Australian Vaccination-risks Network

[[File:Vaccines_equal_rape.jpg|thumb|right|165px|[[Poe's_Law|Actual image uploaded to the official AVN Facebook page]].<ref>http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/australian-vaccination-skeptics-network-compares-vaccines-to-rape-in-facebook-post/news-story/adf91402c9d6d0268bedde998fded961</ref> Because ensuring your child doesn't die from preventable disease is now considered [[rape]].]]{{vax}}

{{cquote|[Vaccination] is immoral. [Vaccination] should be illegal. [Vaccination] is [[Oxymoron|medical rape]].|||Meryl Dorey, [[Asshole|thoughtfully pointing out how things that aren't rape are in fact rape]].<ref name="SBM">https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/vaccination-as-rape-meryl-dorey-and-the-australian-vaccination-network/</ref>}}

{{cquote|The worm has turned and the [[false balance]] is shifting. She is finally being treated in a manner which she deserves – relegated to the pages of [[NaturalNews|natural health media]] and [[Webshites|websites rife with conspiracy theories and quackery]]. But importantly, she is finally being held accountable for her nonsense, not just by skeptics but by the mainstream media and government departments too. And with opinions like "vaccination <nowiki>=</nowiki> rape", it’s about time.|||Skeptic and blogger Rachael A. Dunlop BSc (Hons), PhD, in reply to the above<ref name="SBM"/>}}

The '''Australian Vaccination-risks Network''' ('''AVN'''), these cranks also formerly known as the '''Australian Vaccination-skeptics Network''' ('''AVsN''')  and the '''Australian Vaccination Network''' ('''AVN''')<ref name="name"/>, is an [[anti-vaccine]] [[propaganda]] organisation based in {{wpl|Bangalow}}, New South Wales (NSW). It is the collective hellspawn of American expatriate Meryl Dorey (who has a dual citizenship in Australia and US), lobbying against compulsory vaccinations in [[Australia]] by [[Denialism|denying]] any and all scientific evidence<ref>[http://avn.org.au/vaccination-information/ AVN anti-vaccine screed]</ref> that vaccines save millions of lives by preventing childhood diseases. 

The AVN doesn't ''just'' rage against real science, however - they also promote [[alternative medicine]] (such as [[chiropractic]] and [[homeopathy]]) as far-fetched strategies to haphazadly try to soothe the very medical complications that could instead easily have been prevented by vaccinations in the first place.<ref>[http://avn.org.au/website-links/natural-health-links/ Alternative medicine links from AVN]</ref> 

The AVN has become notorious in later years, not only for the outstanding dishonesty of Dorey, but also for its harassment of grieving families whose infant children have passed away from vaccine-preventable diseases.<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-07-12/anti-vaccine-group-accused-of-harassing-parents/901904 '''Anti-vaccine group accused of harassing parents'''] ''ABC News''</ref> The AVN has also been caught sending death threats to people criticizing them.<ref>https://reasonablehank.com/2014/01/03/death-threats-and-threats-of-harm-incited-by-the-avn-nsfw/</ref> Perhaps most shocking of all is that 30% of AVN members are allegedly [[Inverse stopped clock|health professionals.]]

==Trouble with the government==
The Australian state of New South Wales' Office of Fair Trading has ordered Meryl Dorey to change the name of her organization because it is misleading and endangering people. She had two months to register a new name<ref name="name">[https://web.archive.org/web/20121214162001/http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health-fitness/minister-orders-anti-vaccination-group-to-change-its-name/story-fneuz9ev-1226537155195 Minister orders anti-vaccination group to change its name]</ref>. The organization appealed to the Administrative Decisions Tribunal of New South Wales, but on November 25 2013 the order was confirmed<ref>http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/nsw/NSWADT/2013/266.html</ref>. The Australian government on the 30<sup>th</sup> of April, 2014 released a public statement warning the Australian public that AVN's information on vaccines was either [[Bullshit|"incorrect", "inaccurately represented", or "taken out of context."]]<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20140506124729/http://www.hccc.nsw.gov.au/Hearings---decisions/Public-statements-and-warnings/Public-statement---warning-about-the-Australian-Vaccination-skeptics-Network--Inc---AVN----formerly-known-as-Australian-Vaccination-Network-Inc-</ref> The AVN's charity status was later revoked by the government<ref name="revoked">http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-18/australian-vaccination-skeptics-network-banned-from-charity-sta/5327378</ref> who considered the whole "charity" as misinformation spreaders and [[Fear-mongering|fear-mongers]]; naturally the AVN complained that the professionals analyzing their site for misinformation were biased and thus unfair.<ref name="revoked"/>

Despite the government stating that "We will continue to ensure that [the AVN] present themselves as an anti-vaccination advocacy [organization]",<ref name="revoked"/> the Government's attempts to drag a straightfoward answer from the AVN, in regards to the question of what their actual goals and positions are, has failed. The anti-vaccine organization continues to claim on their website that "[[Teach_the_controversy|The AVN is NOT anti-vaccination, nor are we pro-vaccination]]. The Australian Vaccination-skeptics Network (AVN) exists to [[Health_freedom|further a pro-choice position with regard to vaccination and other health decisions.]]"<ref>https://avn.org.au/</ref>

