There was an anti-vaccination rally yesterday in Chicago — boring and silly! What’s more interesting is that Women Thinking Free (a fabulous new organization) had a counter-demonstration. You can read an account or two or three of the event from the rational perspective; it sounds like the anti-vaxers are also anti-science. The rally and anti-rally also made the news, and that’s actually a good account, which plainly states that there is no evidence of a link between autism and vaccination, that Wakefield’s study was flawed, and that Wakefield has had his license to practice medicine revoked.

I’m troubled by one thing. The theme of the literature the smart people were handing out was “Hug me — I’m vaccinated”, and they’ve got a photo of Wakefield hugging one of the skeptics, which is safe, because they’ve had their shots. But has Wakefield? Has anybody asked him if he’s up to date on his vaccinations?

They might have infected him with skepticism, you know. Or he might have been swarming with kook cooties.