What studies prove vaccines don’t cause autism?

Aaron Siri, an anti-vaccine lawyer, is again talking about a freedom-of-information request he made to the CDC. He claims that they couldn’t tell him which studies show that vaccines do not cause autism.

• FOIA requests cover agency records, not every published study.
• Missing records do not mean vaccine safety evidence is missing.
• Research links autism mainly to genetics and early brain development, not vaccines.

Our friend, law professor Dorit Reiss, explains that this lawsuit confused published research with government records. The Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, lets people request records from federal agencies. But agencies do not have to keep a copy of every published study.

Scientists publish studies in journals so others can read and learn from them. Government records are documents that an agency keeps in its files. A study can be both, but an agency does not have to keep every published study.

Reiss also explains that FOIA lets people ask for government records. It requires agencies to search for their own records. It does not require them to gather every study that could answer a science question.

This is important because a missing document is not the same as missing evidence. If a study is not found in an agency’s files, it may still be published and available elsewhere. A records request tells us what documents an agency has on file. It does not tell us whether a scientific finding is true. Not receiving certain studies through this request does not show that vaccines cause autism or that evidence about their safety is missing.

Studies show that autism is mostly caused by genetics and starts very early, even before a baby is born. The brain differences seen in people with autism begin during early development in the womb, not because of vaccines or anything that happens later.

Falsely linking vaccines to autism can harm autistic people. It can lead to fake or dangerous treatments and unfair treatment because of their neurospiciness. Autistic children deserve protection from serious diseases through vaccination, just like other children.