I wonder if she knew what was going to happen to her | Rosemary Kennedy #history

Rosemary Kennedy, the third child of Joseph and Rose Kennedy and older sister to John F. Kennedy, led a deeply tragic life shaped by an ill-fated lobotomy in her early twenties. Born in 1918, Rosemary experienced intellectual and developmental challenges from an early age, leading her family to seek various treatments and schooling to help her. Although she showed signs of emotional instability and behavioral struggles, she was generally outgoing and loved by her family. However, in the 1940s, her behavior reportedly became harder to manage, and mental health treatment options at the time were limited and experimental.

In 1941, at just 23, Rosemary underwent a prefrontal lobotomy—a procedure that was still new and highly controversial. Her father, Joseph Kennedy, arranged the surgery without the full knowledge or approval of Rosemary’s mother, hoping it would "calm" her. Unfortunately, the lobotomy left Rosemary with significant impairments. The procedure, involving crude incisions through the skull to sever connections in the prefrontal cortex, aimed to control erratic behavior but often left patients with severe cognitive and physical disabilities. In Rosemary's case, the procedure rendered her mostly incapacitated, with a permanently diminished mental capacity and limited mobility. Following the surgery, Rosemary was sent to an institution and remained largely out of the public eye for the rest of her life.

The consequences of Rosemary's lobotomy affected the Kennedy family profoundly. Rosemary’s siblings, particularly Eunice Kennedy Shriver, became champions for disability rights and mental health advocacy. This influence helped lead to the founding of the Special Olympics in 1968 and other initiatives aimed at supporting those with intellectual disabilities. Rosemary passed away in 2005 at age 86, her life a poignant reminder of the devastating impacts of early psychiatric interventions.

[Lyras-Letters]

Here's more disgusting details:

Rosemary Kennedy was Lobotomized in 1941.

The doctor and the nurses had her recite poems and sing as they cut her brain. They only stopped once the singing subsided and she was silent... She wasn't able to walk or talk after the procedure.

Source:

[hansgustaf]

The best hidden secret of the "glorious" Kennedy clan. 😢😢 But the British Royals also had some dark secrets about disabled family members...

[KAH]

My grandfather, a WW1 vet, adored JFK, but could not stand Joe Kennedy. He said Joe was crooked to his very soul. I think what he did to his daughter proves it.

[FairLadySpiny]

Discovered a page about her on Wikipedia years ago and I think about her A LOT. She was just a mentally ill young woman and her daddy decided to scramble her brains when he didn’t have enough control over her.. She was likely “acting out” due to her already existing disability acquired when oxygen was cut off during birth and the lobotomy made it worse…But please keep in mind that accounts of “female hysteria”/mental illness have been grossly misunderstood or exaggerated historically, so the men in the family wouldn’t have to live with the guilt. It is a lot easier to sleep at night knowing you had your daughter lobotomized if you convince yourself that it is necessary or deserving.

Rosemary deserved so much better than the cruel life that was handed to her only for it to be snatched away just as she started to come into her own and figure out who she was with her disabilities.

It is no coincidence that so many women and disabled people have ended up with permanent/worsening disabilities, mutilated or dead at the hands of men in their lives when they are deemed to be “uncontrollable.” This is not just a thing of the past, look at what Britney Spears family did to her.

[brookelynnwu]

This makes me so sad, just FYI her mom didn’t know, her siblings did not know, when they found out they got her out of there and cared for her for the rest of her life, her father was the only one who had an ïssue with her being “different.”

[mirimeerkat]

When she was born, there was a doctor who insisted on delivering her but he was busy so the nurse held her inside the birth canal which gave her brain damage. After her father had her lobotomy done, he told the family she was sent away for mental help. Her mother and siblings found out AFTER the father died what happened so they brought her home. Her siblings fought for people like their sister and because of them we have the American with Disabilities Act

[susanfurlong]

There are still "leftover" attitudes about "female hysteria" today. This is a sad reality. If your Healthcare team is "dismissive" about your issues, find another one immediately.

[elizabethlinsay]

She was hyper active, perhaps bipolar. No reason to do that to her. At least her family rescued her and brought her back to them after the horrid father died.

[apope]

Poor girl was told her behavior was bad when she was just dealing out reactionary abuse due to being gaslit in an age of insanity…. They couldn’t have her challenging their system or even being a possible threat….

[shannonmaire]

Poor Rosemary 💔 I have been thinking a lot lately about the pain our mothers and women of the past went through. We are still going through it.

[Ova-bvos]

This was done to women who were unhappy in their marriage and wanted a divorce(usually because they married a guy they didn't want to but had to due to the fact that very few women could live independently at the time). It was touted as a way to make them meek and submissive, always smiling, never talking back (or talking much at all)

Overly sexual women were labotomised, whether it was true or not. Women who cried too much even if it was over the death of a loved one etc. it was insanity. Women have been locked up for centuries for same reasons too.

[TeenDream]

I always wondered what would've happened if her mother hadn't deprived her of oxygen waiting for a doctor. the nurses told Rosemary's mother to close her legs and hold the baby in until a doctor arrived to deliver the baby, as nurses in the time weren't really allowed to deliver on their own.

[winonaisbetter]

I feel so terrible for her. Having to get a lobotomy that young and having to go through that is absolutely disgusting and saddens me. The “Girl, Interrupted” audio suits it as I know the backstory to the audio. I hope she is treated better in another universe compared to this one. :(

[sarajstevensonss]

Why do families always treat that one, differently? Seen her being outspoken and full of energy. Anyone would have mood swings if you’re being manipulated all the time. Cruel father

[iivsiox]

Her father and the doctor who did that to her, were absolute monsters.

[LindaJones-gqbb]

The Father did this, everyone was told she died

[TSV]

The book My Lobotomy by Howard Dully is another great resource on the horrors of lobotomies. A shameful time in our history.

[spiritindasky]

What a beautiful young woman! Shame on her father.

[LynnMosher-zp]

Dear God. His own daughter. She was beautiful. 😢

[rose]

*Another woman named Rose who was the sister of a very famous man who was sent for a lobotomy by her parents is Rose Isabel Williams; sister of playwright Tennessee Williams.* 😢