Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

RFK Jr. Sparks Outrage After Announcing 'Disease Registry' To Track Autistic Americans

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images

The National Institutes of Health announced that it will be aiding Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. in his autism study by compiling a "disease registry" using private health information to track Americans with autism.

Republican President Donald Trump's Secretary of Health and Human Services has again sparked fear and outrage among the people he claims to serve. During a press conference on April 14 filled with misinformation and ableist stereotypes, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told the press about his plans to find the "environmental factors" causing a nonexistent autism epidemic.

On Tuesday, CBS News reported the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was creating a national autism registry to track diagnosed Americans as part of a plan to collect patient data without patient consent or knowledge.


Under the Trump administration, many ongoing studies and much completed research was canceled by DOGE or scrubbed from websites due to the MAGA war on woke and DEI.

Now NIH resources are being directed towards pseudoscience to justify or legitimize one of the conspiracy theories RFK Jr. has made a name for himself spouting.

The HHS Secretary insisted autism cannot be genetic—despite legitimate research showing otherwise—and is instead a disease children catch in ever increasing numbers at age two. But the medical and scientific communities have long pointed to a drastic increase in diagnoses of autism due to broader definition, understanding, and assessment, not a greater occurrence.

In a statement to Newsweek, clinical psychologist and autistic person Amy Marschall stated a national registry provokes "huge concerns" regarding ethics and consent as it pertains to the federal government.

She explained:

"What will this information be used for, and what if that purpose changes after the data have already been gathered?"
"Historically, governments keeping lists of citizens based on disability has not ended well."
"The statements that this is necessary because autistic people are such a terrible drain on resources is rooted in eugenics."
"Overall, I do not see a benefit to the federal government creating an autism registry. Many state registries lack funding, so although they are unethical, the harm they can do is limited."
"Federal resources being put to track autistics frankly scares me."

People are outraged over the overreach born of such ignorance.


“Gun registry? No. Can't do it. Impossible. Autism registry? Yes, we need to know where you are...” “Fuck all the way off, sir.” Seriously! 😎✨
— Jeras Ikehorn… 😎 🌊🐾🌴🌈✨ (@jerasikehorn.bsky.social) April 23, 2025 at 6:56 AM



Registries for pregnant women and children with autism, but no registry for guns?
— Jess Piper (@piperformissouri.bsky.social) April 23, 2025 at 3:33 PM


"A new disease registry is being launched to track Americans with autism" 😳

[image or embed]
— Nicole Filippone, Autistic Advocate & Author (@sensorystories.bsky.social) April 22, 2025 at 12:08 PM




An autism registry?? You can fvck all the way off, RFK Jr.
— Tokyo Sand (@dhstokyo.bsky.social) April 23, 2025 at 1:06 AM




As those who have studied history understand, an autism registry is a five alarm fire… Are you paying ATTENTION, yet?!
— Jeras Ikehorn… 😎 🌊🐾🌴🌈✨ (@jerasikehorn.bsky.social) April 23, 2025 at 5:36 PM



I’m curious which tattoos will get you on the new autism registry
— Scott Shapiro (@scottjshapiro.bsky.social) April 23, 2025 at 7:34 AM


@ChrisDJackson/X

The leading cause of death for children in the United States is gun violence.

As many pointed out, this fact is not something the Trump administration wants to address. Instead, conspiracy theorists like RFK Jr. seemingly want to weed out those they find undesirable, like people with autism.

Who's next?

Seven states already have some sort of autism registries created in the wake of the antivaxxer movement: Delaware, Indiana, North Dakota, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Utah and West Virginia.

New Hampshire had an autism database, but in June 2024, the state passed legislation repealing the state's autism registry and directing their Department of Health and Human Services to destroy the individual records in it.

More from News

man and woman with cardboard boxes on their heads with faces drawn on them
julio andres rosario ortiz on Unsplash

People Describe The Most Unhinged Things They've Seen Someone Do In Public

One person's "most unhinged thing they've ever seen" is another person's everyday occurrence. It's all about perspective.

If you live 24/7 in an insane environment, unhinged starts to seem completely normal.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images

The Rock's Viral Daughter's Birthday Video

Can you smell what The Rock is cooking? Luckily, it’s just his daughter’s birthday cake—and lots of happy smiles.

Girl dad Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson laid the smackdown on a Hello Kitty-themed birthday cake for his now 6-year-old daughter, Tiana Johnson.

Keep ReadingShow less
JB Pritzker
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

JB Pritzker Calls For 'Mass Protests' From Democrats In Blistering Speech—And MAGA Is Fuming

A speech by Illinois Democratic Governor JB Pritzker appears to have triggered Elon Musk and other members of Republican President Donald Trump's MAGA movement.

During a speech in New Hampshire, Governor Pritzker called for mass protests against the Trump regime.

Keep ReadingShow less
Logan Paul
Steven Ferdman/Getty Images

YouTuber Logan Paul Dragged After Worrying He'd Be Branded 'Woke' For Admitting That 'Women Have It Hard'

Controversial influencer Logan Paul was criticized after making a bizarre confession on a recent episode of his reality show Paul American about women and wokeness—yes, you read that correctly.

For the political right, "wokeness" or "wokeism" generally refers to a left-leaning perspective that acknowledges the widespread existence of racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination in American society.

Keep ReadingShow less
Natasha Rothwell; Donald Trump
Michael Tran/AFP via Getty Images; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Natasha Rothwell Just Changed Up Her Daily Tweet Ripping 'Trash' Trump Once Again—And It's A Classic

White Lotus actor Natasha Rothwell has been criticizing President Donald Trump for months, issuing daily tweets declaring, "@realDonaldTrump you are trash," to let everyone know exactly how she feels—and she has now decided to hilariously change things up following Pope Francis' funeral.

Rothwell is well known for her consistency.

Keep ReadingShow less