An Oregon mother has slammed actor Jim Carrey after he used a picture of her autistic son without the family's permission in a Twitter rant against California Gov. Jerry Brown and the state's new mandatory vaccination law.
Karen Echols of Eugene was shocked to discover Carrey had included a picture of her son Alex, 14, in a tweet to his 14.7 million followers in which he called Brown a "corporate fascist" for signing the mandatory vaccination requirements into law.
"California Gov says yes to poisoning more children with mercury and aluminum in manditory (sic) vaccines," he tweeted. "This corporate fascist must be stopped."
The Echols family say they are "disgusted and sickened" to see photo of their son used for anti-vaccination propaganda.
Alex's autism was caused by a genetic condition, his parents say, and family members emphasized they have never spoken out against vaccinations.
"Jim Carrey (yes that one) tweeted out an image of my nephew who suffers from Autism and tuberous sclerosis as an example of anti-vaccinations," Alex's aunt Elizabeth Echols wrote on her Instagram page. "Alex had these conditions before he was ever vaccinated."
Although Carrey has not responded, Twitter has removed the image from his tweet.
Carey is among a small but vociferous group that claims "neurotoxins" in vaccines cause autism, citing compounds including mercury and thimerosal found in vaccines.
"All we are saying is, 'Take the neurotoxins out of the vaccines.' Make them toxin free," he tweeted. "History will show that that was a reasonable request."
Carrey dated former The View co-host Jenny McCarthy for five years. McCarthy, a vocal opponent of vaccinations, claims they caused her son's autism and has been a visible figurehead for the anti-vaccination movement.
The law signed by Brown removes the option for parents to seek exemptions from the state's vaccination requirements on religious and personal belief grounds.
"The science is clear that vaccines dramatically protect children against a number of infectious and dangerous diseases," Brown said after signing the measure into law. "While it's true that no medical intervention is without risk, the evidence shows that immunization powerfully benefits and protects the community."
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there is no evidence of a link between "thimerosal-containing vaccines" or the measles vaccine and autism.
Opponents of the measure said they might go to court in an effort to overturn the new California law.
