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Politician Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s recent remarks about children with autism sparked uproar in the Major League Baseball world.
On Wednesday, Kennedy Jr., currently serving as the Secretary of Health and Human Services, spoke about the rising autism rates in the United States during a Department of Health and Human Services news conference.
In his address, Kennedy Jr. made controversial comments about children with autism, stating (via ABC News):
"Autism destroys families, and more importantly, it destroys our greatest resource, which is our children. These are children who should not be suffering like this…”
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“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."
His comment about autistic children never being able to play baseball drew backlash, especially from the baseball community and fans online.
“RFK has never been inside a baseball dugout if he thinks there’s no tism in ⚾️,” a fan wrote.
“lol like RFK Jr knows anything about baseball 💀,” another fan said.
“RFK Jr. with horrendous ball knowledge I’m not shocked,” another wrote.
Many others also shared their views on the remarks:
“This is so ignorant and stigmatizing. He has obviously not met anyone with autism and experienced all the many gifts and talents and normal abilities that they have. Who is he even describing?” a comment reads.
“Many autistic people pay taxes, go out on dates, hold jobs, play baseball, write poems, and use toilets,” another comment reads.
“I dont think hes ever met an autistic person in real life,” another comment read.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announces new studies on environmental factors contributing to autism
During the news conference at HHS, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced plans to launch new studies investigating environmental factors that may contribute to the development of autism.
"This epidemic denial has become a feature in the mainstream media, and it's based on an industry canard. And obviously there are people who don't want us to look at environmental exposures," Kennedy Jr. said.
He also cited a recently released study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which reported a rise in autism cases, from 1 in 36 children in 2020 to 1 in 31 in 2022.
