Vaccine Skepticism Persists Amid Growing Scientific Consensus on Vaccines' Safety

As Pia Habersang, a registered nurse and director of the Pediatric Wellness Center of Amarillo, discusses concerns about vaccines with new patients' parents, she begins by talking about her concerns about vaccines' potential connections to autism. This, despite virtually all immunologists, pediatricians, virologists, microbiologists, and other medical experts rejecting her ideas and hailing vaccines as lifesavers.

In a small clinic in West Texas, Habersang runs a practice under the supervision of her physician husband, Rolf Habersang, who reviews her patients' charts regularly. Habersang began her career in her native Switzerland and obtained a registered nurse degree and her doctorate in child and youth studies after she moved to the United States in the 1970s. She opened her own pediatric practice in 2013, giving her the freedom to take a closer look at vaccines for children.

Habersang's patients include many who choose not to vaccinate their children or stop vaccinating them before completing all recommended immunizations. About 80 percent of her patients fall into this category, with some convinced that vaccines contribute to their child's autism diagnosis. Catherine Lord, a psychology professor and autism expert at the University of California, Los Angeles, said, "It is totally understandable that parents are looking for a reason for why this happens, because it can be so heartbreaking. But vaccines aren't the reason."

Despite this, in Washington, D.C., the secretary of health and human services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has given voice to vaccine denialism, empowering vaccine skeptics in and out of the government with an assist from President Trump. Kennedy's mixed messages on vaccines have created an opening for professionals like Habersang.

Key Takeaways:

• About 80% of Dr. Habersang's patients choose not to vaccinate their children or stop vaccinating them before completing all recommended immunizations.
• Dr. Habersang's patients include many who are convinced that vaccines contribute to their child's autism diagnosis.
• Catherine Lord, a psychology professor and autism expert at the University of California, Los Angeles, has stated that vaccines are not the cause of autism.
• Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has given voice to vaccine denialism in Washington, D.C., empowering vaccine skeptics in and out of the government with an assist from President Trump.
• Dr. Habersang opened her own pediatric practice in 2013, allowing her to take a closer look at vaccines for children.
• Habersang's husband, Rolf Habersang, a physician, supervises her practice and reviews her patients' charts regularly.
• Pia Habersang began her career in her native Switzerland and obtained a registered nurse degree and her doctorate in child and youth studies after moving to the United States in the 1970s.

Statistics:

• In Texas, the percentage of kindergartners without all their recommended immunizations has nearly doubled over the past five school years.
• About 25,000 kindergartners, more than in any other state, were lacking at least one of their measles shots in early 2025, even after the virus began to spread.
• Dozens of studies, nationally and internationally, have found no correlation between autism rates and vaccines.
• Aluminum salts in tiny amounts, often measured in the one-millionth of a gram, have been added to vaccines since the 1920s to enhance their immune-stimulating effect against the virus or bacteria covered by the inoculation.

Sources:

• "The New York Times" by an unknown author.
• Catherine Lord, a psychology professor and autism expert at the University of California, Los Angeles.
• Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
• Pia Habersang, a registered nurse and director of the Pediatric Wellness Center of Amarillo.
• Rolf Habersang, a physician and supervisor of Pia Habersang's practice.
• The University of California, Los Angeles.
• The Texas Tech Medical School.
• The Department of Health and Human Services.