Following the proposed tour of Sherri Tenpenny, an American osteopath and immunisation critic, the organisation that set up the talks – Get Rid of Sids Project Inc – has been removed from the charity register by the federal regulator.
Get Rid of Sids was granted charitable status in 2010 when it began to promote the theory of Sids deaths being linked to the toxic gasses emitted from mattress covers.
After investigation by The National Sids Council of Australia, the theories pursued by the charity were debunked when the council released this statement: “rigorously conducted, scientifically based research has concluded that there is no evidence to support the link between wrapping mattresses and the prevention of Sids”.
Following a review into the practices of the charity, the ACNC found that Get Rid of Sids failed to meet regulations and was therefore removed from the charity register.
Stephanie Messenger, who is the treasurer of the Charity as well as author of Melanie’s Marvellous Measles – an anti-vaccination children’s book, has urged her followers to purchase her other books to recover the costs of the cancelled Tenpenny tour.
Acting commissioner David Locke of the ACNC stated, “Where concerns are raised with the ACNC about a charity’s operations, we take these seriously and look into all of the circumstances. We will act firmly and quickly where we believe organisations are not entitled to ongoing charity registration”.
The organisation will have 60 days to lodge an objection to the ACNC’s decision about its removal from the charity register.
