The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — once the gold standard of public health science — has just undone years of trust and replaced facts with ideology. The CDC’s vaccine-safety page has been rewritten to question the long-settled conclusion: vaccines do not cause autism.
This isn’t a small edit. It’s not a caveat or a footnote. The new language declares: “The claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism.” CBS News+2The Washington Post+2
That’s garbage. Here’s why this matters — in black and white:
- Decades of science have been erased.
For years, the CDC’s own materials stated clearly that “studies have shown that there is no link between receiving vaccines and developing autism spectrum disorder.” Los Angeles Times Now, that bold, declarative statement has been buried. Worse, the new page claims that “studies supporting a link have been ignored by health authorities.” Spokesman-Review - This reversal isn’t based on new credible science.
As FactCheck.org points out, science doesn’t shift this radically without major, reproducible evidence. FactCheck.org But that’s not what happened: instead, they reversed the burden of proof. Rather than showing a link, they demand that scientists now prove no link — an absurd perversion of how scientific inquiry works. FactCheck.org - Real experts are sounding the alarm.
The change blindsided many career CDC scientists who say they weren’t consulted. The Washington Post+1 Public health leaders are disgusted — calling the revision “misinformation” that “actually contradicts the best available science.” CBS News The Illinois Department of Public Health publicly rebuked the update, warning that it spreads fear, erodes trust, and stigmatizes people with autism. Illinois Department of Public Health - This isn’t just an academic fight — lives are at stake.
By undermining confidence in one of the most powerful tools we have — vaccines — the CDC is playing with fire. Anti-vaccine arguments are already resurfacing with dangerous momentum. Public health experts warn that this change could fuel vaccine hesitancy, leading to lower vaccination rates. That’s not speculative: when fewer people vaccinate, we see preventable diseases come roaring back. KPBS Public Media - It reeks of politics over science.
The move happened under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a known vaccine skeptic. The Washington Post Several reports suggest political appointees — not scientists — orchestrated the change. CBS News When science is weaponized for ideology, it’s not just wrong — it’s dangerous.
Bottom line: The CDC’s new posture isn’t about science. It’s about sowing doubt. By replacing decades of research-backed clarity with ambiguous, politically charged language, the agency is betraying public health — and potentially placing children’s lives at risk.
If we don’t call this out, we risk undoing progress, re-legitimizing discredited anti-vaccine myths, and inviting outbreaks of preventable disease. The CDC should be a shield against misinformation — not a megaphone for it.
