The harm is that if we spend more money following up a purported link between vaccines and autism, it will be taken away from people doing more useful research.

The harm is that if we spend more money following up a purported link between vaccines and autism, it will be taken away from people doing more useful research. We have limited time and funding, so we maintain a portfolio of research investments that are based on what we currently see as reasonable. "Curious" is not what the folks who want to research the link between vaccines and autism are. Weaponized is a better term.