&#62;<i>home-education in the UK is exceptionally harder to do than in the US (as in it's virtually unheard of)</i><p>It may well be harder in the UK, I'd be interested in the reasoning there, but I'd dispute that it's [virtually or actually] unheard of.<p>I think you're being too tough here. Latest reports that I've looked at are that the Thiomersal used in vaccines that was associated with autism has been removed from US vaccines and that studies have since shown that there has been no corresponding decline in autism cases.<p>In order to learn this though I had to do some research and look at some quite complex discussions. The US studies have not been popularised by the likes of the BBC that widely reported on the MMR controversy.<p>Indeed I was studying the swine flu vaccine, <a href="http://alicious.com/2010/swine-flu-vaccine-safe/" rel="nofollow">http://alicious.com/2010/swine-flu-vaccine-safe/</a> , as we were offered it for our son. The NHS did have a very thorough FAQ on it.<p>I'm still reticent about the swine-flu vaccine - they've probably had it (we all had a couple of flu like episodes in autumn-early winter), it's normally not severe, infections are declining, next season it will have mutated and this vaccine will likely provide no benefit AND most importantly this vaccine has not undergone the extensive testing that drugs normally do. We probably will have the vaccination as I have to trust our health care workers here.<p>If we don't vaccinate and someone catches swine-flu from my son, him having nothing more than a sniffle, will I be a murderer in your eyes?