Childrens Healt Defense

The Other Child

In "The Other Child," Linda Scotson looks at the impact on a child at the arrival of a handicapped sibling. Lili, Linda Scotson's daughter, was only two when Doran was born, and she has been Doran's companion, motivator, carer — in fact, sister extraordinaire. In helping Doran, she has had to cope with other problems—with the loss of her father, ill health, and her own minor neurological difficulties. But she has done so with courage and determination.

What do siblings lose, growing up with a brother or sister with brain injury — and what do they gain? How does the hostility and indifference of the outside world affect these children's lives? Becoming "carers" themselves, do they miss out on parental care from weary and overstretched parents? How do they reach an understanding, often when very young, of what their injured sibling can and cannot do? Shining through these stories is the love, the humor, and the constancy with which these children approach their very difficult family position — many of them, in adulthood, continuing to care for the handicapped companion of their childhood.

By drawing attention to these children, Linda Scotson not only pays tribute to their qualities but also shows how unjust the system is towards those parents struggling to keep their brain-injured child within the family. She argues for a greater network of support systems for the healthy siblings and a greater understanding of the new home treatment programs for injured children — programs in which the whole family, as a team, can participate. This will be an invaluable book for parents of brain-injured children, and for all those professionally involved in the care of such families.

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CHD Wins in Los Angeles ‘Smart City’ Public Records Case, Gaining Access to Thousands of Withheld Documents Regarding Rollout of Artificial Intelligence

Press Release

For Immediate Release

Washington, D.C. – On April 2, Children's Health Defense (CHD) won its "Smart City" lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court, receiving access to thousands of withheld records regarding the rollout of advanced video camera technologies that use artificial intelligence with sophisticated surveillance capabilities. Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff ordered the City of Los Angeles (LA) to produce emails, contracts, and accounting records pertaining to the planned rollout.

The court order also recognized "residents' right to navigate the City without digital ID" along with a host of key privacy rights, such as the city's promise that "The apps, websites, and portals that we provide to the public will never be instruments for unauthorized spying or surveillance activities."

CHD, along with two LA residents, sued the city of Los Angeles in July 2023 for failure to respond to the organization's requests for documents related to LA's Smart Cities Initiative over concerns that the technologies to be implemented may violate the rights of individuals residing in or visiting the area. Most of the city's 20 departments involved in smart city planning provided the documents CHD requested with the exception of the Information Technology Agency, Bureau of Street Lighting, LA World Airports, Mayor's Office, and the LA Police Department, entities likely to have sensitive information regarding the smart city rollout.

"CHD is excited to be at the forefront of safeguarding children's rights in this new era of digitalization, smart cities and wireless technology," said Miriam Eckenfels-Garcia, director of CHD's EMR & Wireless Program.

LA launched its SmartLA 2028 initiative in 2020, promising to solve a host of "urban challenges" — from racial injustice to natural disasters to climate change — using smart technologies to create "a highly digital and connected city" by 2028, the same year LA will host the Summer Olympics. The City plans to provide tourists with a "digital Olympic experience," according to the SmartLA 2028 strategy document. The plan includes an array of digital infrastructure, including surveillance cameras and microphone networks for law enforcement and corporate data mining.

Based on his review of the court documents, Greg Glaser, lead attorney for the petitioners, reported after the trial, "The term 'smart city' is only a marketing ploy to conceal what is really happening behind closed doors: for-profit conversion of Los Angeles into a 'surveillance city' in advance of the 2028 Olympic Games." Glaser added, "Angelenos have the right to be informed of the rollout and invasive repercussions of these technologies."

The respondents have 120 days to produce the withheld documents.

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Children's Health Defense® is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our mission is to end childhood health epidemics by working aggressively to eliminate harmful exposures, hold those responsible accountable and establish safeguards to prevent future harm. We fight corruption, mass surveillance and censorship that put profits before people as well as advocate for worldwide rights to health freedom and bodily autonomy.

To donate to CHD, our ongoing lawsuits or for more information, visit ChildrensHealthDefense.org.

