[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 19 (Wednesday, February 15, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E169-E170]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO ELIZABETH BIRT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 15, 2006

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sorrow that I 
rise today to pay tribute to a good friend and former member of my 
staff, Ms. Elizabeth Ann Birt, who died following an auto accident 
while on vacation in Colorado late last year. Liz is survived by her 
three children: Sarah, Matthew, and Andrew.
  In 1996, Liz's son Matthew was diagnosed with autism, a devastating 
neurological disorder that, according to the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, now afflicts approximately 1 in 166 American 
children. My own grandson is autistic so I know first-hand how 
traumatic this news can be for parents of newly diagnosed autistic 
children. All too often, parents give up on the search for answers 
because raising a child with autism requires so much more time and 
energy than raising a so-called average child.
  Liz, however, did not back away from the fight. No matter how tired 
and discouraged she might have been, Liz was determined to show the 
world that one person can make a difference just by asking questions. 
Her courageous and infectious enthusiasm ignited a quest for truth and 
justice for the autistic children of this country. There can be no 
doubt that Liz fought hard for what she believed in and in the end, her 
brilliant mind, strong spirit, and passion for the truth made her a 
hero to the autism community.
  In fact, it is through her work on autism that I first came to know 
Liz; and not long after I became Chairman of the Government Reform 
Committee in 1997, I invited her to join my

[[Page E170]]

staff to help lead the Committee's investigation into the autism 
epidemic sweeping our country. As a valued legal advisor/investigator 
for the Committee, Liz helped us to elevate the level of public debate 
about this disease, as well as educate policymakers at all levels of 
government about the evolving science concerning the toxic effects of 
thimerosal--a mercury-based preservative commonly used in vaccines.
  Like many of us who have been involved in this debate over the years, 
when Liz first heard about the connection between autism and 
thimerosal, she was skeptical. But she read everything she could find, 
requested government documents and studies, and in the end became 
convinced that thimerosal was in fact the cause of her son Matthew's 
autism. Armed with this knowledge, Liz helped to co-write the 
groundbreaking congressional staff report, ``Mercury in Medicine--
Taking Unnecessary Risks,'' published in the Congressional Record in 
2003, which challenged the conventional thinking of the Federal 
Government, the public health systems, the medical communities, and the 
pharmaceutical companies on the subject of thimerosal and autism-
spectrum disorders.
  In addition to her government service, Liz served the autism 
community through her leadership in many nonprofit organizations. As 
the co-founder of the ``Coalition for SafeMinds'' (Sensible Action for 
Ending Mercury-induced Neurological Disorders), founder of Medical 
Interventions for Autism, founding board member of the National Autism 
Association, and co-creator of the Extreme Sports Camp in Aspen, 
Colorado, Liz brought joy, hope, and inspiration to many autistic 
children and their parents. In addition, Liz was one of the founding 
members of the autism community's first political action organization, 
A-CHAMP (Advocates for Children's Health Affected by Mercury 
Poisoning). Liz was especially proud of this venture; and in a short 
period of time A-CHAMP has become one of the driving forces behind the 
growing and highly successful movement to ban mercury at the State 
level.
  I believe, as Liz did, that strong evidence points to the mercury 
unnecessarily used in vaccines as part of the autism problem, and that 
thimerosal played a key role in my grandson developing autism. The 
science is undeniable: mercury is a base element--and it remains a base 
element even when mixed with other materials--and the most toxic 
substance known to man outside of radioactive materials.
  The fact is that no one has ever identified a positive health benefit 
to mercury in the human body, and as more science accumulates and more 
people learn about the dangers of mercury, more time runs out for those 
who continue to advocate that mercury in vaccines and other medical 
devices is safe. Eventually, even they will have to admit that it flies 
in the face of logic to suggest, much less believe, that a substance so 
dangerously toxic outside the body is harmless once injected into the 
human body.
  Until that day comes, I know that I, and others like Liz who believe 
as I do, will not be silent about this issue or give up in our fight to 
make our world a safer and healthier place. And when that day does 
come, we will all owe a debt of gratitude to Liz Birt for leading the 
way and becoming a leader in a fight she would rather not have been 
fighting.
  Liz will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved her. I 
respectfully ask my colleagues to join me in sending their deepest 
sympathies and heartfelt prayers to Liz's family. May God bless them.

                          ____________________