From the December 2002 Idaho Observer:

Bush seeks to seal hundreds of vaccine damage cases

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In an apparent effort to minimize public concern about vaccines, Bush administration attorneys asked a special master in the U.S. Court of Claims to seal hundreds of cases that claim thimerosal-containing childhood vaccines caused autism, Reuters reported Nov. 26, 2002.

Recent studies by Dr. Andrew Wakefield, Edward Yazbak and Vijendra Singh have established the link between thimerosal-containing MMR vaccine and autism. Several class action lawsuits have been filed with the courts by hundreds of families of autistic children.

Attorneys for the families of these children oppose a decision to seal the cases. They claim the government is attempting to protect the interests of vaccine manufacturers by preventing future claimants from using the cases in civil courts. If the Bush administration has its way, the families of vaccine-damaged children will not have access to prior cases and will be forced to waste thousands of dollars paying attorneys to perpetually “reinvent the wheel.”

Attorney Jeff Kim, who represents some 400 families in vaccine damage lawsuits, stated that vaccine manufacturers are the only party to benefit from sealing vaccine damage cases.