In the past month, President Donald Trump has signed 73 executive orders, 23 proclamations and 12 memorandums, making 108 total executive actions, according to 4NBCNewYork. Many of those have given many Villanovans cause for concern, especially those cutting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across government and education institutions. University President Rev. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A., Ph.D. recently gave a statement that the University would be complying with the executive orders. However, the vagueness of the order causes more concern than it soothes. We could be seeing very limited cuts to programs, or we could be seeing very broad cuts of funding for identity clubs or organizations. We won’t know until it happens, because of Father Peter’s vague and nonspecific statement.
One order, EO 14212 or “Establishing the President’s Make America Healthy Again Commission” should cause particular concern for the Villanova community. The EO starts by laying out “the less than preferable” health of Americans today. This exposition frames autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, as part of a health crisis, citing the prevalence of ASD today compared to the 1980s. However, as a person with autism, this framing is very disingenuous and harmful. People with autism are not part of a crisis or problem to be solved. The rise in the number of people with autism can be attributed to the tremendous advances in psychiatry and our knowledge of autism. This has made diagnosing ASD more accurate and therefore more children have been diagnosed with ASD.
This applies to other conditions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, which the order has framed in the same harmful manner as ASD, arguing that the rise in medicated children is cause for concern. The order creates a threat of “over-utilization of medication” to American health. The Make America Healthy Again Commission, created by this order, will “assess the prevalence of and threat posed by the prescription of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, stimulants and weight-loss drugs,” per whitehouse.gov. Many others and I are on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), while effectiveness depends on the person and drug, millions of Americans’ mental health and quality of life have been improved by SSRIs.
I am not a doctor nor a psychiatrist, but I am on medications for ADHD, anxiety and depression. I can confidently say that I would not be here today if it were not for those medications and I know many, many people who feel the same way.
Beyond the misinformation and harmful rhetoric, the executive order and Make America Healthy Again Commission claim it will approach these issues in a way that “restore[s] the integrity of science” and “ensure transparency of all current data and unpublished analyses,” according to whitehouse.gov. It is hard to believe those promises considering the chairman of the Make America Healthy Again Commission will be RFK Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services.
RFK Jr., once renowned for his environmental and health legal advocacy, is now infamous for anti-vaccine rhetoric, conspiracy theories and out-of-pocket confessions. The person who will lead the commission to “restore the integrity of science” boosted claims that SSRIs are linked to school shootings despite lack of evidence. The AP reported that Kennedy also claimed “COVID-19 [was] targeted to attack Causcasians and Black people,” and Askenazi Jews and Chinese people are “immune,” despite estimates of hundreds of thousands Chinese citizens dying from COVID-19.
Kennedy also boosted claims that SSRIs are linked to school shootings despite lack of evidence, as reported by NBC News. This is cause for concern because Kennedy and his commission will be advising the President on decisions that may affect people’s ability to get prescriptions for life-saving medication. As a university, Villanova has been committed to supporting individuals like me who have conditions both in and out of the classroom. Kennedy and his commission may impact on our ability to thrive even with the University’s support, which may be impacted by the administration’s policies targeting diversity programs.
In a recent statement, Father Peter explained that the University would be complying with the orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs in education. The vagueness of the statement makes it hard to say how programs that support people with neurodivergent, mental or cognitive conditions may be affected.
The University’s compliance with the targeting of diversity, equity and inclusion programs will likely affect many identity-based groups and organizations on campus. It is very important that the Villanova community comes together to support our most affected and vulnerable community members.
