RFK Jr. Dares to Suggest Autism Is Not an Ideal Outcome
*The left-wing mediasphere and its easily-manipulated minions lose their collective mind*
Anyone who takes the time to actually listen to Robert F. Kennedy speak (and not just skim the daily parade of scathing headlines hell-bent on discrediting or destroying him) cannot deny that he is both deeply studied in and passionate about children’s health. Last week, the tireless crusader held a press conference to address “the relentless increases in autism” in America, a miracle many families have been desperately awaiting for decades.
CRUNCHY MOMS EVERYWHERE: “Yes! Finally! You see us. You really see us! We knew you wouldn’t let us down.”
THE MEDIA: “Brain Worm Guy Floats Baseless Theories About a Condition That Isn’t Even That Bad.”
In his speech, which I beg everyone to watch, Kennedy highlighted peer-reviewed research and horrific, jaw-dropping statistics and announced a plan to conduct comprehensive, multidisciplinary studies to identify the external factors contributing to the autism explosion. He confronted the tired, threadbare argument that rising autism rates [from less than one in 10,000 in 1970 to one in 31 today in the pediatric population and one in 20 for boys] are due to better screening and diagnosis. “We know what the historic numbers are, and we know what the numbers are today,” Kennedy explained. “It’s time for everybody to stop attributing this to this ideology of epidemic denial.”
Cue the pitchfork mob.
Rather than actually sitting through Kennedy’s entire address—it was thirty whole minutes long, and obviously the journalistic elite don’t have that sort of time—the media all hopped on top of the same, single snippet:
“These are kids who will never pay taxes. They’ll never hold a job. They’ll never play baseball. They’ll never write a poem. They’ll never go out on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted.”
For the record, Kennedy did say those words. But what he did not say was that no autistic child will ever pay taxes or work or write poetry or play baseball; he was speaking specifically of the twenty-five percent of children diagnosed with autism whose condition is considered severe; the ones who, in fact, cannot go to the bathroom or eat or dress on their own; the ones who are completely nonverbal, at risk of self-injury, and will require full-time care and support for the rest of their lives.
His were not cruel or malicious statements; he was simply sharing cruel and malicious truths. To which USA Today’s always inflamed Rex Huppke responded, “As someone who has spent considerable time reporting on autism and having the honor to get to know brilliant and talented autistic children and adults and their families, let me say this to Secretary Kennedy: (Expletive) you. Let me repeat that again, both for my own catharsis and because he deserves it: (Expletive) you, you soulless monster.”
Let me get this straight, Rex. A man who would like to thoroughly investigate and get to the root cause of something that is debilitating an alarming segment of our youth in terrifyingly accelerating numbers is a soulless monster? No one is saying autistic children aren’t both lovable and deeply loved. I’d bet the overwhelming majority of parents of neurodivergent offspring would wholeheartedly insist they wouldn’t change a single thing about their child if given the chance. But how many expectant parents do you suppose fervently hope and pray for a developmentally-disabled baby? My number is pretty close to zero.
“[Kennedy] is of the belief that once you’re born, that there are environmental toxins that are somehow effecting [your risk of autism], for which he has no evidence,” pharma-worshipping Dr. Paul Offit said on CNN, again taking the very same segment of his speech wholly out of context. “He’s just making it up! I think that when he sort of overdramatizes this—that they’ll never pay taxes, that they’ll never love again—I don’t know if you ever saw that two-year series Love on the Spectrum. That was a reality show. But they can love again, so I’m not sure why he dramatizes it the way he does.”
That Kennedy. So dramatic. I mean, they made a reality show about it, and it was heartwarming and humanizing and everyone loved it! Why are we even talking about this?
Apparently, saying “maybe we should care about the families dealing with the most severe spectrum disorder challenges” is now grounds for media crucifixion. Never mind that Kennedy didn’t call autism contagious or mention the word vaccine even a single time. He did use strong language. He didn’t parrot the prevailing party line. “Doctors and therapists in the past weren't stupid, they weren't missing all these cases,” he maintained. “The epidemic is real.”
DR. PETER HOTEZ (SOUNDING FREAKISHLY LIKE BILL GATES, SERIOUSLY YOU HAVE TO WATCH THE CLIP): “Mr. Kennedy seems to have this fixed belief that vaccines do bad things to kids, and he’s absolutely wrong. I’m really concerned that he’s so fixed on these false links between vaccines and autism and other things that this is going to jeopardize our entire vaccine ecosystem.”
Unless you were making boatloads of money off of vaccines or you were evil to the core of your cold, dead heart, give me one reason you wouldn’t want a possible link between the two studied.
I’ll wait.
The disconnect from reality in the response to Kennedy’s presser is genuinely impressive. MSNBC ran an opinion piece titled, “I’m autistic, and I work. And I made sure to let RFK Jr. know it.” That would be like a drunk truck driver killing a school bus filled with children and another truck driver penning a moving piece in response to the uproar titled, “I drink and drive all the time. And I haven’t killed anyone yet.”
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker came out swinging on X, tweeting, “RFK Jr’s views are dangerous, misguided, and deeply disturbing. Frankly, his policies will hurt people. I will push back on any attempts to disrupt the health and safety of Illinoisans.” For what it’s worth, this is the man Illinoisans have valiantly working to protect their health and safety:
I’m running out of ways to say “I’m genuinely flummoxed.” The Secretary of Health and Human Services just gave a 30-minute speech asking for real science and real solutions to support some of the most vulnerable children in our country—and the response from public health’s loudest mouthpieces was basically, “Shut up, Conspiracy Man, we all saw a Netflix show and everyone’s fine.”
