Rosemary Kennedy: Challenging RFK Jr.’s Views on Autism
By Kadin McElwain
NNPA NEWSWIRE — The Kennedys has a history of dealing with autism and intellectual disabilities. More specifically, Rosemary Kennedy, dubbed “The Forgotten Kennedy”, was most likely on the autism spectrum during the ’50s and ’60s. Unfortunately
Right now, Robert F. Kennedy Jr is in the process of getting the Senate votes needed to become the Secretary of Health and Human Services in the United States. During this process, the 71-year-old politician was called for various comments made about the link between autism and vaccines. This includes calling autism “non-existent”, “tragic”, and “an epidemic”, all of which Kennedy Jr refused to explain during the hearing. This was further supported by President Donald Trump, who said we “needed Bobby” to combat the 1-in-32 autism diagnoses in children that happen every year in the United States. This is highly hypocritical of Kenedy Jr.
The Kennedys has a history of dealing with autism and intellectual disabilities. More specifically, Rosemary Kennedy, dubbed “The Forgotten Kennedy”, was most likely on the autism spectrum during the ’50s and ’60s. Unfortunately, instead of helping her be able to function in society and make a name for herself like her famous siblings, patriarch Joe Kennedy Sr had Rosie lobotomized, thrown into a group home, and abandoned for decades until she died in 2005. Robert F. Kennedy Jr didn’t have the right to call autism “a tragedy” and “non-existent” when his family failed his autistic aunt to protect their image. Here is the story of Rosemary Kennedy.
Rosemary’s Struggles
Rosemary was born on September 18th, 1918, the third child of Joe Kennedy Sr and Rose Fitzgerald. Due to deprivation of oxygen at birth, she struggled throughout her life with intellectual disabilities. This included mood swings, elopement, and struggles with academics, many of which are common symptoms of being autistic. Despite her struggles, she still lived a fulfilling life, participating in family activities and even working in England during her father’s time as ambassador to the country. But her struggles were still evident.
At 22, Rosemary “seemed to be going backward”. Her family tried to get her help, sending her to multiple places to give her a chance at life. But during the 30s and 40s, getting her help was complicated and the resources that were available at the time were either extremely scarce or didn’t have enough knowledge on disabilities to help Rosemary. Joseph Kennedy Sr knew that his family’s political careers would be ruined if something wasn’t done soon. So, in 1941, he made a decision that would leave a scar on the Kennedy legacy forever.
The Lobotomy
The lobotomy procedure was preached as something that would help individuals with mental health problems during the time of the Kennedy family’s rise to power. Mental health was widely misunderstood at this time, so society thought that lobotomy was the only way to help those with mental health issues. During the period of the procedure before its discontinuation in the 1960s, 40,000 people were lobotomized in the United States alone. Rosemary was one of these individuals. Joseph Kennedy Sr was so desperate to get their daughter the help she needed and save the family’s reputation in the process, that he thought this would be the only way. He didn’t inform anyone, including his wife, of the decision.
Unfortunately, this left Rosemary with the mental capacity of a two-year-old. She couldn’t walk, she couldn’t talk, and she couldn’t look after herself. So Kennedy Sr had her institutionalized in New York, and then eventually Wisconsin, where she would live for the rest of her life. This secret was kept by the rest of the family for 20 years until John F. Kennedy was elected to the presidency in 1961. Then in 1987, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin revealed the lobotomy to the public. Although Rosemary was implemented into family activities again once the Kennedy siblings were made aware of the institution she was at, she died alone in 2005 of natural causes, having lived only a fraction of what could’ve been a promising life had it not been for Kennedy Sr’s poor decision.
The Bigger Picture and Righting the Wrongs
Joseph Kennedy Sr was misguided when it came to helping Rosemary. He had genuine love for his daughter but also had to protect his family’s reputation by any means necessary, given the stigmatizations surrounding individuals with disabilities during this time. So, he thought lobotomy was the only way to help her. But the Kennedy family has been making an effort to help those with disabilities, to right their wrongs. During the Kennedy administration, President Kennedy signed the Developmental Disabilities Assistance Act into law, assuring that those with physical or mental disabilities would get more resources than ever before to help them live fulfilling lives. Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Ethel Kennedy, and Ted Kennedy have also made efforts to raise awareness about disability rights in this country, which has led to resources being created to help these people, including those on the spectrum.
To conclude, Robert Kennedy Jr has no right to shame people with autism and further stigmatize the disorder when his own family is trying to clean up a misguided mess they made with Rosemary. This makes him a huge hypocrite and puts shame on the Kennedy family name. But the potential Health and Human Services Secretary can still do the right thing. If he is sworn in next week by the Senate, RFK Jr can help further research surrounding autism to better the resources that are available to these individuals currently. He can also use his voice to further advocate for disability rights and join his family in righting the wrongs of their past. Even though the Kennedy family has made a mess, Kennedy Jr can clean up his portion and help make a fair and equal world for all.