1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

Please follow the lead of Illinois governor JB Pritzker in blocking the federal government from collecting personal health data related to autism for PA residents. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced last week a plan to use data maintained by the National Institutes of Health, and claims submitted for Medicare and Medicaid coverage, to determine the causes of autism. This follows from his scientifically-disproven belief that autism is caused by vaccines as well as his ableist belief that people with autism don't have lives worth living. Please issue an executive order that bans state agencies from disclosing personally identifiable autism-related data outside of state government unless the person or their guardian gives consent, it’s required by legal action or if it’s necessary to provide services such as employment or housing or is otherwise required by law. State contractors, vendors and grant recipients should also be covered. Above all, please protect the citizens of Pennsylvania from this dangerous invasion of privacy motivated by anti-scientific beliefs.