The Dangerous Convergence: Iowa AG Bird's Legal Actions and RFK Jr.'s Autism Rhetoric

And A Call to Action: The Disability Community's Moment

The lawsuit backed by AG Brenna Bird that challenges section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act represents a serious threat to disability rights, despite her apparent ‘suspension’ of the suit and despite her inaccurate claims that the suit only targeted transgender protections. If successful, this challenge–temporarily suspended, can dismantle fundamental legal protections for approximately 65,000 disabled children in Iowa alone.

Even though the Attorneys General lawsuit challenging disability protections was suspended, it remains dangerous for several key reasons:

• First, suspension is not dismissal. The legal challenge still exists and apparently could be reactivated at any time, creating ongoing uncertainty for the disability community.

• Second, the lawsuit has already damaged public perception by framing disability protections as potentially unconstitutional, potentially encouraging other similar challenges.

• Third, it signals an ideological position from powerful state legal authorities that could influence future policy decisions and judicial appointments, even if this particular case never proceeds.

• Fourth, the mere existence of the lawsuit has caused many disability service providers and educational institutions to hesitate in their implementation of accommodations, fearing potential legal liability.

• Finally, the legal arguments developed for this case are now documented and available for other parties to adopt in different legal contexts, potentially creating multiple fronts of attack on disability rights.

This legal assault aligns disturbingly with RFK Jr.'s harmful rhetoric about autism. While 7-8 million Americans live with autism, RFK Jr. has promoted discredited vaccine-autism links and suggested limitations on autistic individuals' participation in society.

Both Bird's legal attacks and Kennedy's misleading statements represent a dangerous pattern: using positions of power to undermine protections for vulnerable Americans.

People often refer to Social Security as the "third rail" of American politics. There is another equally powerful rail—the millions of Americans with disabilities and their families who can exercise their collective political influence.

A Call to Action: The Disability Community's MomentIowans, families, providers and advocacy groups can press elected officials and candidates for office to demand that Bird, other Attorneys General, and RFK Jr. drop their harmful agenda, apologize for their profound lack of understanding about disabilities, and commit to restoring the civil rights protections that have been cut from federal agencies responsible for disability advocacy and protection.

This moment calls for a coordinated response that demonstrates the political strength and moral clarity of the disability community. By speaking with one voice, we can transform this threat into an opportunity to strengthen, rather than weaken, the legal frameworks that support dignity and inclusion for all Americans with disabilities. The Chinese word for "crisis" translates to "danger plus opportunity". In this time of crisis, I see opportunities for activism. It could even become a campaign issue.