How a government autism study could destroy vaccine access in America
Description
This Saturday was my birthday, and the universe delivered a pretty epic gift: my guest essay in the New York Times was published today (somebody, pinch me). This piece sets the stage for that essay, which reveals the sophisticated tactics being used to manufacture a vaccine-autism link and dismantle America's vaccination infrastructure.
In 2025, America's vaccine infrastructure came under direct attack. Research grants for mRNA vaccine development totaling $500 million were canceled. All sitting members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices were dismissed (replaced by people with concerning histories of anti-vaccine tendencies). The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (the legal framework that has protected both manufacturers and the public for nearly four decades) was positioned for "reform." And a government study promising to identify "the cause" of autism by September is being positioned to blame vaccines despite decades of evidence to the contrary.
Houston, we have a problem.
These aren't isolated policy changes. They're coordinated elements of a strategy to recreate the conditions that nearly eliminated vaccines from America once before. Many of us are deeply concerned about vaccine access for our children, our parents, and ourselves. Let’s discuss…
What [I Hope] My NYT Piece Achieves
My essay exposes the specific tactics we can expect from this promised study: a masterclass in statistical maneuvering designed to manufacture a supposed "link" between vaccines and autism. The piece reveals the deeply problematic background of the expected study leadership and why this choice virtually guarantees predetermined conclusions that contradict decades of legitimate research.
We've seen this playbook before; when thimerosal was removed from vaccines in 2001, autism rates continued rising. When Andrew Wakefield's fraudulent MMR study was debunked, critics moved to new targets. Now it's aluminum's turn, despite overwhelming evidence of safety.
The pattern is clear– no amount of evidence will ever be sufficient because the goal isn't scientific truth but manufactured controversy to justify policy changes.
The Path Forward
This isn't a debate about vaccine safety— researchers take that seriously and study it continuously. This is a coordinated campaign to undermine evidence-based medicine itself. When the nation's top health official calls for retracting peer-reviewed research (a recent Danish study that assessed data from 1.2 million children) based on misrepresentations of scientific methodology, we've moved beyond normal scientific discourse into dangerous territory.
I hope that by exposing these tactics, we can give people the agency to recognize them.
We are potentially watching the methodical dismantling of one of humanity's greatest public health achievements, not because new evidence has emerged, but because of coordinated manipulation designed to manufacture uncertainty where scientific consensus exists.
The question now is whether we will allow sophisticated misinformation to triumph over decades of scientific progress, or whether we'll defend the institutions and evidence that have made modern medicine possible. Our children's health, and the integrity of evidence-based medicine itself, depend on our answer.
The time for complacency has passed. We know their playbook. The question is: what will we do with that knowledge?
The 1980s Blueprint
In 1982, NBC's "DPT: Vaccine Roulette" documentary sparked a litigation crisis that nearly destroyed America's vaccine supply. The widely viewed television program wrongly suggested that pertussis vaccines caused brain damage. As Dr. Paul Offit has brilliantly documented, lawsuits against manufacturers exploded from 3 in 1981 to 255 by 1985, with damage claims soaring from $25 million to $3.2 billion. Defense costs exceeded vaccine revenues. Companies fled the market—pertussis vaccine makers dropped from seven to one, measles from six to one.
Only the 1986 creation of the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program saved childhood vaccination. The no-fault system, funded by vaccine excise taxes, provided compensation for legitimate injuries caused by vaccines while protecting manufacturers from crushing litigation costs.
Ironically, as Dr. Offit points out, the brain damage blamed on pertussis vaccines was later found to be Dravet's Syndrome, a genetic disorder. The vaccine was blameless, but the damage was done.
Today's Sophisticated Strategy
The current anti-vaccine movement has learned from this history. Their strategy is more systematic, centered around a government-sponsored study designed to deliver
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