NIH Rejects RFK Jr.'s Autism Registry Plan Amid Backlash

The NIH says it won't be creating an 'autism registry,' defying what the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary, RFK Jr. has ordered.

Instead, it will be using existing data to create a database to research the condition.

'We are not creating an autism registry. The real-world data platform will link existing datasets to support research into causes of autism and insights into improved treatment strategies,' an official for the Nation Institutes of Health emailed CBS News.

The director of the NIH, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya outlined a plan to collect confidential health data, as part of RFK Jr.'s general plan to research autism. This led to a great deal of backlash from the public, linking the idea to eugenics and ableism.

RFK Jr. previously claimed that his department will know what 'causes' autism by September.