Robert De Niro once again linked to the anti-vax movement
Robert De Niro joined Robert F. Kennedy Jr. this week for a panel discussion in Washington, D.C., regarding the safety of vaccines, once again seemingly aligning himself with the controversial anti-vaxxer movement.
The discussion was about the safety of vaccines and whether there’s a link between vaccines and autism, an idea that has been widely discredited among medical professionals and denied by the Centers for Disease Control. But some parents continue to support the idea and have refused to vaccinate their children. President Trump has also supported the idea.
De Niro revealed last year that his son, Elliot, has autism, according to the Huffington Post.
Kennedy, who heads the World Mercury Project, reportedly said at this week’s discussion that vaccines have “caused the autism epidemic” and blamed the government and journalists hiding the truth, according to website Vox.
De Niro reportedly said, “I thought what Bobby said was great. It was eloquent. I couldn’t have said it better myself. I agree with him 100 percent. Thank you.”
De Niro, who cofounded the TriBeCa Film Festival, approved the controversial documentary “Vaxxed” to be screened there. He said at the time he didn’t necessarily support the vaccine/autism theory. The film was eventually pulled after backlash from the scientific community. The film was directed by physician Andrew Wakefield, whose 1998 paper linking vaccines to autism was retracted in 2010. Wakefield lost his medical license in the U.K. that same year.