The Australian government, however, didn't buy the AVN hogwash. New South Wales Fair Trading Minister {{wpl|Stuart Ayres}} commented;<ref name="revoked"/>

{{quotebox|We will continue to monitor the information that they put on their website. We will continue to ensure that they present themselves as an anti-vaccination advocacy. That's entirely up to them to do that. We want to make sure that they don't ever promote misleading information.}}

Health Minister {{wpl|Jillian Skinner}} also chimed in, stating;<ref name="revoked"/>

{{quotebox|Our government is determined to protect our children from the devastating consequences of vaccine-preventable disease. While New South Wales has a very high rate of vaccination among children, we will continue to do all we can to protect those children who remain unvaccinated. Forget the scaremongering. There is nothing to fear from vaccination.}}

In July 2018 the group again changed its name to Australian Vaccination-risks Network Inc. citing that many in their group ''"did not feel comfortable with having the word 'skeptics' in"'' their name as the reason for the change. The group decided that [[lulz|the word "skeptic" too closely aligned them]] with [[skepticism|skeptical]] organisations such as the Australian Skeptics.<ref name="The Skeptic Zone 510">{{cite web |last=Saunders |first=Richard |title=The Skeptic Zone #510 |date= 29 July 2018 |url=http://skepticzone.libsyn.com/the-skeptic-zone-509-22july2018-0 |website=The Skeptic Zone |publisher=The Skeptic Zone |access-date=21 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121230034/http://skepticzone.libsyn.com/the-skeptic-zone-509-22july2018-0 |archive-date=21 November 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=David |first1=Tasha |title=We have changed our name! |url=https://avn.org.au/2018/07/we-have-changed-our-name/ |publisher=Australian Vaccination-risks Network Inc. |access-date=22 November 2018 |date=24 July 2018}}</ref>

==AVN being assholes==
The AVN created a fake religion called the "Church of Conscious Living" that basically helps parents get their children a free vaccine exemption on [[Freedom of religion|religious grounds.]]<ref name = "church">http://www.smh.com.au/national/health/antivaccination-group-encourages-parents-to-join-fake-church-20150127-12zcrc.html</ref> The key word here being "help", in order to get a vaccine exemption for a child that definitely would benefit from vaccines, they would need to find a doctor unscrupulous or "respectful" enough to sign their vaccine objection form.<ref name = "church"></ref> They compared vaccination to rape in a Facebook post<ref>http://www.smh.com.au/national/australian-vaccination-skeptics-network-compares-vaccines-to-rape-20150422-1mr0wk.html</ref> which the AVN quickly backtracked saying the AVN "does not own this page and have no power over what is put on it” and
“We do not agree that rape and vaccination are the same and believe that this picture should be taken down as it is offensive to rape victims".<ref>http://www.news.com.au/national/australian-vaccination-skeptics-network-compares-vaccines-to-rape-in-facebook-post/news-story/adf91402c9d6d0268bedde998fded961</ref> They state that they want the right for them to refuse vaccinations<ref>http://www.northernstar.com.au/news/anti-vaccine-group-denies-opposing-all-vaccines/2770698/</ref> however critics rebut that the child's right to protection against deadly diseases is more important<ref>http://www.skepticalraptor.com/skepticalraptorblog.php/parental-and-childrens-rights-vaccination-mandates/</ref> than their uninformed science illiterate views.

==Stop the AVN==
''Stop the AVN'' (SAVN) is a loose group of anti-AVN campaigners organised after controversy surrounding the death of a baby, Dana McCaffery, of the preventable illness whooping cough (''Bordetella pertussis'').<ref>[http://www.stopavn.com/]</ref>

Although their intents are good, [[Extremism|some of them]] throw inappropriate and digusting verbal abuse against AVN such as "You love dead children" and "Those dead babies don't unload themselves"<ref>https://avn.org.au/dossier-of-attacks-on-the-avn/verbal-abuse/</ref> to members of the AVN.

==''The Real Australian Sceptics''==
In May of 2012 the AVN launched a blog called ''The Real Australian Sceptics'', a blatant attempt both to capitalise on the reputation of their opponents, the ''actual'' Australian Skeptics, while simultaneously calling that group [[pseudoskeptic]]s. This, naturally enough, provoked complaints.<ref name="pretending">[https://web.archive.org/web/20130728075747/http://peterbowditch.com/wp/2012/05/pretending-to-be-something-youre-not/ Pretending to be something you’re not], Peter Bowditch.</ref><ref>[http://www.skepticalraptor.com/skepticalraptorblog.php/science-denialism-meryl-dorey/ Pseudoskepticism from Australian vaccine denialists]</ref>

The site "stopped functioning on Sunday, January 24, 2016" and still currently is expired. As of 2018 the domain is now for sale for the much too high price of two grand.

==External links==
*[http://avn.org.au/ AVN website]

===Critics===
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090408114359/http://www.danamccaffery.com/ Dana McCaffery's website]
*[http://stopavn.com Stop the AVN]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120923203026/http://evidenceplease.net/ Jo Alabaster]
*[http://www.skeptics.com.au The ''actual'' Australian Skeptics]
*[http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles/comment/avn.htm Thirteen years of RatbagsDotCom V AVN]

==References==
{{reflist|2|90%}}
{{Template:Down Under}}

[[Category:Australian political movements]]
[[Category:Shysters]]

Categories: Australian political movements, Shysters