Chief Justice John Roberts — a George W. Bush appointee — surprised many conservatives when he wrote the majority opinion upholding Obamacare’s individual mandate, but now some conservative activists are trying to link the side effects of Roberts’ epilepsy medication to his jurisprudence.
On his radio show yesterday, right-wing host Michael Savage — who has previously called autism a “phony disease” — claimed that Roberts’ epilepsy is the root cause of his “cognitive dissociation” in the Obamacare ruling:
Let’s talk about Roberts. I’m going to tell you something that you’re not going to hear anywhere else, that you must pay attention to. It’s well known that Roberts, unfortunately for him, has suffered from epileptic seizures. Therefore he has been on medication. Therefore neurologists will tell you that medication used for seizure disorders, such as epilepsy, can introduce mental slowing, forgetfulness and other cognitive problems. And if you look at Roberts’ writings you can see the cognitive dissociation in what he is saying.
Listen:
Another right-wing radio host, Bryan Fischer, echoed Savage’s sentiments in a tweet citing a 2007 New York Times piece about the Chief Justice.
NYT, ’07: Roberts’ epilepsy meds “troubling side effects,” include “mental slowing and forgetfulness.”nyti.ms/LU0dgv
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanJFischer) June 29, 2012
In true form, the Drudge Report also linked to Savage’s comments in the wake of the ruling.
It’s remarkable that epilepsy is somehow still stigmatized significantly more than other neurological disorders. It’s even more remarkable that Savage, Fischer, and Drudge would stoop this low.
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