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Judge Rules in Historic CHD Lawsuit Challenging Fast-tracking of Wireless Infrastructure in Los Angeles

Press Release

For Immediate Release

Court upholds that state environmental law isn't preempted by federal law, requires impact reviews for building wireless infrastructure on scenic highways, historic sites

Washington, D.C. – On March 27, the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, issued its opinion in a landmark case brought by Children's Health Defense (CHD) and a coalition of community and environmental groups that challenged the fast-tracking of 5G and other wireless technology in the County. The suit alleges that amendments to Title 16 and Title 22 of the L.A. County Code — which allow for the fast-tracked proliferation of wireless infrastructure — violate the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by exempting projects under the ordinances from CEQA review.

The Court ruled that state environmental law is not preempted by federal law and that it generally applies, except for minor modifications and colocations (additions to existing towers, upgrades, repairs, etc.). Other than for those exemptions, counties, municipalities, and zoning authorities must comply with state environmental law.

Additionally, the Court held that the exemption to CEQA review the County claimed does not apply to scenic highways and historical sites because of "substantial evidence there may be environmental impacts" to them. As a result, the County will have to perform some sort of environmental impact review before passing an ordinance governing permit applications for placement of wireless infrastructure on scenic highways and historic sites.

The Court also noted that the ordinance challenged by the Plaintiffs "contains discretionary decisions in permit issuance that require application of CEQA unless the Ordinance is otherwise exempt." This holding will not directly lead to specific relief in this case, but it establishes an important legal principle that will guide other jurisdictions' ordinance development since the wireless industry usually claims that both "discretionary" and "ministerial" permit applications are exempt from the requirement to assess environmental effects.

"The Court's ruling is a huge win in the battle against unfettered proliferation of wireless because of the known risks to the environment and people's health," said W. Scott McCollough, lead attorney for the Plaintiffs. "There is much more to be done, and we work on it every day, but this is a significant step in the right direction."

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Children's Health Defense® is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our mission is to end childhood health epidemics by working aggressively to eliminate harmful exposures, hold those responsible accountable and establish safeguards to prevent future harm. We fight corruption, mass surveillance and censorship that put profits before people as well as advocate for worldwide rights to health freedom and bodily autonomy.

To donate to CHD, our ongoing lawsuits or for more information, visit ChildrensHealthDefense.org.

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CHD Supports the Motion Against U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Alleging Fraud in Omnibus Autism Proceeding

Press Release

For Immediate Release

Washington, D.C. — Children's Health Defense (CHD) Senior Staff Attorney Rolf Hazlehurst today filed a motion in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims alleging that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), representing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), committed fraud in its representation of HHS in the Omnibus Autism Proceeding (OAP) in the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP). The OAP was established to consolidate and adjudicate the approximately 5,400 claims filed on behalf of children who regressed into autism following vaccination. In 2003, Hazlehurst filed a claim in the program on behalf of his son Yates, diagnosed with autism after suffering adverse reactions following routine childhood vaccines. Hazlehurst's claim was one of six original "test cases" in 2007 that would decide the fate of all the other claims in the OAP.

According to the newly filed motion, the DOJ attorneys engaged in a series of acts of fraud upon the courts, beginning in the NVICP and ultimately impacting the Supreme Court of the United States. In the NVICP, DOJ attorneys concealed from the special masters and petitioners that the government's top expert witness, a world-renowned pediatric neurologist, revised his opinion on whether vaccines can cause autism. The expert explained to the DOJ attorneys that vaccines can cause autism in a subset of children. The witness had been scheduled to testify in the first test case in the OAP. However, the DOJ abruptly dismissed him as a witness once they learned of his clarification. Without the witness's knowledge, DOJ attorneys repeatedly misrepresented his prior case-specific written opinion in the OAP to argue there is no scientific basis that vaccines cause autism. Ultimately, all of the 5,400 OAP claims were dismissed, leaving vaccine-injured children and their families with no recourse.

"The DOJ's first act of fraud upon the court snowballed into a massive scheme of deception with far-reaching implications. Their fraudulent scheme denied justice to Yates and the thousands of other children in the OAP," said Hazlehurst. "By hiding that their own expert's opinion had changed to favor Yates and other children in the OAP, the DOJ effectively closed the NVICP's doors to the injured children with similar claims who have followed."

