1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

It is deeply concerning that private medical records of Americans are being amassed without consent for RFK Jr.'s controversial autism study. This raises significant privacy and ethical issues that must be addressed. We should demand transparency on how researchers will be selected, what safeguards are in place to protect confidentiality, and how this unprecedented data collection aligns with patient rights. Gathering such sensitive health information from fragmented sources on a "real-time" basis is an overreach that requires strict oversight. There needs to be a robust public dialogue involving experts, advocates and the impacted community before proceeding with studies that could stigmatize or falsely link autism to a "preventable disease." We must prioritize protecting vulnerable groups and upholding civil liberties over politically motivated endeavors that threaten to violate medical privacy on a massive scale. I urge an immediate review of these plans and a pause on implementation until concerns are adequately addressed.