DENVER -- False claims in a 1998 study suggesting a link between the MMR shot and autism are the reasons British publisher The Lancet said it has retracted the paper.

"It has become clear that several elements of the 1998 paper by Andrew Wakefield ... are incorrect," a statement on TheLancet.com read. "In particular, the claims in the original paper that children were 'consecutively referred' and that investigations were 'approved' by the local ethics committee have been proven to be false. Therefore we fully retract this paper from the published record."

But that retraction is unlikely to diffuse the debate over shots and a disturbing increase in autism.

"Unfortunately vaccines have become a sacred cow to where you can't even raise a question without being a target," said Theresa Wrangham, president of SafeMinds.org, a nonprofit advocacy group " founded to investigate and raise awareness of the risks to infants and children of exposure to mercury from medical products, including thimerosal in vaccines," according to the group's Web site.

"We simply want more research," Wrangham said, suggesting the criticism of the study's researcher, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, was "political."

"We look at this as unfortunate. We feel it's been spun in a very negative aspect instead of really looking at the gaps in vaccine safety," Wrangham said. "What has to be looked at very carefully here is anytime the research raises a question with regards to vaccine how they're targeted. And how they're suddenly painted as anti-vaccine or suddenly suspect and unethical and not good doctors anymore."

Friday, the General Medical Council, England's medical regulators, found Wakefield's failure to disclose that lawyers paid him to serve as an adviser in vaccine damage litigation unethical.

The GNC also found he acted with "callous disregard" by using invasive tests on children that may've been unnecessary.

Tuesday, The Lancet retracted the paper.

Wednesday though, another parent will likely ask his or her child's pediatrician if vaccines are safe.

"Many times families will come and ask me about, you know, 'Should I have my child vaccinated? Should I avoid the vaccine?' I've had families that have kids with autism who are five years old and they come up to me and they say, 'My child's been diagnosed with autism, I still haven't given him the vaccine, I'm afraid to do that,'" said Dr. Robin Gabriels, director of the neuropsychiatric special care program at The Children's Hospital in Aurora. "Parents are really desperate to find the reasons for a cure or for an answer. And, unfortunately studies like these can lead people down the wrong road."

The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention issued this statement to TheDenverChannel.com:

"Lancet's retraction of Dr. Wakefield's study is significant. It builds on the overwhelming body of research by the world's leading scientists that concludes there is no link between MMR vaccine and autism. We want to remind parents that vaccines are very safe and effective and they save lives. Parents who have questions about the safety of vaccines should talk to their pediatrician or their child's health care provider."

SafeMinds.org issued this statement last week regarding the GMC's decision.

"Today the General Medical Council (GMC), the regulatory body for doctors in the UK, made findings of fact in connection to a complaint filed by journalist Brian Deer. The complaint alleged conflicts of interest and unethical research against Dr. Andrew Wakefield, Dr. John Walker-Smith and Dr. Simon Murch relating to their 1998 case series published in the Lancet. As a result of these findings, the GMC will now determine the severity and appropriate sanctions, which could go so far as the loss of their licenses to practice medicine.

"SafeMinds is very disappointed by the GMC’s findings. The false testimony and the ensuing GMC FTP hearing have had the effect of delaying necessary research into cause and treatment for autism, and dissuading scientists from pursuing research relating to vaccines as a cause of chronic disease."

In the Lancet paper, Wakefield reported a novel inflammatory bowel disease in 12 children with developmental regression (autism) and expressly stated that "We did not prove an association between measles mumps and rubella vaccine and the syndrome described." The conclusion drawn by the case series was that, "Further investigations are needed to examine this syndrome and its possible relation to the vaccine."

The study’s conclusion and call for additional research is often incorrectly misinterpreted as a call to discontinue immunization against measles, mumps and rubella.

It is widely known that many children with autism suffer from gastrointestinal disease and requires further scientific investigation and treatment. This field of research is in fact identified as a short term research priority in the Strategic Plan for Autism Spectrum Disorder Research issued by U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC).