Ruling Won't End Autism Debate, Groups Pledge

Feb. 13, 2009 — -- Autism advocacy groups that support the idea of a link between vaccines and the development of autism said a ruling handed down Thursday by a special court was devastating -- but that it will not sway them from their cause.

In the ruling, three special masters of the U.S. Court of Claims note that the evidence presented in the case overwhelmingly contradicts the parents' claims that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine was to blame for their children's development of autism. The finding is in line with the majority of scientific studies on autism.

Doctors and other medical experts overwhelmingly applauded the ruling, maintaining that it reinforces the message that vaccination does not lead to autism.

"This is a real victory for children and a great day for science," said pediatrician Dr. Paul Offit, chief of Infectious Diseases and the director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, during a Thursday press conference sponsored by the vaccination advocacy group Every Child by Two. "I hope that this decision will finally put parents' fears to rest."

And some doctors said that the ruling may even end the decade-old debate that has swirled around the idea that measles-mumps-rubella MMR vaccines are somehow linked to autism.

"This should settle the issue of MMR vaccine -- by itself or 'combined' with thimerosal from other vaccines -- as an alleged cause of autism," said Dr. Max Wiznitzer of Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland.

However, the issue remains far from settled for the groups that maintain such a link exists.

"I'm devastated today," said Rebecca Estepp, national media manager for the organization Talk About Curing Autism. "But I also know that the decision will be appealed.

"As parents, we feel like, OK, we're going to fight even harder to get justice for our children," she added. "In a way this might have reignited our cause... Just because we lost today does not mean we will lose in the future."

Another autism advocacy group, Autism Speaks, issued a statement saying the ruling does not erase the questions they say still surround vaccine safety.

"These latest rulings are limited and do not mitigate the need for further scientific investigation," the statement reads. "While large-scale studies have not shown a link between vaccines and autism, there are lingering legitimate questions about the safety of vaccines that must be addressed."