The Vaccination Debate 2

Time and time again, researchers from all backgrounds have examined this possible link and found no evidence whatsoever to support it. They have yet to turn up even the slightest hint of a link between the two throughout numerous large-scale studies. To put in perspective how big of a rebuke this is against the vaccination-autism link, take a look at some of the tenuous correlations that HAVE been found:

1. New findings based on tests of amniotic fluid and follow-up studies over nine years suggest that higher levels of testosterone in the womb could be to blame. Noting that four out of five autistic kids are male, Researcher Simon Baron-Cohen of the Autism Research Centre in the U.K., has long theorized that the traits we associate with autism are the effects of an exaggerated male brain.9 The theory remains controversial, but it has much more scientific evidence to support it than does the link between vaccines and autism.

2. Research by Daniel Campbell suggests that a gene associated with gastrointestinal disorders is also responsible for autism. Autism rates were three-times what they are for people without this gene mutation.8

3. An analysis of data from three states suggests that counties with higher precipitation levels have higher autism rates. In other words, rain causes autism. (Or it might) Researchers speculate that the precipitation itself could carry pollutants or cause secondary effects, such as more time inside which leads to increased vitamin D deficiency, which can be associated with autism.7

4. 2006 paper entitled "Does television cause autism?" found that homes with cable TV had higher rates of autism.7

Futhermore, as scientists learn more about autism, it appears that there is not a single disease but a spectrum of disorders with common symptoms and different causes.8 Dozens of papers have found a variety of tenuous correlations. Yet one area where increased rates of autism have not been found is through vaccinations. So if you're worried about a child developing autism, you better not live in an area where it rains and you should get rid of the television as well, both of which have stronger links to autism than do vaccines. So to skip vaccinations over a fear that they might cause autism is, in both scientific and mathematical terms, completely absurd.

The court battles: The courts have overwhelmingly ruled against a link between vaccines and autism, based on the evidence. However, last March, the family of 9-year-old Hannah Poling won a claim in the Federal Vaccine Court, ruling that the autism she developed as a toddler might have been triggered by the 5 shots against 9 diseases which she received all in one day. However, this girl’s situation is a unique case. She was determined to have a rare genetic disorder which in combination with the shots may have caused a chain of events that led to her autism. The science is still contested, and it was not an admission that vaccines cause autism in normal children. As stated by Ned Calonge, chief state medical officer for the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, “The recent legal decision has been miscast by vaccine opponents. In truth, this case was treated separately from other autism cases being evaluated by the federal court because the child involved has a rare mitochondrial disorder leading to an encethalopathy or neurological condition with autism like symptoms, and thus is unrelated to the rest of the population.” He adds, “This was a legal decision, not one supported by scientific evidence.” 4

"The overall weight of the evidence is overwhelmingly contrary to the petitioners' causation theories," writes George Hastings in another vaccine-autism case.3 Paul Offit, a pediatrician and director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, urges the public to shift focus away from this "dead-end hypothesis." He adds, "It would make more sense to devote our energies toward how we can best get the resources the kids need." Once again, we urge parents to look objectively, and not emotionally, at the evidence. While nobody can be sure that there aren't a few anomalies such as Hannah out there, vaccinations by themselves do not cause