While the British General Medical Council (GMC), the equivalent of a U.S State Medical Board on steroids, is taking Dr. Andrew Wakefield to task for daring to suggest that autism could be caused by the MMR vaccine, the number of children with autism in the U.K. continues to climb.

On July 8, 2007, researchers from Cambridge University’s Autism Research Center in London released a report estimating that one in every 58 children (not just boys) in the U.K suffers from "some form of autism disorder" compared to previous estimates of one in 100.

The reality of that statistic should make one gasp: Nearly two percent of the citizens of the U.K. will become mentally handicapped adults.

The current population of the United Kingdom is estimated to be nearly 61 million. Two percent of the population, more than 1,200,000 adults, will eventually be living on drugs to manage their behavior. In 20 years, more than a million persons will be taken from the ranks of teachers, engineers, shop owners, doctors, lawyers, policemen and firemen. In addition, a significant portion of the population will be employed to care for adults incapable of caring for themselves.

Many adults with severe autism could live very long lives. Some may have asthma and others bowel disorders, but unlike children with a true genetic disorder such as Down’s syndrome, autistics could live well into their 70s or 80s. Who will care for them? Feed them? Bathe them? Who will wipe their bottoms? Persons with autism have not lost their health; they have lost their minds.

What if one in 58 children were suddenly going blind or becoming deaf? If vaccines were the suspected cause, would doctors robotically continue to vaccinate and explain away the travesty by announcing a desperate need for more seeing-eye dogs and cochlear implants? How much destruction of human life is necessary before the medical profession stops genuflecting to a methodology that should have become a relic of history, similar to leaches and blood letting?

The United Kingdom is a relatively small country. What will its society look like, with 1.2 million autistic adults in its midst? Imagine this as the opening scene of a movie, set in 2037:

The opening camera shot scans a British street, typical and narrow, bustling with activity. As the camera zooms in, it becomes apparent that something is disturbingly wrong. Dozens of adults with blank stares are wandering aimlessly through the streets flapping, drooling, and shouting frequent, unintelligible words. Shopkeepers are concerned for their safety as these over-sized, unemployed adults, mostly men, bang on doors and nearly break windows, searching for food and shelter. Overwhelmed social workers do their best to keep these strong, frightened creatures under control...

This science fiction storyline may become a reality show in a few short years. Perhaps Dr. Wakefield had a vision of this as he tried to stop the triple-vaccine jab from ruining the future of his country.

In 2002, Dr. Wakefield and I were speakers at an autism conference in Dallas. On Saturday evening, Andy delivered the keynote speech at a dinner that doubled as a fundraiser for the sponsoring organization. I remember his words, and his stately British accent, as clearly today as the night he spoke them.

He told the story of his journey from a classically trained pediatric gastroenterologist into the world of autism. Parents implored him to examine their children who had developed autism and severe bowel disorders soon after receiving the MMR vaccine. Was there a connection? Colonoscopies were performed and the tissue samples from the each of the children surprisingly contained vaccine-strain measles virus. In 1998, he was the lead author in a paper published in The Lancet which concluded, "We did not prove an association between measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and the syndrome described. Further investigations are needed to examine this syndrome and its possible relation to this vaccine."

It was impossible to predict that this single, observational paper would lead to years of vile phlegm being spewed at Dr. Wakefield for the mere suggestion of an association between a vaccine and autism. He concluded this part of his story with a reflection that, had he foreseen the onslaught that was to follow, perhaps he would have treated the children without fanfare and without publishing his findings.

The personal and professional attacks began shortly after his case report was published. Undeterred, his research continued. He told of a time when he hand-delivered well-designed studies to a top Merck executive, imploring him to examine the data that strongly suggested an association between the measles virus and autism. In a follow up conversation with this very senior executive, Dr. Wakefield asked, "Did you bother to read any of those studies I gave you?"

The Merck executive flatly replied, "We don’t have to."

We don’t have to? Does that mean Merck makes the rules about the MMR? Does that mean Merck can defy the research? One thing was certain: The good doctor had poked a stick in the eye of an unfriendly giant named Merck. The giant joined forces with his powerful buddies in the Public Health Department and British National Health Service. Together, they worked every angle to ensure that any connection between the MMR vaccine and autism would not be accepted.

At the close of his speech, Dr. Wakefield directly addressed the conference speakers and the activist parents in the room. He chose his words carefully and delivered them with laser focus. He asserted that those who work tirelessly to expose the truth about vaccines are the last hope for seriously ill, vaccine-injured children. We must continue, he said, no matter how difficult the road, no matter how serious the consequences. We must fight for these children because, if we put down the flag and surrender when the going gets a little bit tough, who else will do it? Who will dare pick up the torch and carry it forward if we quit? There will be no one...no one. And the next generation of children and the next will be forever lost.

The profoundness of his words hung in the air; there was no movement for a very long time. Each person knew, unequivocally, he spoke the truth. One by one, the hands came together. The applause crescendoed to a roaring, well-deserved standing ovation.

That night in Dallas was in November, 2003. The dogged determination of many to expose the truth about vaccines is beginning to make a difference. The world is waking up as the problems are no longer anomalies. Parents are questioning the one-size-fits-all vaccination policies dictated by the minions of pharma. Moms and dads are standing firm, resisting the pressure from White Coats to vaccinate. They are refusing to inject their precious babies with more than 100 vaccine antigens prior to kindergarten. They are deciding that their children can be healthy with plenty of sleep, exercise, clean hands, fresh water and good food.

Whistleblowers and brave hearts are more often executed than honored for their courage. By refusing to recant his scientific findings to save his license to practice medicine, Dr. Wakefield is facing the tyranny of medical power. Barbara Loe-Fisher, co-founder of the National Vaccine Information Center, described it this way: "The spectacle this British Medical Inquisition is creating for the world to see will have repercussions far beyond the martyrs it will make. People are not stupid and they will not soon forget that medical doctors inside and outside of the British government so feared one man’s scientific discovery about vaccination that they felt they had no choice but to destroy him and anyone who stands with him.

Keep up the good work, Andy. Your bravery is an inspiration to all of us to continue to warn others of the real culprit behind the global autism epidemic. Thanks to your steadfast determination, parents are wiser and children are healthier. To thousands around the world, you are our hero.

Dr. Sherri J. Tenpenny is respected as one of the most knowledgeable and outspoken physicians regarding the negative impacts of vaccines on health in the world today. Through her education company, NMA Media Press, she spreads her vision of retaining freedom of choice in healthcare, including the freedom to refuse vaccination. Dr. Tenpenny has produced the three-hour DVD presentation, Vaccines: The Risk, The Benefits and The Choices, and is author of the book, FOWL! Birdflu: Its Not What You Think. Many other books, tapes and materials are available at www.nmaseminars.com/VaccineInfoHome.html

Information about her medical clinic in Cleveland, Ohio can be found at www.osteomed2.com.