On February 12, 2009, the US Court of Federal Claims rejected arguments made in three test cases against the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) by families alleging that their children's autism was caused by a combination of common childhood vaccines. The so-called Omnibus Autism Proceeding, rejected three theories of liability which each argued that some combination of the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella combination vaccine (MMR) vaccines and thimerosal-containing vaccines can combine to cause autism. In the court's decision, Special Master Patricia Campbell-Smith wrote that the petitioners had not "presented a scientifically sound theory," and cited evidence that it was "biologically implausible." In August 2010, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the decision, finding insufficient evidence to establish a link between childhood vaccines and autism.

Learn more about the laws governing vaccines from the JURIST news archive and read commentary on HHS decisions from JURIST Guest Columnists Richard Judelsohn and Amy Pisani from Hotline.