Another day, another post.
I apologize in advance if there are any errors in this, I'm writing this on my phone while out, which makes it hard to proof read.
Yesterday, a group called Spectrum10K announced they had a new project they were working on, in which they wanted 10,000 Autistic people to send DNA samples to "aid with [their] well-being"
Sounds great, doesn't it?
Unfortunately, there's a lot wrong with this.
Firstly, their plan. You don't need DNA to benefit wellbeing. Autistic people are constantly explaining what is bothering them about the world. Our lack of employment, lack of support, constantly being talked over, misdiagnosed, abused, taken advantage of, and having other people's agendas forced on us, for a few examples.
Secondly, their behaviour. Rightly, Autistic people were concerned about the nature of this study, as we are frequently taken advantage of for the sake of researchers getting a paycheck. Because of this, many of us began questioning the group through Twitter regarding their intents and the nature of the study.
While doing this, we were frequently ignored by the group, and the few answers we did get were extremely vague and contradictory. They swear they're not working on eugenics (the process of becoming capable of removing Autism via the genetic sequence or preventing it during pregnancy) however also state that any group can request to use their data after the study FOREVER. They promise to only let responsible, non-eugenics groups use it, but they will also be the only people responsible for judging who is acceptable (with no promise of how many, if any, Autistic people will be involved in that process)
To consent to this study is a blanket (and therefore uninformed) consent to be in every study from here on out that they allow the DNA to be used for, and you will never be compensated or informed for your participation in these studies.
As well as this, it is unclear (mostly because they won't answer) what exactly our DNA will do to help our wellbeing. They expect us to just trust them about what they intend to do and how it will help, after we've spent years being abused for research.
Following this, it was then also revealed they have ties to Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, the man who created the Autistic theory of mind myth, and the myth that only men can be Autistic (which to this day impacts the ability of women and many people of colour to be diagnosed Autistic) and overall, a very negative influence in the Autistic community.
The most important thing to note is that Spectrum10K is a BAD thing that can only be focused on harming us. Please, whatever you do, do not take part in this study. A future where a eugenics program has easy access to the DNA & genetics of 10,000+ Autistic people will only lead to Autism being a legal reason to abort children, or "treatments" for Autism that will be dangerous, and risk changing everything about Autistic people until we're near extinct and neurodiversity dies.
I again apologize for any possible spelling or grammatical errors here, I am writing this on my phone out in the sun and the screen is almost completely dark (it's just not a very bright screen when in direct sunlight)
Thanks for reading everyone, I'll see you in the next post.
- Josh.