Bexar DA Nico LaHood to speak at autism conference with anti-vaccination activist Jenny McCarthy

Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood and his wife, Davida, are listed as "celebrity keynote speakers" at the Autism Education Summit, which kicks off Sept. 30, 2016 in Dallas. Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood and his wife, Davida, are listed as "celebrity keynote speakers" at the Autism Education Summit, which kicks off Sept. 30, 2016 in Dallas. Photo: Autism Education Summit/screengrab Photo: Autism Education Summit/screengrab Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close Bexar DA Nico LaHood to speak at autism conference with anti-vaccination activist Jenny McCarthy 1 / 17 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood is continuing his anti-vaccination crusade later this month, when he is scheduled to speak at the "Autism Education Summit" in Dallas and appear on a panel with actress and noted anti-immunization activist Jenny McCarthy.

LaHood, who previously said "vaccines can and do cause autism" in a promotional video filmed in his county office, has made clear he refuses to accept overwhelming scientific evidence, including studies and explicit statements from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the San Antonio Metro Health District, as proof to the contrary.

RELATED: Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood: 'Vaccinations can and do cause autism'

LaHood and his wife, Davida, are listed as "celebrity keynote speakers" at the three-day conference, which kicks off Sept. 30 at the InterContinental Dallas hotel and costs $109 for on-site registration, according to its website. LaHood is listed in his official capacity.

The conference's page does not explcitly list vaccinations as a topic, but the speaker list includes several activists, such as McCarthy and anti-vaccination documentary producer Del Bigtree, who are at the forefront of the movement.

"This conference for parents, professionals, and caregivers showcases how implementing a holistic approach and treating the whole individual can ease the medical conditions and behavioral symptoms common in children, adolescents, and young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD)," the program's website reads.

MORE: Bexar Co. DA Nico LaHood goes on anti-vaccination rant on Facebook, 'I've done my own research'

Critics aren't buying it.

Fiona O'Leary, an autism advocate based in Ireland who has children that suffer from the disorder, said the conference "is about spreading misinformation and harm."

"Most of the speakers are quacks who are offering unproven and unregulated 'treatments'," O'Leary said in an email to mySA.com.

Two members of the conference's "education oversight committee" were sued in 2010 by the family of an autistic child who claim the pair provided discredited treatments to their child without scientific proof in the Chicago area. The parties reached an out-of-court settlement in 2015 and the case was disposed, according to online court records, which do not detail the settlement.

RELATED: San Antonio health agency strongly disagrees with DA Nico LaHood, says vaccines do not cause autism

Andrew Wakefield, the director of "Vaxxed," the documentary LaHood plugged in the video and that Bigtree produced, lost his medical license in the United Kingdom after he authored a now-retracted study in 1998 that claimed a link between vaccinations and autism. He is not speaking at the conference, but it's clear the movie will be.

LaHood has previously told mySA.com that two of his children suffered from injuries after receiving vaccines.

“In our opinion, they were both injured by vaccines because their effects were immediate after a certain round of vaccine. No one is going to tell me my son was born autistic. I have the pictures and the video to prove it,” LaHood said at the time.

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Express-News columnist Richard Marini provided context for why some people may believe there is a link between autism and vaccinations. He wrote: "Children usually develop autism between about 12 and 18 months of age, which is the same period during which most childhood vaccines are administered. Most medical experts explain the rise in the incidence of autism on increased recognition and improved detection of the disorder."

LaHood's opinion on the issue was first reported by mySA.com earlier this year.

Staff writer John W. Gonzalez and news researcher Misty Harris contributed to this report.

kparker@mysa.com

Twitter: @KoltenParker