Celebrity's Twitter Flooded with Criticisms About Her Stance Against Vaccines for Children

After news broke on Friday about reality television star Kristin Cavallari opting to not vaccinate her children because of her concerns regarding autism, the Twitterverse went bonkers on Jenny McCarthy, a well-known outspoken figure against vaccinations.

McCarthy's 11-year-old son Evan was diagnosed with autism in 2007 and ever since, she has been outspoken about the subject of vaccinations. In 2008 while interviewing with Larry King, McCarthy noted that there has been an increase in the number of vaccinations along with an increase in cases of autism.

When McCarthy joined The View on ABC, many were concerned that she would condemn vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella. But instead she has simply mentioned her concern about the link between vaccinations and autism. In recent years (especially in the past few months) there have been various outbreaks of measles and mumps in different parts of the United States--mostly due to parents not vaccinating their children.

Last month in San Francisco, there were 15 documented cases of measles when a college student rode the transit system after visiting the Philippines without getting vaccinated. He reportedly contracted measles and spread it to some nearby passengers. Fordham University in the Bronx reported a small mumps outbreak last month as well. And a couple of weeks ago there were 16 measles cases reported in upper Manhattan, prompting city officials to urge residents to get their vaccinations.

After Cavallari publicly expressed that her children would not be vaccinated due to a fear of autism, McCarthy's name was immediately brought to mind; she is face of vaccination opposition. On March 13, she tweeted "What is the most important personality trait you look for in a mate? Reply using #JennyAsks." What followed was unabated criticism, completely unrelated to the question. Some harsh tweets included:

• "Someone who thinks vaccines are safe, Botox is poisonous, and who doesn't pick their nose and eat it on MTV #JennyAsks
• "Someone who puts the interests of the community ahead of preserving their own absurd, unshakable ignorance. #JennyAsks
• "A basic grasps of statistics #JennyAsks

This marks another attack on McCarthy, who was vilified in January when rumors surfaced that her son actually was not diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She was horrified at the accusations and issued lengthy responses on Twitter.

You can read more in this E! Online article.