Autism Isn’t an Epidemic: Pushing Back on RFK Jr.’s Dangerous Policies

When public health becomes public fear, everyone loses. But autistic people know this script too well: politicians dress up suspicion as policy, wrap it in medical jargon, and roll it out like it’s for our “protection.”

That’s exactly what we’re watching now.

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a crisis framed as catastrophe

The administration — with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the health helm — has started framing autism not as a difference but as a national emergency. He’s called it an epidemic, a public health crisis, something to be eliminated.

He floated a national registry of autistic people, tied to private health data. He promised to slash “environmental exposures” and deliver answers by fall. Sounds like science, but the subtext is eugenics-lite: surveillance, reduction, control.

Advocates called it what it is — a violation of privacy and dignity. The backlash forced the administration to walk parts of it back, but the damage was done. Once the state labels you a crisis, you stop being a citizen and start being a case file.

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echoes of the old ableism

This isn’t new. For more than a century, autistic and disabled people have been institutionalized, sterilized, experimented on, and told their very existence was a burden. The rhetoric of “cure” and “prevention” is just the modern remix.

When Kennedy says autism “destroys families,” he’s not just being sloppy with words — he’s weaponizing fear. Families hear that and think they failed if their kid isn’t “fixed.” Employers hear that and see a liability, not an asset. Society hears it and thinks autism is a problem to solve, not a people to respect.

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the pushback

Autistic voices are pushing back hard.

Andi Putt, autistic mom and advocate, called RFK Jr.’s language dehumanizing — a narrative that erases dignity and reduces her and her child to objects of pity. The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) warned that a registry and mass data collection is a surveillance project in disguise. Once the government tags you, you don’t get to control how that data is used.

This resistance matters. Autistic people are saying loud and clear: we don’t need cure-based crusades. We need inclusion, accommodations, and rights.

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follow the money, watch the cuts

While the administration screams “crisis,” it’s quietly cutting autism research and disability programs. Federal autism-related research funding has already been slashed by 26%. Services that support real autistic lives are drying up — while money flows toward “prevention” narratives.

That’s the sleight of hand: stigmatize us publicly, cut us institutionally, and claim it’s for our own good.

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reclaiming the narrative

Here’s the truth: autism isn’t a tragedy. It isn’t an epidemic. It isn’t a family-destroyer.

Autism is part of human diversity. Yes, it can be disabling in a world built for neurotypical norms. But it also brings unique strengths, perspectives, and creativity. The real crisis isn’t autism. The danger is the ableism that keeps getting rebranded every generation.

So when the administration vilifies autism, remember: it’s not science, it’s a power grab. And power doesn’t get the final word on who we are.

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