I will leave the more nuanced commentary to people with more experience living the life; but listening to the comments the HHS Secretary made today gave me chills. They took me right back to the multidisciplinary consult we had before Julia was born.
Six medical professionals – decades of experience and training – sat around a table and told us that our lives would be harder because of Julia. Some agreed that we needed to opt for a “medically interrupted pregnancy“. Only one gave any encouragement at all, God bless him.
Life? Hard? Sure. But what adventure isn’t? And I defy you to find another kid that can bring so much life to other people.
I’m all for curious inquiry using non-biased scientific methods to maximize human human flourishing; but let me float an alternate theory:
Most of us know someone with autism. What if they were put on this planet by a benevolent God to help us let go of the satanic proposition that economic output is the primary metric of cultural worth? What if they are here simply to help us become kinder, gentler human beings?
Even more (just a little satirical theorizing), what if the uptick in frequency of autism was God’s way of telling us that we need more help in that area.
It’s as good a conspiracy theory as any…
The HHS Secretary may truly care; but his messaging was so laced with ableist tone deafness that it’s hard to see it. The words he chose do not allow for a productive conversation to move forward – and they ring pretty hollow in the face of the administration’s indiscriminate deconstruction of medical research.
He’s at the top of the most important organization in the world for a lot of these families. His words matter.
He needs to do better – way better.
And by the way, you don’t have to be a taxpayer to contribute to society.
To our friends with autism and the families and community that support them: We see you. We value you. We celebrate you.
Here for a Reason…
I will leave the more nuanced commentary to people with more experience living the life; but listening to the comments the HHS Secretary made today gave me chills. They took me right back to the multidisciplinary consult we had before Julia was born.
Six medical professionals – decades of experience and training – sat around a table and told us that our lives would be harder because of Julia. Some agreed that we needed to opt for a “medically interrupted pregnancy“. Only one gave any encouragement at all, God bless him.
Life? Hard? Sure. But what adventure isn’t? And I defy you to find another kid that can bring so much life to other people.
I’m all for curious inquiry using non-biased scientific methods to maximize human human flourishing; but let me float an alternate theory:
Most of us know someone with autism. What if they were put on this planet by a benevolent God to help us let go of the satanic proposition that economic output is the primary metric of cultural worth? What if they are here simply to help us become kinder, gentler human beings?
Even more (just a little satirical theorizing), what if the uptick in frequency of autism was God’s way of telling us that we need more help in that area.
It’s as good a conspiracy theory as any…
The HHS Secretary may truly care; but his messaging was so laced with ableist tone deafness that it’s hard to see it. The words he chose do not allow for a productive conversation to move forward – and they ring pretty hollow in the face of the administration’s indiscriminate deconstruction of medical research.
He’s at the top of the most important organization in the world for a lot of these families. His words matter.
He needs to do better – way better.
And by the way, you don’t have to be a taxpayer to contribute to society.
To our friends with autism and the families and community that support them: We see you. We value you. We celebrate you.