Rosemary Kennedy, the eldest daughter of the Kennedy family and aunt of RFK Jr., was lobotomized in 1941.

Born with a lack of oxygen at birth, she experienced developmental disabilities, seizures, emotional outbursts and possibly autism — traits deemed “difficult” for a prominent family to manage.

At 23 years old, she was subjected to a barbaric lobotomy performed by the infamous Dr. Walter Freeman, known for his “ice pick lobotomy.”

The procedure involved inserting an orbitoclast behind the patient’s eye into the soft frontal lobe and severing connections with a quick twist. Rosemary was left unable to speak or walk.

At the time, medical decisions for women were made by fathers and husbands. Rosemary had no voice. No autonomy.

This is how the family of our current Secretary of Health and Human Services chose to handle mental health. If that’s how they treated someone they loved, how might RFK Jr. — with his misinformation about autism and vaccines — treat your children?

RFK Jr. has claimed that autistic people can’t hold jobs, pay taxes or love.

These are lies. Autism is not a disease. It is a largely genetic, neurological variation. It cannot and should not be “cured.”

Vaccines do not cause autism. Autism is a spectrum — every individual is different, and many live full, loving, successful lives.

What autistic individuals need is not a cure. They need understanding, respect and support.

Let Rosemary’s story be a warning — not just of past medical cruelty, but of present dangers when fear and ignorance guide public health narratives.

Jeremy G. Green

Duncansville