I get the joke and what they're saying, the only thing that slightly rubs me the wrong way about this kind of joke (I'd rather my kid have autism than be dead) is that it still implies there's a chance vaccines could cause autism. When in reality the fact that vaccines have absolutely nothing to do with autism is the single most certain fact we know about autism. Get a vaccine or don't, they're equally likely to get autism or not, shown time and time and time again.

In their anti vax dream world ravaged by polio and measles and many other preventable diseases, kids dying of respiratory failure and encephalitis, or getting life long disabilities, guess what? Exactly as much autism as before. There'd probably be more, since congenital rubella (the r in mmr) back when it was more common was documented as a potential cause of autism in some individuals, and is prevented by vaccines.

For a long while back in the 80s snd 90s it was believed that silicone breast implants were giving women autoimmune disorders. One such lady, I forget her name, even won money in a civil dispute against the manufacturer due to the Lupus she was diagnosed with after getting silicone breast implants.

The reality? The rate of autoimmune disorders among women with silicone breast implants was not statistically different than women without silicone breast implants.

Now, the implants are made of saline. I’d like to think the reason for the change is due to the localized tissue damage when the silicone version leaked or broke open and not the above. But I have my doubts.

People prefer blaming something more specific than the chaos and statistics of life.

I hope no one is fucking polio

Mandatory Penn and Teller