Indicted Researcher Poul Thorsen: Autism Speaks' Original Trailblazer
april 2011
Poul Thorsen, indicted last week (HERE) by US Attorneys for embezzling tax payers money via the Centers for Disease Control, also received $1 Million in funding through an Autism Speaks grant in 2008 (HERE). Now Autism Speaks is trying to hide their Thorsen affiliation. Why is that?
Families across the country work diligently to raise money for Autism Speaks at over 80 walks per year, despite the knowledge that Autism Speaks' research approach has always been to supplement projects currently underway by the CDC and NIH. This arrangement between Autism Speaks and the CDC/NIH amounts to a supplemental federal tax. However, walkers are willing to contribute, and individuals can light their money on fire by contributing at walks if they want.
In May 2000, one week before the infamous Simpsonwood meeting, Poul Thorsen suggested blazing a new trail to the CDC - disguising the role of vaccines in the autism epidemic by using data from Denmark. He made this suggestion to CDC staffer, NAAR/Autism Speaks scientific adviser and (Bernie) Marcus Institute board member Dr. Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp. (See email HERE). The CDC funded the project; NAAR supplemented.
Poul Thorsen crafted the plan to use Denmark vaccination data despite the fact that CDC, Thorsen and the NAAR board all knew that Denmark's vaccine schedule then, and now, is not remotely similar to the US vaccine schedule. The results of the Denmark studies helped the CDC out of a tough spot and over the past decade, Thorsen's studies were utilized by the CDC repeatedly to falsely reassure the American public about the safety of vaccines. CDC certainly owed Thorsen.
In 2002, NAAR, who later merged with Autism Speaks, provided $105,300 to supplement the CDC project (HERE). NAAR walk money helped Thorsen blaze his trail of using data from Denmark to disguise the potential role of vaccines in the autism epidemic.
In 2007, Thorsen was awarded an additional $8 million dollar grant HERE by the CDC. Autism Speaks did what they do, and supplemented the CDC grant with an additional $1 million. Again, CDC funded; Autism Speaks supplemented.
With Thorsen's recent indictment (HERE) more walk money appears to have been lit on fire. The Department of Justice is seeking to get the primary US taxpayer money back. Hopefully, Autism Speaks will try to get its supplemental private sector “walk tax” dollars back also. Simply removing Thorsen's name from the 2008 grant on their website, and pretending it did not happen, may not satisfy their donors.
The trail Thorsen blazed since 2000 has allowsed Autism Speaks to continue supplementing CDC and NIH while all involved continue to neglect honest research into the connection between autism and vaccines.
Meanwhile, while Thorsen's various frauds play out, another child is diagnosed with autism every twelve minutes, every day, all year long.