"Watching my child regress into autism due to vaccine injury was horrible for me, my family and our son," said CHD Executive Vice President Laura Bono. "Learning that his claim in vaccine court was fraudulently dismissed literally added insult to injury. The injustice to the thousands of children in the OAP and those who have been injured since — along with their suffering families — cannot be overstated. Our government needs to finally step up to the plate, tell the truth about what happened to these vaccine-injured children, and dismantle a rogue system that answers to Pharma instead of to the children it's supposed to protect."

The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 ("Vaccine Act") took away parents' ability to sue vaccine manufacturers for death or injuries to their children following vaccination. Instead, they must pursue compensation from HHS through the NVICP. Opponents of the compensation program say that it is a one-sided disaster, pitting hard-working and law-abiding parents and their children against a government-adjudicated and well-funded system of attorneys where the children are denied their Seventh Amendment rights of a trial by jury and basic rules of evidence and discovery available in state and federal courts.

"Vaccine makers walk away with billions in profits with no liability for dangerous products, which is bad enough," said CHD General Counsel Kim Mack Rosenberg. "But today's motion goes even further, alleging fraud on the part of government lawyers. Instead of seeking the truth and following the path wherever it led, the government marginalized and ignored witnesses in order to push the 'vaccines don't cause autism' narrative."

Hazlehurst seeks relief from the Court, including challenging the constitutionality of the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 and the validity of the judgment against Yates and the entire OAP. He also asks the Court for further discovery and a hearing.

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Children's Health Defense® is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our mission is to end childhood health epidemics by working aggressively to eliminate harmful exposures, hold those responsible accountable and establish safeguards to prevent future harm. We fight corruption, mass surveillance and censorship that put profits before people as well as advocate for worldwide rights to health freedom and bodily autonomy.

To donate to CHD to support this motion and other ongoing lawsuits or for more information, visit ChildrensHealthDefense.org.

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CHD to Host ‘The Rally to Reclaim Free Speech’ as SCOTUS Hears Landmark Censorship Case Murthy v. Missouri

Press Release

For Immediate Release

Washington, D.C. – The Rally to Reclaim Free Speech will take place in front of the Supreme Court of the United States on March 18 at 9 a.m. ET — the same day Justices will hear arguments in a landmark case, Murthy v. Missouri (formerly Missouri v. Biden), alleging government officials colluded with tech giants to censor social media content.

The rally will be live-streamed on CHD.TV starting at 9 a.m. ET on Monday. Oral arguments will begin at 10 a.m. ET as members of the public rally for free speech and preservation of the First Amendment outside the courthouse.

Featured speakers include:

• Mary Holland, Esq., Children's Health Defense
• Pierre Kory, M.D., FLCCC Alliance
• Paul Marik, M.D., FLCCC Alliance
• Del Bigtree, ICAN
• Aaron Kheriaty, M.D., plaintiff in Missouri v. Biden
• Jeffrey A. Tucker, Brownstone Institute
• Jim Hoft, The Gateway Pundit, plaintiff in Missouri v. Biden
• Daniel O'Connor, TrialSiteNews
• L. Todd Wood, Creative Destruction Media
• Amy Bohn, PERK
• Christina Parks, Ph.D.
• Mary Talley Bowden, M.D.
• Tricia Lindsay, Esq.
• Sujata Gibson, Esq.
• Mikki Willis, filmmaker – "Plandemic Series"

The rally is co-sponsored by Children's Health Defense, liber-net, Informed Consent Action Network, Brownstone Institute, Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance, The Gateway Pundit, TrialSiteNews, Creative Destruction Media, Stand for Health Freedom, Bravest for Choice, Defeat the Mandates, Teachers for Choice, Health Freedom Louisiana, Health Nut News, Autism Action Network, My Kids My Choice, Meadows Bee Farm, NY Workers for Choice, The Finest Unfiltered, and Vaccine Safety Research Foundation.

"This is arguably the most important free speech case in the history of our nation," said CHD President Mary Holland. "The implications of the upcoming SCOTUS ruling are monumental for the rights of Americans as guaranteed by the First Amendment."

