Vaccines don’t cause autism — and the evidence proving it has existed for decades, as STAT’s Matthew Herper lays out in a detailed rebuttal of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vaccine-autism claims. During his HHS confirmation hearing, Sen. Bill Cassidy pressed Kennedy to say so “unequivocally.” Kennedy responded: “If the data is there, I will absolutely do that. Not only will I do that, but I will apologize for any statements that misled people otherwise.”
Three theories, zero evidence
Herper walks through each claim critics have raised: that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative once used in vaccines, causes autism; that the MMR shot does, per Andrew Wakefield’s retracted 1998 study; and that too many vaccines overwhelm children’s immune systems.
Large studies — including Denmark’s nationwide health-registry analysis published in the New England Journal of Medicine — found no link in any case, and autism rates kept climbing even after thimerosal was removed from vaccines.
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Oncologist Vinay Prasad, who has defended Kennedy, still warns that if he discourages MMR vaccination as HHS secretary, “severe negative repercussions could result, including measles outbreaks and childhood deaths.”
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Related on the SLP
Viewpoint: CDC website is wrong. Yet another study shows MMR vaccines do not cause autism
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