Vaccinations are safe for human use, and it is in a person’s best interest to make sure that they are up to date on their vaccinations. Whether or not we should make vaccinations mandatory is a legal issue. But from a scientific standpoint there are no issues with vaccines as a whole. They have been vetted, and no legitimate study has shown any correlation between them and Autism.

According to the CDC, there is no link between vaccines and autism. This myth stems from a now retracted 1998 study in The Lancet by a now discredited doctor. The study had numerous flaws, and should not have been published. There have been numerous studies looking into the link between vaccines and autism, and they have not been able to replicate the results found in that first study. They all show that there is now correlation between vaccines and autism.

Additionally, some detractors of vaccines will claim that although some vaccines may be fine, the ones containing thimerosal are harmful due to thimerosal being a mercury-based preservative. This stems from a misunderstanding of chemistry. Although it contains mercury, the compound does not react with the body the way pure mercury metal. Due to its composition, thimerosal doesn’t stay in the body, and thus is safe for human use. Even if it was risky, thimerosal is no longer used in children’s vaccines. So, even if a link were found, any children now getting vaccinated should still be safe to get needed vaccinations.

I am not going to touch on the public policy aspect on this. There are arguments that can be made for making vaccines mandatory, as well as arguments against that position. That conversation needs to be had. However, we cannot have that conversation until we can get everyone on the same page with the scientific consensus. Otherwise, they will obfuscate the issues with facts not based in science. The science is clear: vaccines do not cause autisms, and are safe for both children and adults to use.

Works Cited:

“Vaccine Safety.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. August 28, 2015. Accessed July 22, 2017. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/thimerosal/faqs.html#4A.

“Thiomersal controversy.” Wikipedia. July 12, 2017. Accessed July 22, 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiomersal_controversy.

“Thiomersal.” Wikipedia. July 09, 2017. Accessed July 22, 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiomersal.

Eggertson, Laura. “Lancet retracts 12-year-old article linking autism to MMR vaccines.” CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association Journal. March 09, 2010. Accessed July 22, 2017. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2831678/.

“Vaccine Safety.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. November 23, 2015. Accessed July 22, 2017. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/autism.html.