How federal officials talk about health is shifting in troubling ways – and that change makes me worried for my autistic child

By: Megan Donelson, University of Dayton, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: December 27, 2025

Words: 1,470

Last Updated: 2 weeks ago

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By Megan Donelson, University of Dayton

The Make America Healthy Again movement has generated a lot of discussion about public health. But the language MAHA proponents use to describe health and disease has also raised concerns among the disability and chronic illness communities.

I’m a researcher studying the rhetoric of health and medicine – and, specifically, the rhetoric of risk. This means I analyze the language used by public officials, institutions, health …

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