By Emily Keller

health

Anti-vaccination film screenings cause controversy

Jan 29, 2020 | 5:30 AM

A screening of an anti-vaccination documentary took place at the Grande Prairie Public Library on Monday.

The film, called Vaxxed II: The Peoples Truth, is a sequel to a 2016 documentary called Vaxxed, that focused on the claim that vaccines are linked to autism.

The 2016 film was directed and co-written by Andrew Wakefield, an ex-physician who published a paper in 1998 on the correlation between the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine and autism that was subsequently discredited.

Vaxxed II was also shown at a movie theatre in Edmonton and one in Calgary, and at the public library in Medicine Hat.

Timothy Caulfield, Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy at the University of Alberta, says the showing of the film in various cities in the province is frustrating and sets a potentially dangerous precedent.

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“There’s research that backs up that the spread of misinformation in this context can reduce vaccine uptake, it can have an impact on vaccination hesitancy. So, this kind of misinformation, and that’s really what this is, it’s misinformation, can do real harm.”

The screenings in Grande Prairie and Medicine Hat were put on by the non-profit, anti-vaccine group Canadians for Vaccine Choice.

The group that screened the film had no connection with the Grande Prairie Public Library, but Deb Cryderman, Library Director for the GPPL, says that while the library does have a policy for renting rooms, the documentary screening did not break their rules.

“What covers this is the phrase that says, ‘We will not knowingly permit any individual or group to use the facility for any illegal purpose, including contravention of the criminal code, or the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms’. So, it was not illegal, so we rented the room.”

The screening was not promoted or advertised by the GPPL, as it was not one of their programs.

Cryderman adds that the library has partnered with Alberta Health Services to create display about vaccinations that is on display outside of the meeting room.

Caulfield says while he understands the importance of freedom of speech for public institutions, the movie being screened at libraries is particularly concerning to him.

“The problem I think though, is when an activity like this film has clear links to harm, a sort of measurable harm, and in that context, I think there’s a strong argument in that you could be justified in saying that, ‘Okay, we’re not going to show this at our institution.’”

He adds that even the trailer showed false claims of harm stemming from vaccines.

“They make it sound like vaccines are doing serious harm, and that there’s somehow a conspiracy to keep this information, the harm information, away from the public,” said Caulfield. “and of course, one of the biggest myths, and there’s absolutely no evidence to support it at all. On the contrary, there’s a lot of evidence on the other side, is the idea that vaccines are related to autism. And so that’s the kind of messaging that you see. It’s harmful, fear-mongering and it’s really unfortunate that it’s circulating right now.”