TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – Comments from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. this week fueled a nationwide fire.
“These are kids, this is a preventable disease. We know it’s an environmental exposure. These are kids who, many of them were fully functional and regressed because of some environmental exposure into autism when they’re 2 years old. And 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,” Kennedy said.
The comments from the top health official in the Trump administration come as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a new report on rising autism rates. The CDC largely attributed the increase to better screenings and understanding of the condition.
But RFK Jr. disagrees. Kennedy has long suggested ties between autism, childhood vaccines, and environmental toxins. RFK Jr. says his department will announce a series of new studies on potential autism causes in the coming weeks.
Advocates for people with autism say that position is harmful and misleading. Some say they’re hurt by what he had to say, as they have a personal connection to the condition.
13 Action News spoke with two parents of children with autism who say they were appalled by what Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had to say. They believe that autism should not be measured by whether someone can pay taxes or hold a steady job, but rather by the value they hold within themselves.
“Everybody looks at it as having a disability. I don’t. I look at it as having a gift,” said Rynne McCormick.
McCormick has a 24-year-old daughter with autism. She says the condition has not stopped her child from living her life to the fullest.
“She is funny, she’s talented, caring, kind. Absolutely incredible,” said McCormick.
But those recent comments made by RFK Jr. left a sour taste in her mouth.
“He doesn’t understand what it is to be autistic. And the different — the different spectrums of it. I felt very hurt, very disgusted, very upset, very mad,” said McCormick.
Kate Schwartz is a parent to two children with autism and says she felt the same way.
“I cried. And even talking about it now, I can feel my body just tensing up and tearing up because my kids have value,” said Schwartz. “Regardless if they can ever pay taxes, and regardless if they ever throw a baseball, my kids will contribute to society just by being them.”
Schwartz is also the executive director of the Autism Society of Northwest Ohio. She said hearing these comments has her reflecting on what she strives to avoid every day.
“At the end of the day, it feels like we took the space that those with autism have fought for for many, many years, and we just took it back 30 years,” said Schwartz.
Another comment made by RFK Jr. was that “autism ruins families.” Both mothers say they believe that is far from the truth, as they feel they’ve become closer with their children navigating life together.
The Autism Society of Northwest Ohio is hosting its annual Autism Walk on Sunday, May 4th — you can find more information and how you can participate or contribute here.
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