Private Medical Records are Private

Years ago when I first started my blog and page, I wrote mostly about my life in general as well as chronic and invisible illnesses and how that affects my parenting style. At the time I already had a very long list of various physical and mental health diagnoses, and more diagnoses have come since then.

I wrote about pregnancy, c-sections, breast/chest feeding and other general parenting stuff, and not once has anyone ever demanded I produce documentation of my pregnancies and surgeries. Nobody has insisted that my children are made up until I provide “proof” that the births occurred. That would be *ridiculously invasive* for anyone to suggest.

I wrote about my health issues. From fibromyalgia to IBS to depression to migraines to hidradenitis suppurativa to uterine fibroids and on and on. New diagnoses came along over the years and I wrote about those as well. EDS and POTS, new symptoms and old symptoms that flare, whatever comes up is part of my life and I write about it. Not once has anyone had the audacity to insist I produce my private medical files in order to prove these facts are facts. That would be *ridiculously invasive* for anyone to attempt.

So when my most recent neurodivergent diagnoses came along a handful of years ago, I chose to write about those as well. And an interesting shift occurred.

Almost instantly I had complete strangers downright *demanding* I publicly post my diagnosis reports in order to prove to them that I belong in the conversation. It wasn’t other neurodivergent folks leading the charge, either. My amazingly wonderful NeuroKin actually welcomed me into the fold with open arms, I’ve rarely in my life felt so accepted.

The people doing this have been non-Autistic parents of Autistic children. They seem to think that since they have access to (and tend to share publicly) their own children’s private medical files that it somehow entitles them to mine. They do this to pretty much anyone who is out and proud as an Autistic adult doing any kind of online advocacy/activism.

Quite a few of my fellow Autistic advocates have felt pressured enough by months/years of online bullying and harassment about it that they actually have posted their personal, private medical records online for the world to see. Do you know what happens when they do? The same people who demanded the evidence refuse to accept it. They accuse people of forging documents, bribing medical professionals to produce false records, anything they can think of to shift the goal posts to reinforce their own cognitive dissonance.

If you disagree with them, you can’t be Autistic. If you prefer to be called Autistic (as opposed to “person with autism”), you can’t be Autistic. If you can type online and manage social media accounts, you can’t be Autistic. If you like boxing, MMA, and other organized fighting events you can’t be Autistic. If you can speak you can’t be Autistic. Or you’re just not “Autistic enough” for them to bother paying any attention to what you have to say.

So no, I won’t be posting any of my diagnostic reports. Not a single one. Not for any of my diagnoses. There are very few people in this world who are entitled to the kind of sensitive information that’s in those files and most of them are medical professionals working under strict privacy law. Because private medical records are private.