CHD and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. filed a related case, Kennedy v. Biden, in March 2023 in the Western District Court of Louisiana that was consolidated with Missouri v. Biden at the trial court level. The judge in that case granted Kennedy v. Biden a preliminary injunction, which has been postponed pending a decision in Murthy v. Missouri. CHD has submitted a friend of the court brief in Murthy v. Missouri on behalf of the Kennedy v. Biden plaintiffs.

"We welcome all who value free speech to join us in our nation's capital while this historic case is being heard," said Holland. "As CHD's chairman on leave, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. points out, our Founding Fathers put the right to free expression in the First Amendment because all the other rights depend on it. In his words, 'A government that has the power to silence its critics has license for any kind of atrocity.'"

For more information, visit childrenshd.org/reclaimrally.

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Children's Health Defense® is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our mission is to end childhood health epidemics by working aggressively to eliminate harmful exposures, hold those responsible accountable and establish safeguards to prevent future harm. We fight corruption, mass surveillance and censorship that put profits before people as well as advocate for worldwide rights to health freedom and bodily autonomy.

To donate to CHD to support this and other ongoing lawsuits or for more information, visit ChildrensHealthDefense.org.

The post CHD to Host 'The Rally to Reclaim Free Speech' as SCOTUS Hears Landmark Censorship Case Murthy v. Missouri appeared first on Children's Health Defense.

CHD to Host ‘The Rally to Reclaim Free Speech’ as SCOTUS Hears Landmark Censorship Case Murthy v. Missouri

Media Advisory

For Immediate Release

Washington, D.C. — The Rally to Reclaim Free Speech, hosted by Children's Health Defense (CHD), will take place in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday while arguments are heard in the historic free speech case Murthy v. Missouri (formerly Missouri v. Biden) alleging — as do plaintiffs in Kennedy/CHD v. Biden — the Biden administration unlawfully coerced and pressured social media companies to deplatform, censor and suppress users and posts that countered the government narrative on COVID-related content and other topics.

What:  The Rally to Reclaim Free Speech

When: Monday, March 18 at 9 a.m. ET

Where: Supreme Court of the United States, 1 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20543

Who: Featured speakers include:

• Mary Holland – CHD president,
• Pierre Kory, M.D. – FLCCC co-founder,
• Paul Marik, M.D. – FLCCC co-founder,
• Del Bigtree – ICAN founder,
• Aaron Kheriaty, M.D. – plaintiff in Missouri v. Biden,
• Jeffrey A. Tucker – Brownstone Institute founder/president,
• Christina Parks, Ph.D.,
• Daniel O'Connor – TrialSiteNews founder,
• Amy Bohn – PERK co-founder/president,
• L. Todd Wood – Creative Destruction Media founder/CEO,
• Sujata Gibson, Esq.
• Mary Talley Bowden, M.D.
• Tricia Lindsay, Esq. and many more.

Rally Co-sponsors: CHD, liber-net, Informed Consent Action Network, Brownstone Institute, Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance, TrialSiteNews, Creative Destruction Media, Bravest for Choice, Defeat the Mandates, Teachers for Choice, Health Freedom Louisiana, Health Nut News, Stand for Health Freedom, Autism Action Network, My Kids My Choice, Meadows Bee Farm, NY Workers for Choice, Vaccine Safety Research Foundation, Finest Unfiltered

Contact press@childrenshealthdefense.org with questions or to schedule an interview. For more information and rally updates, visit childrenshd.org/reclaimrally.

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Children's Health Defense® is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our mission is to end childhood health epidemics by working aggressively to eliminate harmful exposures, hold those responsible accountable and establish safeguards to prevent future harm. We fight corruption, mass surveillance and censorship that put profits before people as well as advocate for worldwide rights to health freedom and bodily autonomy.

For more information or to donate to CHD and our ongoing lawsuits, visit ChildrensHealthDefense.org.

The post CHD to Host 'The Rally to Reclaim Free Speech' as SCOTUS Hears Landmark Censorship Case Murthy v. Missouri appeared first on Children's Health Defense.