Autism Politics: Where the Current Presidential Candidates Stand

I am becoming more and more disenchanted with the Autism Association of America. When I approached them seven years ago for doctor recommendations and support group information I couldn't get anyone to return a phone call. Last year when I was trying to get an interview with someone about autism for internet radio the ASA wouldn't give me the time of day. In fact, they hung up on me. There was no nicety of saying "We aren't interested" or anything of the like. I was just coldly hung up on. The other thing that is starting to get on my nerves horribly about them is that you can only find out the full extent of what they are doing to raise awareness is to become a paying member.

Every so often, one of the mailing lists that I belong to sends out an article from the Autism Advocate, the newsletter of the ASA. This time I was sent a copy of the ASA's Questions for the Candidates. The ASA really only has six questions they want the presidential candidates to answer. These questions have to do with funding of services through Medicaid waivers and insurance issues, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and a number of things pulled straight from the Expanding the Promise for Individuals with Autism Act of 2007 which hasn't even made the congressional floor for discussion and debate.

What wasn't addressed was the environmental stance on the candidates. While autism mostly falls under medical reform and research, there is some question about environmental concerns. A good portion of the autism community charges that heavy metal poisoning is responsible for autism.

The questions asked shows that the ASA isn't paying attention. It was easier for them to post these questions in the Autism Advocate (and I hope send them to the candidates directly) than do the small amount of research I did to find the answers.

Hillary Clinton

Hillary has paid the most lip service to autism to the joy of many parents and adults with autism. If nothing else it shows she is paying attention and knows what is important to the people. She is aware that this is a large enough community that it's better to have them side with you than against you, especially when a few thousand votes have been known to make a difference.

On March 20, 2007 a three page press release was put on her website regarding HR 1881, the Expanding the Promise for Individuals with Autism Act of 2007, and her support of it. She may support it, but here we are nine months after it was introduced to congress and nothing has been done with it. It's not even scheduled for debate. It doesn't do any good to support something that is sitting on a shelf ignored and collecting dust.

June 4, 2006 Mrs. Clinton served as the Honorary Chair for an autism walk sponsored by Autism Speaks, a two year old non-profit group that mainly focuses on genetic causes of autism. There has been some debate in various autism groups about hypocrisy and questionable practices of Autism Speaks, things that I have attempted to research and have not been able to prove or disprove. At any rate, for Hillary, her participation was good for publicity. Doing events like these she is bound to learn something and obtain a first hand glimpse of what those affected by autism deal with each day.

What is interesting though is that Autism Facts, a parent advocacy group that has done a remarkable job of documenting on their website the politics of autism, and is closely following the candidates, doesn't think as high of Hillary Clinton's efforts where autism is concerned as Hillary would like people to think.
What stood out to me in their report on Hillary was the reports from parents that she rarely answers letters and e-mails sent to her from parents of autistic children, and on the rare occasions when she does answer them it is months later by form letter and does not address anything she was asked. I have to wonder how she can be paying good lip service to something for good publicity, while, at the same time alienating those same people.

She has spoke out against mercury emissions and other environmental mercury, yet she supported $200 million dollars for increased vaccine production, education and increased vaccination rates for influenza. This is a vaccine that is known to contain Thimerosal (a highly concentrated form of mercury) that is given to infants, children and pregnant women. Outside of the does Thimerosal cause autism? debate, it is something that has been removed from most other vaccines because of questionable safety and possible health risks. I am curious, and so are a number of other parents, if the $283,439 in campaign contributions made by the pharmaceutical industry so far this year alone has anything to do with her turning a blind eye to the mercury contained in vaccines. It's contradictory to say that we need to clean up mercury in the environment where people don't get sick but still allow it to be injected directly into the body.

Barak Obama

Obama has come out and said publicly that he supports people with autism but has not addressed it specifically. His health care plan will greatly benefit those families affected by autism by lowering out of pocket health care costs and addressing the gaps in health care among certain populations.

Autism Facts places Obama in the same boat as Hillary. He has great ideas for health care and removing environmental mercury, while keeping in mind the interests of the pharmaceutical companies who have contributed $275,934 to his campaign so far this year. They are also charging that he changed the statement on his web site regarding autism under the pressure of those that believe that better diagnostic criteria and better awareness is responsible alone for the rise in the number of cases in autism. Autism Facts, however, does not provide the original wording of his website for comparison.

Mike Gravel

Unfortunately I have found very little on how he is addressing the autism issue. His website is rather vague in general and he relies on YouTube videos more than the other candidates. This makes it a little harder to isolate how his stance on specific things. Autism Facts doesn't even have much information on him beyond wanting universal health care.

John McCain

McCains main concern with the health care system is the escalating costs. He has not addressed autism and Autism Facts rates him just a bit lower than Obama and Clinton. John McCain opposed the protection of pharmaceutical companies from vaccine injury in the Homeland Security Act and co-sponsored the Combating Autism Act. His concerns for the environment are mixed and only addresses carbon dioxide emissions.

Mitt Romney

Mr. Romney believes that market reform will fix health care problems and has been criticized over his response to a mother of an autistic boy by launching into a speech about the amount of money NIH spends on research for various diseases and used this as a launching platform to talk about stem cell research. He never addressed the issue. He also does not address any environmental issues.

Mike Huckabee

The most that Huckabee has done for autism is spend $400 for a hair cut for an autism fundraiser. No one can answer the question if he did this for the publicity or because he truly supports autism. His health care platform is that it isn't the governments responsibility and he has no environmental platform.

Ron Paul

Ron Paul, logically, is the best candidate to speak out on health concerns. Before going into politics he was an obstetrician and gynecologist. He has more first hand experience dealing directly with insurance companies and patients. He has seen the health care industry in action as more than just a patient and politician. He has been on the front lines, at it were.

Autism Facts is most impressed with Ron Paul when it comes to autism. Mr. Paul is a big proponent against mandatory and forced vaccines and has introduced and co-sponsored bills to do some real research into vaccinated vs. unvaccinated populations that is to include overall health outcomes and the incidence of autism. He also has yet to address any environmental concerns.