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.

Just days after Larry King’s show featured several celebrity parents insisting that their children’s autism spectrum disorders developed after routine vaccinations, I came across the following post by Jake Tapper, on ABC news’s Political Punch blog:

“At a town hall meeting Friday in Texas, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., declared that “there’s strong evidence” that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative that was once in many childhood vaccines, is responsible for the increased diagnoses of autism in the U.S. — a position in stark contrast with the view of the medical establishment.”

After the Larry King show aired, I spent hours ranting to my husband and anyone else who would listen about how irresponsible it was to present only one side of the autism-is-caused-by-vaccines “debate.” And now I read that Senator John McCain has come out against vaccines, too.

I won’t spend time here laying out the case against vaccines, or the case against the case against vaccines—that’s already been done thoroughly and eloquently by others, my favorite being Yale neurology professor Steve Novella of The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe. What bugs me about these very strong statements is that they’re being made by respected public figures in wide-reaching media outlets—and they’re being implicitly endorsed by the hugely influential news organizations that air the programs and print the news stories.

And beyond that, there’s no real attempt to accurately describe the state of the science on the matter. It’s not enough to acknowledge “divided scientific opinion,” as McCain does–which, by the way, is a frustratingly glib misrepresentation in itself. The fact of the matter is, the vast majority of the scientific and medical community does not believe that vaccines cause autism spectrum disorders. But this is not being communicated by the media.

I’m a new parent, and I speak as a mother and as a scientist. When it comes to learning about something that affects my daughter, I’m as guilty of overgoogling as the next parent. But it’s one thing to find some scary websites that insist I not vaccinate her. It’s entirely different to hear it on CNN. I’m lucky—I have access to resources that allow me to go beyond what the news media present. Most parents aren’t so lucky. They need to be able to rely on the media for some factchecking. They’re being let down.

Edited to add: Okay, on second look, the ABC News blog does go into some detail about the vaccine debate. I missed that in my furor. I’m still annoyed with John McCain, though, and CNN still stinks.