The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reaffirmed Friday a conclusion reached long ago by scientists, upholding a decision that there is no link between autism and vaccines.
Special Master Denise Vowell wrote in a 2009 ruling that the evidence of an autism-vaccine link "is weak, contradictory and unpersuasive. Sadly, the petitioners in this litigation have been the victims of bad science conducted to support litigation rather than to advance medical and scientific understanding [of autism]."
In its ruling Friday, the federal appeals court denied a request by parents of an autistic girl to overturn Vowell’s decision. “We have carefully reviewed the decision of the special master and we find that it is rationally supported by the evidence, well-articulated, and reasonable,” the court wrote.
“Finally it’s unanimous that there is no relationship between autism and vaccines, so when will this myth finally go away forever?” asks an exasperated ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan.
“Unfortunately, it’s not going to go away because a small cohort of people have taken up this cause, and they’re not worried about the science,” explains ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross. “Parents of autistic children are vulnerable to conspiracy theories and quack remedies to make their children whole again. This recent court ruling is another step in the direction of eliminating all claims of an autism-vaccine link, but it will remain a topic in the blogosphere as long as Jenny McCarthy keeps selling books.“