State lawmakers in Harrisburg rebuked U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Wednesday, denouncing disparaging comments he made recently about autism.
At a press conference last week Kennedy said the condition “destroys families,” and children diagnosed with it “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.”
These assertions “are offensive to folks on the spectrum and they're offensive to those who love us,” said Pittsburgh state Rep. Jessica Benham. “We need more supports and services for autistic people, not insults about how we contribute to society.”
Benham, who represents a portion of Pittsburgh as well as Brentwood and Mt. Oliver, is the first openly autistic member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. She was joined Wednesday by Swissvale Democrat Abigail Salisbury — the second House member to disclose she’s on the autism spectrum — as well as state Rep. Maureen Madden (D-Monroe County), who has an autistic grandchild, and Mount Lebanon’s Dan Miller, who has long been an advocate on mental health issues in Harrisburg.
“Whether we're an elected official, whether we pay taxes… whether we do any of the things [Kennedy] says we cannot do, it doesn't matter,” Salisbury said. “Because people have an inherent value because they are people, whatever diagnosis they may have, and whatever capabilities they may have to achieve in America today.”
Madden, whose grandson didn’t speak until age 8, called Benham and Salisbury her “heroes.” She teared up when she recounted telling her daughter of the lawmakers’ accomplishments.
“Every child, every adult, every person on the spectrum is going to grow and they're going to learn at their ability,” Madden said. “And that is why we call them ‘people with different abilities,’ not disabilities anymore.”
Autism spectrum disorder is “a cluster of traits, many of which have genetic causes,” Benham explained. “But the idea that there is one universal thing that causes autism is not factual, nor is it borne out in research.”
And she said it’s a positive thing that more children are being diagnosed — more kids can access services and more research can be done on causes, Benham added.
Kennedy's positions on autism have long been controversial, especially since President Donald Trump appointed him to head Health and Human Services. He has suggested a link between vaccines and autism — a position derided by medical experts and often based on a since-discredited health study. While the causes of autism are not fully understood, a wide array of research shows no link to vaccines.
Kennedy has also recently proposed a nationwide data-gathering effort focusing on the diagnosis and treatment of people with autism: While he has portrayed it a key tool to help unlock mysteries of the disease, advocates are raising concerns about privacy and fears that the data could be manipulated or used to further stigmatize people with autism.
Benham voiced such concerns Wednesday.
“I do not trust the Trump administration to have proper data protections in place, given that this is the same administration that keeps accidentally leaking classified military operations,” she said.
In another recent incident that raised alarms, the 71-year-old Kennedy recently told a Fox News host that he’s never seen someone his own age with “full-blown autism.”
Salisbury said Wednesday there’s probably a reason for that: Her father was also on the spectrum, she said, but he was from a generation that treated autism differently.
“Sir, there is a reason why you didn't see them when you were growing up,” said Salisbury, addressing Kennedy. “It's because they were placed in institutions and chained to radiators. They were not allowed to go to public school. You wouldn't have seen them in the schools that Kennedys went to.”
The lawmakers also called on the legislature to pass a budget with increased funds for special education and Medicaid waivers, which allow some people to pay for services not traditionally covered by Medicaid. Gov. Josh Shapiro has asked the General Assembly to approve an increase of $40 million for special education in next year’s budget, bringing the total to more than $1.5 billion.
Miller also called on Kennedy to reflect on the legacy of his family, which played a key role in establishing the Special Olympics.
By contrast, he said, Kennedy Jr.’s comments “play into fear, stigma, misunderstanding, confusion,” Miller said. “That limits people. We must do better.”
