Forget vaccines, hunt for the real autism cause.

… In a highly anticipated ruling, three federal judges concluded that childhood vaccines do not cause autism, despite claims otherwise by a powerful grass-roots movement led by parents and activists.

This ruling, though painful for parents searching for answers on the cause of autism, affirms what respected scientists have been saying for several years. …

Specifically, the judges denied three families compensation from a federal vaccine-injury fund. To win, those families had to demonstrate that their children’s autism was caused by the measles-mumps-rubella shot alone or the shot combined with thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative that most vaccines no longer include.

The judges, after hearing from a combined 28 experts and evaluating 50 expert reports, said science was not on the parents’ side. …

It’s time to shift resources toward the hunt for the cause of autism elsewhere. Though there are no guarantees in science, continuing to look at vaccines is no longer fruitful. …

Science has spoken. It’s time to move on.

– Chicago Sun-Times