Abuse of word ‘autism’ banned in Portuguese Parliament

From Volume 5 Number 1 (print edition only)

LISBON, Portugal: The inappropriate use of the words “autism” and “autistic” has been banned in the Lisbon Assembly. The move was largely the initiative of Lussi Carloto Marques, a deputy from the Partido Social Democrata (PSD) and was unanimously approved by all parties.
    Declaring that the Portuguese language was “particularly rich and diverse,” Marques wrote to the Speaker of the Assembly, Jaime Gama, to say that the use of the terms “autistic” and “autism” should be restricted to the “proper and suitable context - that is, when relating to analysis of the rights of children and youths with autism.”
     Marques argued that there were “many expressions to refer to situations of ‘alienation,’“ and Parliament should set an example by refusing to “use discriminatory expressions which involve citizens who are ‘different’.”
    Ana Maria Gonçalves, vice-president of the northern delegation to the Portuguese Association for Devlopmental Disorders and Autism (APPDA), said she was totally in support of the move to ban the abusive use of the two terms in Parliament: “It is not acceptable in educated people, as deputies are. We must use other words, set an example and speak good Portuguese.”
    Dr Isabel Cottinelli Telmo, the Portuguese member of Autism-Europe’s Council of Administration, told Adam Feinstein, Editor of Looking Up: “This was really a great victory after years of intensive struggle. The move was actually proposed by many MPs, including a Socialist deputy from Madeira, Julia Caré, who has a son with Asperger’s syndrome.”

Read recent examples of abuses of the term 'autism' in various parts of the world of in the print edition of Volume 5 Number 1 of the newsletter.

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Abuse of word ‘autism’ banned in Portuguese Parliament

Looking Up, 16-page English PDF Edition, Back Issues and Current Issue

HOW TO CONTACT US

Search our autism pages

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