Opening Statements in Case on Autism and Vaccinations
By GARDINER HARRIS
Published: June 12, 2007
WASHINGTON, June 11 — Lawyers began arguments on Monday in the first of several test cases that may help decide whether the government should pay millions of dollars to parents of autistic children.
Nearly 5,000 parents claim that vaccinations caused their children to become autistic, and many of their claims have been pending for five years. The hearing was held at the “federal vaccine court,” set up by Congress 20 years ago when a series of vaccine scares nearly crippled the industry.
Every major study and scientific organization examining this issue has found no link between vaccination and autism, but the parents and their advocates have persisted. Their frustration was evident in the opening statement of the parents’ lawyer, Thomas Powers of Portland, Ore.
“Numerous obstacles have been placed in the path of the petitioners seeking that fair and generous compensation that they are entitled to,” Mr. Powers said.
Thimerosal was almost entirely removed from pediatric vaccines in 2001 after some government scientists expressed concern about the amount of mercury that children who got routine vaccinations would be exposed to. Since then, autism rates in the United States have shown no signs of dropping.
Source: New York Times
