“Vaccine skeptics” appointed to Minnesota Autism council

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Autism activists are concerned that the appointment of vaccine skeptics to a newly formed state council gives credibility to views the state has struggled to dispel.

The MN Autism Council was formed last fall by Sen. Jim Abeler, R-Anoka, to discuss autism and advise the Legislature on public policy.

Abeler said he wants the group to represent diverse viewpoints and said it will be focused on issues like housing, employment and education, not vaccines.

But some advocates take issue with having people who have vaccine concerns on the council.

Anti-vaccination groups have focused on Minnesota's Somali-American community in the past as they tried to perpetuate the hoax that vaccines cause autism, contributing to a drop in vaccinations and the largest measles outbreak in the state's recent history in 2017.

"Even if it's not something that's discussed or that a policy is going to come out of, giving them this large contingency on this council is dangerous. It's giving credence to a theory that's false," said council member Noah McCourt, an autism self-advocate who also serves on the Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities.

The MN Autism Council met Wednesday and Abeler started the meeting by reiterating that the commission is not pro- or anti-vaccine and said, "I'd suggest we don't discuss that anytime soon, or maybe never."

If their total focus was to come up with a recommendation related to vaccination, yes, it might give me pause," she said. "But on the other hand, it seems this group is focusing more on how they can support families”