An anti-vaccination organization, the Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN), is reported to have made a staggering $23 million in revenue in 2023. This is a 74% increase from the previous year. This is an indication of the growing trend of the anti-vaccination movement, even though the scientific community has a consensus that it is not true.
Financial Growth and Advocacy Efforts
ICAN’s increase in revenue is commensurate with increased activities such as litigation and lobbying. The organization spent almost $17 million last year, which translates to a 25% rise in expenses while pushing high-profile initiatives like litigation to win religious exemptions from vaccine mandates in Mississippi. The organization has announced it plans to do the same in five other states that don’t currently permit religious exemptions.
With the organization has come the profile of Del Bigtree, Informed Consent Action Network founder and leading anti-vaccine figure. Bigtree is a former television producer who hosts “The HighWire,” Informed Consent Action Network flagship online show that mixes anti-vaccine advocacy with fundraising appeals to help fund legal and advocacy work. Bigtree took home $234,000 in salary from ICAN in 2023, on top of consulting income stemming from his involvement in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign.
Controversy and Criticism
Although ICAN labels its activities as advocacy for “informed consent,” others criticize the group for taking advantage of the legal process to disseminate false information. Scientific research time and again discovers that vaccines are safe, effective, and do not cause autism, but the messages from the Informed Consent Action Network still conflict with public health efforts.
The spending highlights the strategic focus on legal advocacy at ICAN, where $6 million was paid to the law firm Siri & Glimstad for vaccine-related litigation. The firm is led by attorney Aaron Siri, who has been the central figure in ICAN’s legal strategy, according to critics, who have described the efforts as legally and factually misleading.
Despite the sustained scrutiny, financial growth for ICAN suggests that the anti-vaccine movement is a robust force in the broader debate on public health policy.
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