I think what bothers me the most is that we are afforded the luxury of this debate because of the 'herd' being immunized. This has caused all of these diseases to be considered the lesser of the evils, because so few people have had to deal with them, for so many years.
I do suspect that because more and more people are deciding to not immunize on schedule, we will see an outbreak of one or more of these diseases, it's inevitable because they are communicable and less people will be protected.
I would not take the chance, based on theory...which is exactly what the immunization/autism link is. Theory.
What is not theory is that the diseases that we have been immunizing against have been reduced dramatically, that less people are dying. And that those diseases have the potential to kill many people when the 'herd' isn't protected. Ironically, we have been living with the benefits of 'herd immunity' due to widespread vaccinations for so long, it's come to the point where people have been cushioned from the devastating effects of them and question their importance. People who are choosing not to vaccinate are making that decision based on the protection they are afforded from the rest of the herd who IS vaccinating. Won't be long before the numbers grow, that luxury is gone and many, many people will be unprotected and vulnerable.
JMHO