Pediatricians may be protesting that the first episode of ABC’s upcoming new legal drama “Eli Stone” will confuse parents into not having their children vaccinated, but the network said Monday it would air it anyway, accompanied though by a disclaimer.

ABC will air the first episode of new legal drama “Eli Stone” on Thursday, despite protests from the American Association of Pediatricians who claims that the subject material in the pilot episode may discourage parents from having their children immunized, the New York Times reports.

The debut episode shows main character Eli Stone, a trial lawyer for big corporations, taking on the case of a child who allegedly developed autism after receiving a vaccine containing a mercury-based preservative.

The story goes on to show how the jury awards the child’s mother $5.2 million in damages, following Stone’s demonstration that the CEO of the vaccine maker kept his own child from getting the company's vaccine because of autism concerns.

This comes in contradiction with the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s stance on the issue, which rule out a link between autism and vaccines, as do other medical authorities. The debate is whether thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative formerly used in vaccines, is connected to autism in young children.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has reacted to the plot of the “Eli Stone” episode, arguing that the show would be “leaving audiences with the destructive idea that vaccines do cause autism.” The AAP learned of the episode from a synopsis in a New York Times article and promptly requested that ABC cancel the show's premiere episode, in a letter it has made public.

“Many people trust the health information presented on fictional television shows, which influence their decisions about heath care,” academy president Dr. Renee Jenkins wrote in a letter to Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney.

ABC has only agreed to air the episode preceded by a disclaimer which states the story is fictional and followed by a message referring viewers to a CDC website for information about autism. No changes will be made in the episode, ABC said.

Show co-creators Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim responded diplomatically that they share the academy’s concern and “believe that children should be vaccinated,” but that they want viewers to “draw their own conclusions.”

Ken Olin directed the pilot. The cast includes Jonny Lee Miller as the title character, Victor Garber, Natasha Henstridge and Loretta Devine.