Politics & Government

Autism Ads Pulled From Metro Buses—What Do You Think?

Seattle Children's Hospital was behind the campaign, which bore a photo of a young child with the message "Let's wipe out cancer, diabetes and autism in his lifetime."

Seattle Children's Hospital has pulled a number of ads from King County Metro buses after some complained about the campaign's call to "wipe out" autism.

Do you think the bus ads were insensitive? Or are the complaints much ado about nothing? Tell us in the comments section.

As The Seattle Times reports, the ads, intended to raise awareness of the Seattle Children's Research Institute, featured a photo of a young boy with the words "Let's wipe out cancer, diabetes and autism in his lifetime."

“Autism is a disability, but it is not a disease. It is not a life-threatening illness,” Matt Young of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network's Washington chapter told the newspaper. “The idea it’s a state to be wiped out has much negative impact on our lives.”

After Young organized an online campaign against the ad, Seattle Children's issued an apology on its Facebook page, saying, "We are sorry for the hurt and anger these ads have caused – that was never their intent."

For more, click here to read the entire Seattle Times story.


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