines are safe and effective, including independent reviews and large-scale studies. All Americans should have access to accurate and comprehensive information about vaccinations.

Are you satisfied that the federal vaccine approval process is free of conflicts of interests, transparent and rigorous?

I believe that we need independent, thorough, and comprehensive testing of all drugs, including vaccines, to make sure that they are safe and effective. I will ensure that the process of approving vaccines is based on science and research – not ideology or other motives. I will do everything I can to protect the health and well-being of American families.

It was seven years ago and the controversy about vaccine use and safety was debated more online than in the national TV spotlight as it is today. Clearly, Hillary Clinton didn’t believe her own tweet back then.