In the interest of fairness…
A few weeks ago I posted a few links surrounding the vaccines-cause-autism debate, including a link to an article quoting Sen. John McCain as saying there’s “strong evidence” that vaccines cause autism. I was peevish about his seeming “misunderstanding” of the state of the debate, but deep down I’ll admit I was a bit smug–those pesky Republicans, always getting the science wrong.
Well, okay, the other day I came across this post on one of my favorite science blogs, Bad Astronomy:
Obama, Clinton grossly misinformed on vaccines
Now, at the risk of splitting hairs here, neither Obama nor Clinton goes as far as to say there’s “strong evidence” for anything; they both call for more research into a possible link between vaccines and autism spectrum disorders but stop short of claiming that there is a link. (How’s that for smooth sidestepping?) But still, it aggravates me. We don’t need more research on this, not really. There’s plenty. Showing no link. Our research dollars? They should be pointed in the direction of early detection, treatment, finding the real causes of these disorders.
About the Author: I'm a Mom, Wife, Developmental Psychologist, Pet Parent and Faculty Member at the University of Oklahoma. I specialize in the social development of children and adolescents.
Peter | Aug 26, 2008 | Reply
Maybe there’s an epidemic of intellectual laziness? Maybe there’s just too much information to synthesize? Many seek to confirm their assumptions rather than seeking knowledge and ignore any disconfirming evidence. I’m sure there’s some science to this. What’s unfortunate is that 50% of the recent cases of the measles outbreak have been linked to children who have not been vaccinated. If they never get vaccinated, they are at risk for exposure for the rest of their lives - not to mention the risk that they might be to others.
Lara | Aug 26, 2008 | Reply
I don’t know, Peter. A few months ago I would have said “Well, if you google ‘autism and vaccines’ the first five hits are sketchy websites with misinformation and scare tactics.” But that’s not the case anymore. If you google it, the first five websites are things like NICHD and Time magazine’s recent let’s-all-calm-down cover story. So it’s getting harder and harder for me to understand why this continues to be such a common misunderstanding.
Most parents are experts in neither autism nor medicine, and if you don’t know where to look for good information (sometimes I’m surprised by how many people don’t know how to distinguish between a reliable source and an unreliable one), maybe it’s easy to find bad. And it’s the anti-vax folks–often celebrities–that yell the loudest and get the most airtime.
I want to blog about this recent outbreak of measles soon. I really have to think this stuff through. I’ll admit, I’m increasingly perplexed and frustrated!