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After viewing the recent Hearing on Autism Research, it raised in my mind a very logical question regarding vaccinations. Out of all of the research done no study has directly compared the prevalence of Autism between vaccinated and unvaccinated children. We have been hovering over the issue of vaccinations in connection to Autism for a long time. I feel that this issue does need to be definitively put to rest. Currently, we face a long term cost in providing the best care and treatments for our children. With an ever prevalent rate of Autism, not only will more children be diagnosed, but the increase will dilute the resources necessary for appropriate treatment. This is why finding the cause of Autism is important even for children already affected. A panel member on the hearing committee, Dr. Tom Insel director of National Institutes of Mental Health said "If we get stuck looking at one thing over and over again, that we're going to miss the opportunity to look at a more important cause... The question for us is where we should be looking." This is a statement that rings with a particular truth in the Autism community. As was brought up, resources for less-prevalent disorders and diseases receive disproportionally more funding. Apart from raising more money, the community needs to make sure that the money raised counts. In line with reserving our resources for more effective treatments and research, community needs to come to a definitive answer on whether or not vaccines contribute to Autism. Research has been done and the community has been told that there is no relationship between Autism and vaccinations. However, parent observations have told the community differently. After receiving vaccinations corresponding with devastating results there have been parents that have vowed never to vaccinate their children again. Clearly, the supplied evidence and research has not completely removed all sense of doubt. A direct comparison between vaccinated and unvaccinated children may remove all doubt. Part of the rationale for not conducting this study is based on ethics. Researchers feel that doing random studies comparing vaccinated and unvaccinated children would be unethical. On the other hand, camps of parents choosing not to vaccinate their children already exist. While participants would not be random, they are certainly available and willing. If vaccinations are truly as safe and benign as the scientific community feels then such a study might help quell current fears.