-I went my entire life without numerous vaccines
against diseases such as measles, chicken pox,
or even polio.
However, in December 2018,
I began catching up on my missed immunizations
despite my mother's disapproval, eventually leading to this story
and being able to speak here today.
And I'm very happy for that, so thank you.
To understand why I've come here
and what I really want to talk about,
I have to share some details about my homelife
and my upbringing.
I grew up understanding
my mother's beliefs that vaccines are dangerous,
and she would speak openly about these views.
Both online and in person, she would voice her concerns,
and these beliefs were met with strong criticism.
Over the course of my life, seeds of doubt were planted
and questions arose
because of the backlash my mother would receive.
But over time, that really didn't lead anywhere.
Now, it's important to understand
that as I approached high school
and began to critically think for myself,
I saw that the information in defense of vaccines
outweighed the concerns heavily.
I began leading debate clubs at my school
and pursuing truth above all else,
and I realized one certain quality to debates
and to conversations in general
when it comes to controversial discussions,
which is that there seems to always be two sides
to a discussion.
There always seems to be a counterclaim, a rebuttal,
and always something to strike back with in terms of debate.
Though this may seem true in all instances,
this is not true for the vaccine debate,
and I approached my mother with this concern
that she was incorrect.
I approached my mother numerous times,
trying to explain that vaccines are safe
and that my family should be vaccinated,
approaching even with articles from the CDC
explicitly claiming that ideas that vaccines cause autism
and extremely dangerous consequences were incorrect.
In one such instance where I approached my mother
with information from the CDC
that claimed vaccines do not cause autism,
she responded with, "That's what they want you to think."
Skepticism and worry were taking the forefront
in terms of information.
Now, conversations like these
reaffirmed that evidence in defense of vaccines was,
at least on an anecdotal level
much greater than the deeply rooted misinformation
my mother interacted with.
And that's what I want to focus on today.
To combat preventable-disease outbreaks, information is,
in my mind, the forefront of this matter.
My mother would turn to anti-vaccine groups online
and on social media, looking for her evidence in defense
rather than health officials and through credible sources.
This may seem to be in malice
because of the dangers that not vaccinating imposes,
but this is not the case.
My mother came, in a sense,
of loving her children and being concerned.
This misinformation spreads,
and that's not necessarily justifiable.
But I carry this knowledge with me that it was with respect
and love that I disagreed with my mother.
And with the information she provided,
I continued to try and explain that it was misinformed.
Ideas that, again, vaccines cause autism, brain damage,
and also that the measles outbreak
is of no concern to this society and to America
were ideas that were pushed
by these sources that she would go to.
And for certain individuals and organizations
that spread this misinformation,
they instill fear into the public
for their own gain selfishly
and do so knowing that their information is incorrect.
For my mother, her love, affection, and care as a parent
was used to push an agenda to create a false distress.
And these sources, which spread misinformation,
should be the primary concern of the American people.
Although change is already in place,
more strides can be done.
Almost 80% of people, according to the Pew Research Center,
turn to the Internet for health-related questions.
I've further explained some more statistics and evidence
in my written testimony.
Now, in terms of what I would like to walk away with today
and kind of finalize with,
although my mother would turn to very illegitimate sources
and sources that did not have peer-reviewed evidence
or information,
I quickly saw that the evidence and claims for myself
were not accurate.
And because of that
and because of my healthcare professionals
I was able to speak with
and the information provided to me,
I was able to make a clear, concise,
and scientific decision.
Approaching this issue with the concern of education
and addressing this information properly can cause change,
as it did for me.
Now, although the debate around vaccines
is not necessarily centered on information
and concerns for health and safety,
this is why education is important
and also misinformation is so dangerous.
Thank you.