Vaccines and autism: is there a link? Haertlein, Lauren L. “Immunizing Against Bad Science: The Vaccine Tribunal and the Case of Autism Testing.” Contemporary Law and Problems 72 (2012): 211-32. EconLit. Network. February 16, 2014. “Immunizing Against Bad Science: The Vaccine Tribunal and the Case of Autism Testing,” written by Lauren L. Haertlein, addresses one of today's most popular controversies; Vaccinations that cause autism in children. Haertlein's article provides insight into the history of vaccine litigation and the politics that accompany it. It also talks a lot about the Vaccine Tribunal, whose job is to work with petitioners who claim that a vaccine, such as the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, has caused some illness in their child. The article uses real-life examples of the Vaccine Tribunal such as the case of Michelle Cedillo, whose mother claimed that a vaccination caused her daughter's autism, as a way to better understand how the Vaccine Tribunal works. This controversial topic is discussed daily in magazines, newspapers and talk shows. Families who blame autism on vaccinations are giving vaccines a bad name and causing other parents to reconsider their decision to have their children vaccinated. Haertlein graduated magna cum laude from Duke Law School, where she was editor-in-chief of Law and Contemporary Problems and received the Clinical Practice Award for her work in the Duke AIDS Legal Project on issues related to federal and state AIDS policy and to provisions for direct legal assistance to low-income HIV-infected clients". (Arnold & Porter LLC) Additionally, Haertlein holds a master's degree in philosophy from Duke University and a bachelor's degree in biology and political science from Tufts University. He currently works as a lawyer... in the middle of the newspaper... Throughout the article Haertlein does not cite other scholars who disagree with his statement. However, since he uses real court cases of families who disagree with his statement, scholarly and other expert opinions are not necessary. The scientific evidence alone makes his writings significant enough to make his claim. Haertlein's article will be especially helpful for my research because it goes into detail about the Vaccine Court and provides numerous court cases to use as resources later. Additionally, it offers definitions of terms that may be helpful. He uses a standard argument, scientific evidence, to support his claim. Haertlein's article made me even more excited to further study the controversy between vaccinations and autism. Work CitedHaertlein, Lauren L., Arnold & Porter LLP. Arnold & Porter LLP, 2014. Web. 19 February. 2014.