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Mother hits back after Jim Carrey uses her son’s photo in anti-vaxx rant

The famous actor holds a loud minority opinion.

 

Dylan Love

IRL

Posted on Jul 2, 2015   Updated on May 28, 2021, 10:48 am CDT

The “anti-vaxxers” are those who maintain that vaccines are linked to autism in children, though the science clearly states otherwise. With an estimated three in 10 Americans holding these views, they are a minority opinion. But Jim Carrey is one of them.

The comedic actor had a minor conniption in response to a new California law that did away with religious and personal exemptions for vaccinations—the safe medical treatments are now effectively mandatory in three of our 50 states. 

Carrey took to Twitter to express his displeasure, and call California Gov. Jerry Brown a “corporate fascist.”

Carrey’s storm of tweets continued to alternately clarify and elaborate on his views. But a tweet containing a since-removed picture (preserved in screenshot by BuzzFeed) took Carrey into even more controversial territory.

The boy pictured here is Alex Echols, a 14-year-old in Eugene, Oregon. His mother, Karen, was bothered to see her son’s image attached to Carrey’s message. She fired off her first-ever tweet in an effort to get the picture taken down, though she ultimately had to file a complaint with Twitter in order to see it removed.

Echols’s son has Tuberous Sclerosis, a genetic disorder that causes benign tumors to grow throughout one’s body, most commonly in the brain, eyes, heart, kidney, skin, and lungs. Many who suffer from the condition are also autistic.

Echols’ sister, Elizabeth Welch, expressed her own disappointment on Instagram. Her nephew’s medical conditions manifested before he was ever vaccinated, and Carrey had grossly misrepresented his health situation.

https://www.instagram.com/p/4m7pJwlJ6Q/

Twitter has removed the photos thanks to Echol’s objections, but the text of Carrey’s offending tweet remains live.

H/T BuzzFeed | Screengrab via ‘Dumb and Dumber’

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*First Published: Jul 2, 2015, 2:57 pm CDT