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9/11/25 - RFK Jr's weird and poisonous project

Andrew Pulrang

Andrew Pulrang

— 3 min read
Wheelchair symbol carved into a deeply textured wood surface
Wheelchair symbol carved into a deeply textured wood surface

Hello!


It's time for another round of links about what's happening in the US Department of Health and Human Services and the agencies it controls – driven by Robert Kennedy Jr's odd beliefs and obsessions.

Thursday Links
Thursday Links

In seeking something to blame for autism, RFK Jr. wrongly attacks Tylenol

Eric Garcia, MSNBC - September 9, 2025

"Scientific evidence has always been in short supply from those who are certain they’ve got autism all figured out."

Autism Has No Single Cause. Here’s How We Know

Allison Parshall, Scientific American - September 10, 2025

"No simple theory of autism has ever panned out, and the scientific community has moved on from the search for a simple answer. Researchers now know that autism develops from a staggeringly complex interplay between genes and factors that can influence development in utero. But attempts to pin the condition on one root cause abound, most famously in the disproven idea that vaccines cause autism. And earlier this year U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., announced that he will reveal the “interventions” that are “almost certainly causing autism” in September."

From ‘Wellness Farms’ to Budget Cuts, How RFK Jr.’s Misguided Policies Threaten Disabled People

Sonali Gupta, Disabled Journalists Association - August 27, 2025

"The administration's emphasis on personal responsibility has exacerbated feelings of shame and inadequacy among Disabled people and their families."

Eric Garcia's phrasing in the first linked article is, I think, key to understanding a lot of what's behind RFK Jr's project and those Americans who either fully or partially support it. People think that all health problems can be "all figured out." And many of them absolutely crave simple answers that they, personally, can do something about. They want someone who will say that they have good health "all figured out," even if they don't.

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