TBH kinda with you here, is it just the relatively recent proximity of the use of the word to refer those with intellectual disabilities?

...

I actually looked this up and found a timeline, which shows the use is much more recent in medical contexts than I thought, Rosa's Law 2010 is where it's use was superceded in federal usage.

I honestly thought it was a kinda 50s to 70s kinda deal, not 70s - 2010; this does change my perspective and opinion a little bit, and I do feel a bit more sympathy as of how it's still very much within living memory for some.

At the same time, I wonder whether those who take issue with it being used casually (not in reference to intellectual disability), take the same issue with the use of idiot, moron or imbecile, as removed was used because those terms became common place and slang, not exclusively medical words.

I think that once the cat is out of the bag, (and the fact that both the medical society, and general society has moved past a single catch all term for intellectual disability) you can't really keep a word from developing it's own life.

I will note, my opinion doesn't hold any real weight here, as I'm the UK we never had AFAIK a diagnosis of "Mental retardation"