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“The key false claim was that the vaccine for measles caused an increase in autism. This claim was made in 1998 by a doctor writing in a distinguished British medical journal, so it is understandable that many parents took it seriously, and did not want to run the risk of having their child become autistic.”

Investigations by Sunday Times journalist Brian Deer reported that Andrew Wakefield, the author of the original research paper, had multiple undeclared conflicts of interest,[2][3] had manipulated evidence,[4] and had broken other ethical codes. The Lancet paper was partially retracted in 2004, and fully retracted in 2010, when The Lancet’s editor-in-chief Richard Horton described it as “utterly false” and said that the journal had been “deceived.”[5] Wakefield was found guilty by the General Medical Council of serious professional misconduct in May 2010 and was struck off the Medical Register, meaning he could no longer practice as a doctor in the UK.[6] In 2011, Deer provided further information on Wakefield’s improper research practices to the British medical journal, BMJ, which in a signed editorial described the original paper as fraudulent.[7][8] The scientific consensus is that no evidence links the MMR vaccine to the development of autism, and that this vaccine’s benefits greatly outweigh its risks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MMR_vaccine_controversy

I’m really surprised by how uncritical people are of science.

“At least in the mature sciences, answers (or full substitutes for answers) to questions like these are firmly embedded in the educational initiation that prepares and licenses the student for professional practice.”

“For these men the new theory implies a change in the rules governing the prior practice of normal science. Inevitably, therefore, it reflects upon much scientific work they have already successfully completed. That is why a new theory, however special its range of application, is seldom or never just an increment to what is already known.”

Thomas Kuhn, who is a scientist. Unlike Thomas Sowell.

That faux "investigative reporter" Brian Deer was exposed as a fraud [ who was paid & hired by the pharmaceutical industry to author that despicable hit piece ] who deliberately misrepresented himself & Dr. Andrew Wakefield. Please I urge everyone to read up about this right here at this informative link. The left wing press is covering up the truth about vaccines since they get a lot of sponsoring by the vaccine industry and are thus corrupt and certainly not honest brokers of information. The studies that Dr. Wakefield conducted were found to be RIGHT years earlier & also since his findings. Whenever the press claims that Dr. Wakefield was "debunked" or "discredited" they never or rarely ever tell who WHO did the so called "debunking" as they never investigate just who ran the hit pieces against Dr. Wakefield. Wakefield for his part has pressed a defamation suit against that lying little punk "Deer" for his willful lies & defamation. Wakefield partner in the studies was EXONERATED earlier & so too will Wakefield in time. The MMR vaccine is not safe contrary to the paid hacks of the press might assert.

I think there are two key factors with Autism:

1. It’s diagnosed more today than it used to be because the criteria has expanded. In my first grade class we had a kid that never spoke a word. He was very odd but was able to do school work. He would be 100% autistic today. Back then there was no label for it other than he’s a little ‘odd’

2. Half of our population is taking drugs on a permanent prescription. Acid blockers, Antidepressants, etc. These drugs or some combination of them could be having an effect that is causing more autistic children. When pregnant, women usually stop taking these drugs but many of them can linger in your system for a long time. Remember that thalidomide was a morning sickness drug that caused massive birth defects. How interesting is it that a seemingly innocent drug had such horrible side effects.

Could it be that women taking a handful of pills (trail mix) every day might be part of the problem?