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Hello, I'm Matthew Price and this is Beyond Today from BBC Radio 4.

Each weekday we ask one big question about one big story.

Today why do we believe medical conspiracies?

Good morning everyone.

As was stated, my name is Ethan Lindenberger and I'm a senior in

Norwalk High School and my mother is an anti-vax advocate that believes vaccines cause autism,

brain damage and do not benefit the health and safety society, despite the fact such

opinions have been debunked numerous times by the scientific community.

Ethan Lindenberger says he was nervous when he spoke those words. He had put on his best suit that morning, put a

handkerchief in the top pocket, he put his tie clip on to keep his tie smartly in place.

And then he went to give evidence to some of the most senior politicians in the US.

They wanted to hear from him because Ethan wasn't vaccinated as a child.

As he said, his mum thought that vaccines were dangerous,

and he'd tried to explain to her that he had

found out that they weren't. I went my entire life without numerous vaccines

against these such as measles, chicken pox, or even polio.

However, in December of 2018,

I began catching up on my missed immunizations

despite my mother's disapproval.

I approached my mother numerous times

trying to explain that vaccines are safe and that my

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