Thread by @thinkingautism

CN: Murder of disabled kids, murder apologia.

Dylan Freeman, an autistic boy, has been murdered by his mother. Instead of emphasizing Dylan’s right to live, the media is going on about the caregiver burden of his mother due to pandemic lockdown.

I'm here to say: Fuck that. 1/

I need you—and judges and “that poor mother” reporters like @allisonpearson everywhere—to understand that, however difficult it may be for families to support their disabled loved ones, murder is NEVER excusable. There are always other options. Always.

Dylan should be alive. 2/

@allisonpearson It’s jarring how much reporters' descriptions of victims like Dylan resemble my son: He’s a high-support autistic dude. He’s minimally speaking. And because he needs (and deserves) full-time support, my husband and I are automatically considered good, selfless people. 3/

@allisonpearson The media has demonstrated consistently that they would sympathize with ME if I hurt my son. This makes me scream, & want to vomit: That *I* would be the victim for hurting my child who depends on, loves, and trusts us whole-heartedly—just because he was born disabled. 4/

@allisonpearson It’s really clear that, if I hurt my son, media would write off his murder as a "burden being lifted." This IS UNACCEPTABLE.

My son’s life has value. He matters.
Autistic and disabled lives have value. They matter. 5/

@allisonpearson I blame the tendency of such twisted dismissals of the value of autistic lives like my son' on the constant negative media barrage about autism, especially the recurring theme of how awful it is to be an parent of an autistic kid like my son:

medium.com/the-establishm…

6/

When stories about "loving parents" violate the most private moments of the autistic children in question, listeners are further conditioned to see parents as victims and their kids as unreachable and inhuman. Most parent gazes of autistic children are dehumanizing, scarily. 7/

And knock off the “not enough services” excuse, per @Cal__Montgomery:

"Filicide & other violence against autistic people is one conversation. The services conversation is another. They are both important, but they are separate. Mixed, they can have deadly consequences.”

8/

So here’s the takeaway: Journalists, parents, everyone:

STOP EMPATHIZING WITH PARENTS WHO MURDER AUTISTIC AND DISABLED CHILDREN.

START TREATING MURDERS OF DISABLED CHILDREN THE SAME AS MURDERS OF ANY OTHER CHILDREN: REPREHENSIBLE:

thinkingautismguide.com/2014/11/how-as…

And I’m out.

9/9