Education Law

The British Medical Journal calls Dr. Wakefield's Autism Study an "Elaborate Fraud"

By Charles Fox

Dr. Andrew Wakefield, the doctor who originally published a study that linked MMR to autism, was called to task by the British Medical Journal. The Journal is set to publish a series of articles by an investigative journalist who spent seven years uncovering the nature of Dr. Wakefield?s research. The BMJ called the study and Dr. Wakefield?s research ?an elaborate fraud that has done long lasting damage to public health.? That proclamation goes one step further then the retractions and denouncements that have come before.

CNN reporter Anderson Cooper had Dr. Wakefield on his show last night. Mr. Cooper aggressively questioned  Dr. Wakefield and called out others, such as Jenny McCarthy, who have supported him and his findings.  

Some might say that the efforts spent researching the findings in Dr. Wakefield?s study could have been spent focusing on new advances in autism research and trying to uncover innovative treatments and therapies, instead the public is still spending time on his discredited study. Hopefully, the focus on interventions and research for autism can now move past Dr. Wakefield onto real and data-driven research that will make meaningful differences in the lives of people with autism.

Full post as published by Special Education Law Blog on January 06, 2011 (boomark / email).