British filmmaker Joan Shenton has been granted a visa to visit Australia.
Shenton makes documentaries that question the science behind whether HIV causes AIDS, and her most recent work argues that the Gardasil HPV vaccine is harmful.
The filmmaker had been unable to attend screenings of her film in Australia in August because a visa had not been granted, but now she has been given permission to travel to Australia any time over the next 12 months.
Despite her not being able to visit Australia in August, her film Sacrificial Virgins screened around the country. Now the filmmaker will be allowed to travel to Australia and deliver talks and screenings of her films.
In the film Shenton claims that the vaccine given to Australian students through a national vaccination program can cause “neurological damage”.
In late July federal health minister Greg Hunt has labelled Shenton’s claims as ““false and reckless”. While respected Australian scientist Ian Frazer said her claims were “fake news” that could lead to preventable deaths occurring.
Yesterday however coalition senator Amanda Stoker defended Shenton’s right to share her views, even if they were terrible ideas.
“Free speech is important.” Stoker told Sky News, “There have been times in history where what had been thought to be the medical consensus has in time found to be wrong. Freedom of speech and freedom of inquiry of all kinds is fundamental in every sphere of intellectual endeavour and if we don’t allow ideas to be freely exchanged and criticised and torn down if they’re terrible, then we deny all of our society the fruits of that exchange.”
Gardasil, the vaccination that combats HPV has been so effective that Australia’s rates of the virus among women have dropped from 22.7 per cent to just 1.1 per cent over the last decade. Experts believe Australia will become the first country to eradicate cervical cancer in the next forty years.
Shenton previously made a film Positive Hell that claimed there was no connection between HIV and people developing an AIDS diagnosis.
In an 2016 interview with TV program London Live Shenton denied she was an ‘AIDS denier’ saying she was simply a journalist who communicated information that some scientists believe.
“Many of the LGBT groups, AIDS charities and pressure groups have become enriched over the years, mainly by the pharmaceutical industry money, in support of a theory that actually is not proven – and that is that HIV causes AIDS.” Shenton claimed.
The filmmaker said the gay community deliberately suppresses information about it “endangering its own people” and argued that antiretroviral drugs actually harm people.
Scientists and medical professionals have previously labelled Shenton’s claims as false and ridiculous.
OIP Staff