Surely Bobby knew that this wasn’t going to be an easy row to hoe; but while they’re busy playing whack-a-mole with his reputation, he’s out there busting his hump planting seeds. I know lots of folks are feeling impatient and some have even lost faith completely, but I’m confident we’ll all reap what he’s sown.
PS If I owe you a book and you haven’t sent me your mailing address, kindly remedy that ASAP! [myfirstname@myfirstandlastnames.com *this is not literal; comment below if you can’t figure it out and I’ll hook you up ;) ].
Woke up early this morning still stinging from the betrayal. Not betrayal of me but that of Luke.
I’m not an overly religious person. Pretty much estranged from the two religious cultures of my childhood due to matters of dissonance and practicality, from severely behavioral autism caregiving for 2 decades.
The irony of today being the celebration of Easter, commemorating what took place after the most significant betrayal in biblical history; hadn’t totally escaped me.
I hadn’t planned on anything. Last night I’d set out an Easter basket with candy because my sweet 6’5”, 21 year old son still believes in the Easter Bunny.
And that’s okay. God willing, I will still be the Easter Bunny & Santa Claus when I’m 70, if that’s what makes him happy.
I woke up early remembering last Easter when he was in still undiagnosed, severe autism-catatonia crisis & didn’t understand his Easter basket.
That day.
I didn’t see my elderly father, my other kids, my grandchildren. He couldn’t get his candy in his own mouth. Three meltdowns in by 3pm & I had chunks of bleeding flesh hanging off my arms, could barely catch my breath, a dresser reduced to matchsticks, great big tears rolling down his poor hot, red face.
Utter agony and destruction.
Yes, destroyed. His body & spirit, my heart, my house, no family, no community; just his pain, terror & rage.
This morning. I remembered.
My elderly father was going to church alone. No plans made by me because ptsd has my brain in combat mode. Forgetting. That Luke was responding to treatment. Like a phoenix from the ashes. So maybe? Just maybe?
I ran downstairs to get him up from his dad’s room where he still sleeps for safety. I’d just decided. I was taking him to church by myself to see Grandpa. Taking a huge chance.
My son. He sang while reading the lyrics from a hymnal. He said “gorgeous actually” when I asked him how mass was. 😭
I couldn’t keep the tears from my eyes when the Lord’s Prayer began … “Our Father, who art in Heaven …”
Because even though I am not overly religious. There were times last year when I held him & started reciting it out loud because I didn’t know what else to do. I would be wearing my helmet, lying in a pile of debris, holding his stiff body and just start reciting it in a loud voice. Until he’d start screaming over me.
And nothing would happen. No guardian angels or bolts from the blue. But I’d start it over again. Trying to pray his pain away.
Today wasn’t just a “win” it was a miracle. He rose. Coincidentally on the day celebrating another rising after betrayal. My son rose on his own terms.
And I thought about this betrayal. Not only by the media and the neurodiversity actors but by his own community.
Don’t tell me it didn’t happen. It happened ONLY motivated by bias.
The same mom who last week was posting about how your family was destroyed because your husband left you to scrape the feces off the walls, while starting a new life with someone else’s kids who weren’t severely autistic; is now saying “how dare he say autism is destroying families”.
Yeah I saw that.
I saw the mom who wrote about how she had to terminate her own parental rights when her son hit puberty to protect herself from the violence, started abusing drugs & how it “destroyed” her family; turn around and say “Autism didn’t destroy anything”.
Saw that too. Hypocrites.
Not just those two examples either. The amount of despair I see in the severe autism support groups would make a normal person’s head spin.
You’re only saying that now because of who said it, not because it isn’t true.
And you know what that does?
It doesn’t just minimize their struggles. It doesn’t just erase awareness that took decades to build. It doesn’t just invalidate their truth, all of which would be bad enough on it’s own.
No. Not only did you do that but you made their triumphs look so much smaller. You invalidated their risings.
Let’s face it, there were probably thousands of 21 year olds that saw their grandpa at church today. Maybe hundreds of thousands who sang from a hymnal this morning. Not really earth shattering in the big scope of things.
What made this such an accomplishment for Luke; was where he had to come from to get here. It’s the fact that he could regress out of catatonia remission tonight and be dead within days. It’s that he’s 21 years old and this has never happened quite like this before & may not ever happen again.
His severe autism has been devastating. It has been destroying. That’s what makes his successes so much sweeter. What makes him the strongest person I know. It’s so good because it’s been so bad. Because severe autism can be really, really hard & no child or adult deserves the amount of suffering I have seen him endure.
Don’t take that away from him. Don’t betray him like that. Don’t do that to your own families.
You don’t like who said it, despite that I’ve been watching you all say it yourself for years. And that’s wrong.
Luke’s little wins today. Only they’re huge because of how far he has to come to get here. He was so happy. I don’t care what else he accomplishes in this life, happiness is everything & it can be damn hard to come by, don’t tell me I’m wrong if you’ve lived this life. ****PASTED from another Mom’s page.
It’s like being outraged at the suggestion that pregnant women shouldn’t take thalidomide just because some of the babies affected grew up to be wonderful, inspirational people