To the Editor:
On Wednesday, the News published a letter protesting a program scheduled for Saturday, March 12, at the Watertown Free Public Library. The author, Julie Cotton, had already sent a version of the letter to the Library Director and Trustees and requested they cancel the program. The sponsoring organization, Talk About Curing Autism (TACA), was founded by parents who believe that certain unproven medical interventions can benefit, even cure, their autistic children. These therapies are controversial and widely believed to be ineffective, potentially dangerous, and supported by flawed research. In 2014, the FDA issued a consumer update on the subject under the headline “Beware of False or Misleading Claims for Treating Autism.”
I sympathize with the Ms. Cotton. I understand her rage against a group that she perceives as preying on vulnerable parents with risky “snake-oil cures.” At the same time, a visit to TACA’s website convinced me of the sincerity, if not the validity, of their mission. It was a hard call, but I could see no reason to consider cancellation given the library’s meeting room policy: “meeting rooms are made available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of the groups making the request.” Other Trustees felt the same way. A proviso in the policy, however, allows for exceptions at the discretion of the Director or the Trustees “as they deem in the best interest of the library and the community.” That little “or” opened the possibility of a unilateral decision by the Director, Leone Cole—one which, because of profound implications for First Amendment rights, she wisely vetted with the Town Attorney.
In the end, the Attorney determined that the library cannot deny the use of a meeting room based on the expected content of the meeting. I have learned from subsequent reading that there is longstanding precedent for this finding. Courts have ruled that the library is a “limited public forum” in which the First Amendment prevents discrimination with respect to what is communicated. This principle has been most famously invoked in collection development decisions: a public library may not exclude books of the basis of subject (e.g., abortion rights) although it may apply other selection criteria: critical reception, popularity, cost, etc. Libraries whose meeting room policies contain exclusionary language have been challenged in the courts and have lost. This past October, the Lawrence Public Library was sued by a right-wing advocacy group and required to remove a statement that prohibited “proselytizing” by religious groups.
So the TACA meeting will proceed as planned. I can’t speak for anyone but myself, but I’m pretty sure that no member of the Trustees or library staff is insensitive to the issues raised by Ms. Cotton’s letter or to the need for “good” information to counter the “bad.” In that spirit, Ms. Cole has arranged for the library to observe Autism Awareness Month in April with a display of library materials and a program featuring speakers on the subject. Ms. Cotton and other concerned citizens have been invited to participate in the planning. I hope that anyone reading this who cares about autism will also get involved.
Please note, that I am writing this as a private citizen. The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent those of the administration or Trustees of the WFPL.
Sincerely,
Carol Tierney
Oliver Street
I welcome everyone to attend. My daughter will be in attendance. She was diagnosed with moderate severe autism 2.5 years of age. Thanks to TACA and Dr. Theo my daughter is no longer in the moderate to severe range on the autism spectrum. If you chose to protest please do your due diligence before attending. It is an opportunity to become informed and educated. 1 in 45 children in our country are on the autism spectrum. 1 in 17 grandparents have a grandchild on the autism spectrum in our country. If we aren’t informed the research out of Stanford indicates half to a trillion dollars per year by 2025 will come out of our national budget yes the tax payers will pay for autism.
Kudos to the library for looking at what TACA offers more closely. Ms. Cotton should only concern herself with the welfare of her own children. I don’t need her to parent mine. TACA helps families in so many ways and for Ms. Cotton to focus solely on one area which she does not agree is a disservice to the very community that she supposedly is advocating for. You should stay home tomorrow, Ms. Cotton. It’s Saturday. Why on earth you want to go make trouble for families who do not agree with you is beyond me. Your kids need you home and not at the library causing trouble because of some warped agenda you have. The people you are going to the library to argue with are parents dealing with autism. They are not “selling”anything, the do not profit in anyway, they are just volunteers. Get off the phone, stop making flyers, shut down your computer and focus on your own children. They need your help.
I’m surprised Ms. Tierney edited the email she sent to me which makes it far more ambiguous. It doesn’t state very clearly that she is one of the library trustees.
I am not concerned with the individual perspectives of people who disagree with me. That is their right.
Again, I urge any parents of children on the spectrum– especially recently diagnosed children whose parents are seeking a direction to go in for support– to utilize the available proven science and understanding of autism before falling too quickly into thinking that there is a powerful and under-utilized food- and supplement-driven treatment plan that will “fix” autism. There is not. There are, however, some fabulous support networks available in Watertown, such as our SEPAC and Watertown Autism Family Support Group. I feel very confident in my position, having the backing of medical science on these issues, and hate only to see parents who need a lifeline get misled by false promises. (And individually, for any families who are looking for help, contact me via Facebook and I’m happy to help connect you with the resources I’m familiar with.)