But I recently learned that Jenny McCarthy is going to be a host on the show. That's concerning because -- even though I'm sure Jenny McCarthy has an actual career in which she does actual things, all I have ever heard about her is that she staunchly believes that autism is caused by vaccinations.
This article -- appropriately titled "Jenny McCarthy's Pseudoscience Has No Place on The View" -- explains the conundrum many of us in the autism community are facing right now.
Basically, McCarthy's son was diagnosed with autism. She believed it was caused by childhood vaccinations. She's now an outspoken "advocate" about how her son has been "cured." You can read all about that here.
In truth, there is absolutely no evidence that vaccines -- or anything, really -- "cause" autism. Autism is just a thing that happens. In fact, the myth that autism is caused by vaccines was deemed an "elaborate fraud" by researchers. And yet, this is a myth that is still perpetuated by people like McCarthy, even to this day!
Spreading pseudoscience to an uneducated population is incredibly dangerous. This particular brand of pseudoscience is particularly frightening because 1) Vaccines are incredibly important; and 2) This "education" about autism breeds nothing but intolerance toward Autistic individuals and perpetuates the notion that autism is something that needs to be "cured" or eliminated all together.
I hope The View doesn't let Ms McCarthy discuss this subject on national television.
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