John McCain, Vaccines, and Autism

Presidential candidate Sen. John McCain believes that mercury—found in many childhood vaccines—is to blame for the increase in autism diagnoses in the United States . Jake Tapper of Political Punch has more: At a town hall meeting Friday in Texas, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., declared that "there’s strong evidence" that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative that was once in many childhood vaccines, is responsible for the increased diagnoses of autism in the U.S. -- a position in stark contrast with the view of the medical establishment… …McCain said, per ABC News’ Bret Hovell, that "It’s indisputable that (autism) is on the rise amongst children, the question is what’s causing it. And we go back and forth and there’s strong evidence that indicates that it’s got to do with a preservative in vaccines." Sen. McCain’s certainly picked a side of the fence—that’s admirable—but the vacci...