Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s push to collect troves of personal medical data to find the cause of autism has researchers and patient advocates questioning whether his plan to cast a wide net makes it easier to pick and choose information that supports certain theories — including the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. argues that autism is caused by "an environmental toxin," which contradicts the conclusions of most autism experts. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. insists an environmental toxin is responsible for increased autism prevalence in the U.S.