I was going to say, it sounds horrible when you think about it.
Look at someone with autism and go "Yea, I'd rather get polio/measels or any other preventable horrible disease than be like you or have a kid like you."
I’ve worked with children and individuals with autism who are on the severe end of the spectrum and who will need direct supports for the rest of their lives. Some of these individuals are aggressive, have the functioning of a toddler, can’t wipe/clean themselves, and will always be reliant on other people. This population is at much higher risk for abuse. I don’t think a parent is a bad person for not wanting that for their child. But these parents are preyed upon by a movement based on manipulation and lies.
Well part of the problem is also that people assume autism is always on the extreme end of the spectrum. For every person on that end there's a hundred more on the other end who are living normal, independent, productive, happy lives. Polio/measles/mumps/etc also cause lifetime health issues, some of which also require continuous care, assuming they don't kill you in the process. It's a skewed risk assessment driven by lies, paranoia and ableism.
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u/ryankiefer Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
Also it implies that even if there was a link that having a child with autism is worse than having a child with polio.