UN member states commit to preventing autism!

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In a highly disturbing development, UN member states have just committed themselves to preventing autism.

Over the past week, UN member states negotiated the post-2015 development agenda (now called "Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development"). The final text was agreed this weekend and will be adopted at a UN summit with heads of state on 25-27 September. It is quite likely the most important document to be adopted by the UN in fifteen years.

After three years of work on this agenda, suddenly last month language was introduced that calls for the prevention of developmental disorders, which includes autism.

There's nothing about this in the draft version of 8 July, a first reference in the draft of 26 July, and an extended version in the final text of 1 August. While on 26 July only "greater efforts" were called for, on 1 August suddenly it was outright commitment to prevention of autism, which in effect would mean prenatal genetic testing that allows for the abortion of foetuses "at risk" of autism.

Of all the so-called non-communicable diseases – which includes cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and so on – the only ones mentioned specifically in the agreed text are "behavioral, developmental, and neurological disorders".

Please recall that autistic persons do not view autism, a so-called developmental disorder, as a disorder or disease at all, but as a neurological difference that is equally valid.

It is disappointing, but not surprising, that none of the disability or mental health advocates present at the negotiations in New York even found it necessary to alert autistic persons to these changes threatening our very existence.

Timeline:

8 July (paragraph 24): no reference to "developmental disorders"
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/c ... 072015.pdf

26 July (now paragraph 27): "We are committed to devoting greater efforts to the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, including behavioural and developmental disorders, which constitute a major challenge for sustainable development."
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/c ... 072015.pdf

1 August (now paragraph 26): "We are committed to the prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases, including behavioral, developmental, and neurological disorders, which constitute a major challenge to sustainable development."
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/c ... option.pdf

Fortunately, prevention of developmental disorders is still only mentioned in the introduction, but not in the actual goals and targets that UN member states were reluctant to open up for further discussions.

Goal 3 is "Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages".

Target 3.4 is "By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being".

There is still a possibility that the prevention of autism will feature as an indicator (how the achievement of the targets will be measured).

These developments are a clear violation of the rights of autistic persons under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

Aspendos, I wouldn't worry too much about the last document you link to if I were you. It outlines pie-in-the-sky goals whilst using advertising and corporate jargon (ex. 'stakeholders'), whilst not going into any detail whatsoever about how they will actually set out to achieve them, leaving that up to the imagination of the reader. I can imagine many conspiracy theorists just drooling over this document. The document also mentions the fantasy of anthropogenic global warming.

Quote: "29. We commit to making fundamental changes in the way that our societies produce and consume goods and services. Governments, international organizations, the business sector and other non
-state actors and individuals must contribute to changing unsustainable consumption and production patterns. We encourage the implementation of the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production. All countries take action, with developed countries taking the lead, taki
ng into account the development and capabilities of developing countries. This should be done through the mobilization, from all sources, of financial and technical assistance to strengthen developing countries’ scientific, technological and innovative capacities to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production."

Hmm... that sounds a lot like Bolshevism to me!

No, this document is just more U.N. bureaucratic hot air. Yet another example of people who seriously need to find a real job trying to make themselves appear useful to their superiors. It's complete junk.

By the way, I couldn't find the references to autism you find so objectionable. On which page is it?

I think autism is simultaneously a disorder and a neurological difference that is part of natural diversity.

I find it disappointing that their focus is on prevention. They should be focusing on quality of life stuff and inclusion in community life.

Lintar,

When the WHO devoted itself to eliminating smallpox, I imagined that was viewed as pie-in-the-sky as well, considering that smallpox had been around since the beginning of recorded history, but they did it! (This is with the sole exception of some stockpiles held by certain countries.)

AGW is not a fantasy and is well-supported by the science. Sustainability is an important goal.

The problem is with what they plan to do with autism and other developmental disorders. They should focus on quality of life, not elimination.

I'd wait until they actually know what causes it and how to prevent it before I started worrying if I were you.

_________________
I'm giving it another shot. We will see.
My forum is still there and everyone is welcome to come join as well. There is a private women only subforum there if anyone is interested. Also, there is no CAPTCHA.

The link to the forum is http://www.rightplanet.proboards.com

This is why I told my Aspie friend not to say anything at work or school or to even get a diagnosis. We had to sign a document at work saying what disabilities we have and "Autism" was one of them. Now if you have Asperger's and are high functioning, they still have grouped you in with Autism. I don't see that as a good thing.

I am as Aspie as I am Autistic and will always be. You want to say so called "severe" autistics are more my cousins them identical twins fine, but they are still my family, my tribe and I am glad to be associated with them.

The UN changed the link to the final agreed text. It is now:

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/c ... 0WORLD.pdf
(paragraph 26)

"Prevention" of autism today is justified as a matter of financial burden to families and the state, as in a 3 August 2015 press release on research conducted in the US, which estimates "Autism Cost [...] to Reach Nearly $500 Billion, Potentially $1 Trillion, by 2025" in the US alone. Of course, that study was sponsored by Autism Speaks.

http://www.autismdailynewscast.com/auti ... ssrelease/

Autism Speaks is extremely influential at the UN and enjoys the support of the wife of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as well as a large number of first ladies the world over. They have donated at least one million US dollars for autism research and programming to the World Health Organization since 2012. The director of the WHO's mental health department is a member of Autism Speaks' Global Action Committee (established in January 2015). In 2013, the WHO held a global autism consultation together with Autism Speaks to which not a single autistic person was invited.

Autism Speaks' Global Autism Public Health Initiative, led by Bangladesh and spearheaded by the daughter of the Bangladeshi Prime Minister, has already established collaborations with 60 countries, along the medicalized model of autism as an epidemic. They do not make any distinction between classical autism and Asperger's.