Thoughtful letter on autism and trying to “cure” it with animals
By Nicole Corrado
Dear UC Davis,
Please stop eugenics prenatal testing experiments. I agree that women have choices over their own bodies, but testing for autism antibodies so that a potentially autistic baby can be aborted is eugenics. I am autistic, and it really bothers me that people might see autism as a disease to eliminate by fetal destruction or by treatments in order to “cure” the fetus or born child.
I would also like you to stop using animal models to create and cure autism in animal fetuses and born animals. “Mocktistic Mice” and other animal models do not realistically represent autism, nor do they represent the cultural nuances of autism.
Instead of experimenting on animals and examining humans for autism prevention and cures, please talk to autistic persons to help other autistic persons live fulfilling lives with autism.
Sincerely,
Nicole Corrado
Here is a link to the article of concern.
https://health.ucdavis.edu/health-news/newsroom/biomarkers-in-mothers-plasma-predict-a-type-of-autism-in-offspring-with-100-accuracy/2021/01?fbclid=IwAR2mBmCMp67czaPa2p_lBIWpKWU2zvM4f2aMzRRA60Uf5SemLE36BA_OkGM#.YBAiNUg83bE.facebook