When a governing institution wants to stop you from doing something, one of its most effective strategies is making that thing more difficult to accomplish. Making something illegal takes a lot of work and red tape, but making something more difficult is an easier regulatory process. If they make it difficult enough, almost no one will do it, even if it’s legal or technically possible.
Part II of II of our "What Is Eugenics? Tracing the Roots of Ableism and Racism in America" series.
What is Eugenics? As the attack on people of color and people with disabilities intensifies in the United States, it’s time to step back and take a long look at the structures that have led us here. Eugenics and eugenic thinking have permeated our nation for hundreds of years, and understanding that history can help us better understand the motivations of some of our politicians today.
The Trump administration has issued subpoenas to several hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to minors, requesting personal information about patients including names, home addresses, therapy notes, and Social Security Numbers. Among these hospitals, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is fighting back. They have filed a response detailing the harm that releasing this information would cause.
RFK Jr., Health and Human Services Secretary, and chairman of the anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense, just announced the rollback of funding for mRNA vaccines. This move puts the lie to his claims (under pressure from senators at his confirmation hearing) that he would support vaccines for all Americans. Despite the Secretary’s woeful ignorance and disregard for humanity here, vaccines are scientific, evidence-based, and, in fact, work.
On July 23 we marched in Boston with over a 1,000 other disabled advocates and allies celebrating the 35th anniversary of the ADA. The next day another Executive Order (EO) was released. Several clauses in this dangerous EO require our attention and advocacy.
The order is called “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets,” and it has several sections. The order as a whole shows a lack of understanding of substance use, mental illness, and the factors that lead to homelessness. Rather than creating more affordable housing and support systems for those who need them, this order proposes institutionalizing unhoused people in order to “clean up the streets.” This is a disability rights issue – from “ugly laws,” preventing disabled people from being seen in public, to the ongoing institutionalization of people with disabilities, this is exactly the kind of rhetoric that dehumanizes people who simply need support.