RFK Jr.'S HHS Orders Lab Studying Deadly Infectious Diseases to Stop Research

RFK Jr.’s statements on autism go beyond a generic interest in environmental causes. He has repeatedly promoted the thoroughly debunked theory that vaccines, especially those containing thimerosal, cause autism. This began with his 2005 Rolling Stone/Salon article Deadly Immunity, which was retracted due to factual inaccuracies. The CDC, WHO, and countless peer reviewed studies have confirmed no link between vaccines and autism.

He also made a widely criticized comment during a January 2024 town hall, saying:

“Kids with autism are never going to write a symphony, they’re never going to win the 100-yard dash at the Olympics, they’re never going to pay taxes.” (Source: People Magazine, April 2024)

That kind of blanket characterization isn’t just false, it’s dehumanizing. Plenty of autistic individuals work, pay taxes, and thrive. I’d say a sizable minority of posters on HN are somewhere on the spectrum.

His statements on autism are part of a pattern: RFK Jr. has pushed for a national autism registry and appointed controversial figures like David Geier, who has faced sanctions for unethical autism “treatments” and also pushed vaccine-autism claims.

So it’s not just a different research focus, it’s a history of promoting discredited and harmful views while stigmatizing autistic people.

That’s not constructive, and it’s not in line with Hacker News’s guidelines for honest, good faith discussion, which is in line with your previous behavior on HN.

Eugenics today isn’t just about forced sterilization or selective breeding. Eugenics is a policy or ideology that seeks to reduce or eliminate traits deemed undesirable typically through systemic surveillance, control, or intervention based on a belief that certain lives or characteristics are less valuable or worthy.

That includes portraying a group as a burden, building systems to track them, and promoting ways to suppress or eliminate the trait.

RFK Jr.’s actions match this because:

He publicly described autistic people as non-functional and burdensome. In January 2024, he said:

“These are kids who will never pay taxes, never hold a job, never go out on a date.”

This isn’t a one-off gaffe, it was part of a broader argument for policy action. That kind of language has always been the first step in eugenic thinking: define a group as a drain on society.

He proposed a national autism registry.

His HHS floated plans to aggregate autism diagnosis, medical history, and behavioral data into a federal database. The Autistic Self Advocacy Network and other disability rights groups condemned it as “deplorable” and eugenic because historically, surveillance of marginalized populations has paved the way for coercive or exclusionary policies.

He appointed David Geier to autism research leadership. Geier is not just “controversial”, he lost his medical license for administering Lupron (a hormone-blocking drug) to autistic children. That treatment was rightly deemed unethical and dangerous. RFK Jr. giving him influence signals approval of the idea that autism is something to be chemically suppressed.

This is a pattern.

First define a group as broken.

Then, build infrastructure to monitor them.

Finally, promote discredited interventions aimed at erasing the trait.

That fits the actual operational definition of eugenics in 2025. Whether or not RFK Jr. uses the word is irrelevant.

And no, this is not misrepresenting him. Everything above is sourced directly from his public statements, government proposals, and appointments.

When you respond by waving it all away as “not relevant” or “just looking into causes,” without actually refuting a single point, you’re not having a real conversation. You’re dodging. That’s what makes your posts frustrating, and arguably against the spirit of this site. Thoughtful, evidence driven discussion, not rhetorical evasion.

You claimed the quotes I cited are cherry-picked or out of context, but didn’t explain how. That’s just hand-waving. If there’s something inaccurate about them, point it out. Otherwise, saying “it’s all subjective” is just the typical maga evasion bs.

And finally you said if I made credible points, you’d respond… after ignoring multiple sourced, factual examples already given. You sound like a Markov chain Fox News talking point generator.

That kind of posture, where nothing is ever quite good enough to warrant engagement, is exactly the sort of bad-faith behavior we expect from conservative trolls.

If you disagree, fine. But engage with the content, not just the framing.

I heard what I wanted to hear, a confirmation you’re posting to troll and spread misinformation, not actually engage.