http://thefreethoughtproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/vaccine-mmr.jpg The Physicians for Informed Consent is a group of doctors dedicated educate their patients and the public on infectious disease, the immune system, and informed consent. The group was founded in response to mandatory vaccination laws across the country which remove the rights of parents to informed consent. The group is not anti-vaccine, they are pro-freedom. It is no question that the subject of vaccines is profoundly controversial. On both sides of the argument exists truth and lies that can hinder the ability of some to make rational decisions. While we have everyone from attorneys to biologists, to political scientists who write for the Free Thought Project, none of us are doctors, so we do not make recommendations about what you and your family should do in regards to vaccination. It is important to note, however, that everyone deserves the right to make informed decisions on their own personal health and the health of their children. Recently, the Physicians for Informed Consent (PIC) reported in the British Medical Journal that every year, approximately 5,700 U.S. children suffer from seizures as a direct result of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. https://twitter.com/picphysicians/status/944300833289650176 According to PIC, this finding is derived from results of the most statistically powered safety study ever to measure the association between MMR vaccination and febrile seizures. More than half a million children were evaluated, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, from a Danish population that is relied upon globally to examine vaccine safety. The results showed that seizures from the MMR vaccine occur in about 1 in 640 children up to two weeks following MMR vaccination. Applying this risk of seizures to the 3.64 million U.S. children vaccinated with a first dose of MMR every year results in about 5,700 annual MMR-vaccine seizures. “To make accurate and ethical public health decisions, the risks of a vaccine must be compared to the risks of the disease one is trying to prevent,” said Dr. Shira Miller, PIC president and founder. “When considering the MMR vaccine to prevent measles, the risks of the MMR vaccine need to be compared to the risks of measles.” While there is a risk of seizure from contracting measles, according to the data, the risk of developing seizures from the vaccine to combat measles is five times higher. What's more, the seizures from the MMR vaccine are far worse, according to the study and can cause permanent harm. "For example, 5% of febrile seizures result in epilepsy, a chronic brain disorder that leads to recurring seizures. Annually, about 300 MMR-vaccine seizures (5% of 5,700) will lead to epilepsy," PIC points out. PIC notes that the government reporting system for vaccine injuries, Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), receives only fraction of the those reported seizures from the MMR vaccination. According to PIC, this could mean that there is an underreporting of other serious vaccine adverse events from MMR, including permanent neurological harm and death. “In the United States, measles is generally a benign, short-term viral infection; 99.99% of measles cases fully recover,” said Dr. Miller. “As it has not been proven that the MMR vaccine is safer than measles, there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that mandatory measles mass vaccination results in a net public health benefit in the United States.” According to the report, the measles vaccine was introduced in the U.S. in 1963 and is now only available as a component of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. It has significantly reduced the incidence of measles; however, the vaccine is not capable of preventing all cases of measles, as failures have been reported. The manufacturer’s package insert contains information about vaccine ingredients, adverse reactions, and vaccine evaluations. For example, “M-M-R II vaccine has not been evaluated for carcinogenic or mutagenic potential, or potential to impair fertility.” Furthermore, the risk of permanent injury and death from the MMR vaccine has not been proven to be less than that of measles. In regard to the question of whether or not the MMR vaccine is safer than measles, the group of physicians has this to say, "Because permanent sequalae (aftereffects) from measles, especially in individuals with normal levels of vitamin A, are so rare, the level of accuracy of the research studies available is insufficient to prove that the vaccine causes less death or permanent injury than measles."