In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the discredited notion that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread. And among those diseases could be COVID-19. There is an unfortunate connection between the antivax movement and group opposing public health measures and promoting quack cures for COVID-19.
As Judd Legum points out at Popular Information, the AAPS is a fringe group:
The AAPS has also repeatedly pushed discredited theories about the dangers of vaccines. Asked earlier this year if vaccines cause autism, Orient said "the definitive research has not been done." But the "overwhelming scientific consensus is that vaccines do not cause autism."
After a 2015 measles outbreak at Disneyland in Florida, the AAPS "issued a news release opposing mandatory vaccination and raising questions about vaccine safety." The release "makes a link between autism and the measles vaccine." The group's work was condemned by public health officials.
The Trump campaign is now citing the AAPS as an authoritative source during a deadly pandemic. Life may only return to normal with the widespread adoption of a vaccine.
Readers of this blog may remember that Tom Price, Trump's HHS secretary who later resigned in disgrace,
also belonged to this
fringe group. So did
Senator Rand Paul.
