Vaccines and autism: is there a link? Haertlein, Lauren L. “Immunization versus Bad Science: The Vaccine Court and the Test Case of Autism.” » Law and Contemporary Problems 72 (2012): 211-32. ÉconLit. Internet. February 16, 2014. “Immunizing Against Bad Science: The Vaccine Court and the Autism Test Case,” written by Lauren L. Haertlein, addresses one of today's most popular controversies; vaccines causing autism in children. Haertlein's article provides an overview of the history of vaccine litigation and the politics that accompany it. Additionally, she talks a lot about the vaccine court, whose job is to work with petitioners claiming that a vaccine, such as measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), caused illness in their child. The article uses real-life examples of the Vaccine Court, such as the case of Michelle Cedillo, whose mother claimed a vaccination made her daughter autistic, to better understand how the Vaccine Court works. This controversial subject is discussed daily in magazines, newspapers and on talk shows. Families who blame autism on vaccinations give vaccines a bad name and cause other parents to rethink their decision to vaccinate their children. Haertlein graduated magna cum laude from Duke Law School, where she served as editor-in-chief of Law and Contemporary Problems and received the Clinical Practice Award for her work with the Duke AIDS Legal Project on issues related to federal policy and AIDS policy and the provision of 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. She currently works as a lawyer... middle of article....... Throughout the article, Haertlein does not cite other researchers who disagree with her assertion. However, since she uses actual court cases from families who disagree with her claim, the opinions of academics and other experts are not necessary. The scientific evidence alone makes his writings meaningful enough to make his claims. Haertlein's article will be particularly helpful for my research because it discusses the vaccine court in detail and provides several court cases to use as resources later. Additionally, it provides definitions of terms that might be helpful. She uses a standard argument, scientific evidence, to support her statement. Haertlein's article made me even more excited to study the controversy between vaccinations and autism in more depth. Work Cited Haertlein, Lauren L., Arnold & Porter LLP. Arnold & Porter LLP, 2014. The web. February 19. 2014.