Autism

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.— Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made this statement during a press conference in April to emphasize his views on the impact of autism on the lives of children and their families.

We are taking steps to ensure that our state remains a leader in protecting the rights of individuals with autism and all people with disabilities.

— Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, who signed the executive order to ensure privacy protections for individuals with autism.

That is simply not true. There have been abundant studies.

— Dr. Philip Landrigan, a professor of pediatrics and public health at Boston College, responding to the report's claims about vaccine safety.

It is deeply gratifying to see Illinois affirming the value of our lives, affirming that autism is not an epidemic, and taking concrete action to protect our privacy and ensure personally identifiable information about us does not fall into the wrong hands.

— Colin Killick, Executive Director of Autistic Self Advocacy Network, on the significance of the new data protection order for individuals with autism.

I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me.— Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a House committee hearing when asked about giving medical advice.

We don’t need pity; we need opportunity. We don’t need stereotypes; we need understanding. We’re not broken; we’re just wired differently. And given the chance, we can do incredible things. All we need is just a loving push.— Dani Bowman speaks about the experiences of people on the autism spectrum and what they want from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.