Vaccination and Autism

The Boston Globe has a fascinating article about vaccinations for children, and the fears of some parents that they can cause autism (they don't).

What the movement to blame thimerosal for autism shows is a secret of the public health authorities. Stated baldly, they blatantly exaggerate some risks and minimize others, since for any individual, the consequences of most unhealthy behaviors are minimal and there is little incentive to change. (After all, for example, more than 95 percent of cigarette smokers never get lung cancer.) But what happens when two well-intentioned parties armed with scientific data - that is, advocates wanting to prevent autism and health authorities wanting to ensure widespread vaccination - collide? Who, in the end, is right?