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Zero for three
Apr. 22nd, 2008 09:15 pmIt's not just John McCain: Obama and Clinton lend some credence to vaccine-autism fears as well.
Their noncommittal "science isn't settled/need more research" responses are better than McCain's claim that there's "strong evidence" that thimerosal causes autism, but, as scientifically reasonable responses (as opposed to effective pandering to frightened voters), they still aren't really that good. The two main fears over vaccines causing autism—MMR in Britain, and thimerosal-containing vaccines here—have been falsified pretty conclusively (Orac there also has further harsh words for the Democrats).
Some opponents of vaccines seem to have moved on to fretting about something else in them causing autism, such as aluminum. Since there's no end to these hypotheses, I suppose the statement that the science is inconclusive is technically true, since one could investigate different angles forever and eternally find the science inconclusive. At some point, calling for more research before taking a position no longer makes sense. The recently deceased John A. Wheeler said it best, in a different context:
Their noncommittal "science isn't settled/need more research" responses are better than McCain's claim that there's "strong evidence" that thimerosal causes autism, but, as scientifically reasonable responses (as opposed to effective pandering to frightened voters), they still aren't really that good. The two main fears over vaccines causing autism—MMR in Britain, and thimerosal-containing vaccines here—have been falsified pretty conclusively (Orac there also has further harsh words for the Democrats).
Some opponents of vaccines seem to have moved on to fretting about something else in them causing autism, such as aluminum. Since there's no end to these hypotheses, I suppose the statement that the science is inconclusive is technically true, since one could investigate different angles forever and eternally find the science inconclusive. At some point, calling for more research before taking a position no longer makes sense. The recently deceased John A. Wheeler said it best, in a different context:
There's nothing that one can't research the hell out of. Research guided by bad judgment is a black hole for good money.I'm the parent of a small child, and I know that when it comes to the safety of children, no expense can seem too great. That's probably why the appropriate response seemed so obvious to all our major presidential candidates; you want to be absolutely, positively sure you're not poisoning your own kid. In this case, though, the legitimation of quackery and poorly supported fears could be costly in lives as well.