The White House is reportedly drafting an executive order that could link childhood vaccines with autism, despite extensive scientific evidence finding no such connection. The proposal matters because public-health experts and autism advocates warn that reviving the claim could fuel vaccine hesitancy and divert resources from legitimate autism research and care.

According to unnamed sources cited by The Washington Post and Bloomberg, the order could be issued as soon as next week and may address the childhood immunisation schedule, autism research and parental choice. The article says dozens of high-quality studies involving millions of children have found no vaccine-autism link; the original claim originated in a fraudulent study later retracted, whose author lost his medical licence. It also reports that President Trump has pressed Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to take further action on autism, while the White House says it will rely on “gold standard science”.