just want to point out that one study does not prove or disprove things either way.  research results are easily manipulated and read for what the reader or researcher wants to read.  

@Dreams_of_a_Cowgirl@xanga - Agreed.  As well as who funds the study... that's something important to be considered.

@Dreams_of_a_Cowgirl@xanga - Err unless I misunderstand what you wrote, you're saying that one study doesn't disprove or prove a theory.  Considering the fact that there was really only ONE study that linked autism and vaccines and this study has now been redacted, the theory is mute.

@Morningstarrising@xanga - Why?

This won't make any difference at all to the hoards of conspiracy-theorists who would always rather believe anecdotal evidence rather than hard science.  If something can't be proved, so much the better because it just 'proves' to them that there must be people who don't want it proved and adds to their belief in themselves as one of the people who really know what's what.  When did faith ever require evidence for belief anyway?  

The vaccine debate is boring me now. There was no MMR when I was a child but that hasn't prevented people of my generation having autism. There may be a case or two related to MMR but the vast majority of us need to  look for another cause or - better still - get on with living.

@Morningstarrising@xanga - But first you need to establish such a claim before jumping to such a hasty conclusion.

@Springingtiger - This is true.  But I wonder how many cases there were back then.  I think a LOT of factors are contributing to the rise in autism diagnoses, but I'm wondering if a lot of it isn't just the simple fact that because of more understanding about the disease, a lot more are just being diagnosed than were in years past. 

I find this discussion to be very interesting! I had a daughter with Autism that I am sure without a doubt was caused by the MMR!  Because within one week of recieving the MMR she was hospitalized w/ severe grand mal seizures and lost all of her speech and was only 6 mo. later was diagnosed w/Autism!!  I agree with what was said by Mornigstarrising,  it makes a HUGH difference who is paying for the research!!  If a drug company pays for the research they aren't going to say there is a link between Autism and vaccines because that would be a conflict of interest, that would harm their business!  Also most Drs aren't going to say that either because who pays for the scholarships to med. school  for those Drs?  9 times out of 10 Drug Companies!! Now are you starting to see the correlation?!  Also when the Homeland Securities Act was written in 2001 they put a paragraph in there stating "that parents of autistic children could NOT SUE the Eli Lilly Company (a drug company) for damages done to their children from the shots."  Now what does that have to do with Homeland Security?!!   Does that sound like someone who doesn't KNOW if there is a correlation?!! I will NEVER back down until I see eviddence of an unbiased research study PROVING that there is some other reason for Autism!  Also it was asked  in the discussion what were the stats in the past?  Well in 1940 a child recieved only 3 shots by his/her 2nd birthday, in 1999/2000 a child recieved 22 shots by their 2nd birthday!  It was graphed the  correlation between the shots and the # of vaccines given, and the rate  of Autism increased on the EXACT same curve as the # of vaccines increased!!

Too late.