A coalition of over 17,000 doctors sent a joint letter to the Senateurged its members to vote against the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Donald Trump.
Committee to protect medical care mentioned in the letter Kennedy said, “Not only is he unqualified to lead this important government agency, he is clearly dangerous.” The group called President Trump’s nomination decision “an affront to public health principles, the tireless dedication of medical professionals, and the trust that millions of Americans have in our health care system.”
The group’s main concerns about Kennedy are his long-standing promotion of conspiracy theories about vaccines and his anti-vaccination activism. The letter states that President Kennedy’s support for these unscientific concepts is a “direct threat to the safety of patients and the public.”
Vaccination has historically been a highly effective way to protect public health. Can be prevented with HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination Most cases of cervical cancerOn the other hand, polio almost eradicated After the vaccine rollout.
Despite these and many other successes, a group of doctors noted in his 2022 speech that Kennedy: compared vaccinations Policies towards the actions of Nazi Germany. They also highlighted the work of Kennedy’s nonprofit Children’s Health Defense. fighting with vaccination.
In the letter, the group also pointed to President Kennedy’s 2019 trip to Samoa, where he spoke out against vaccines. The trip was followed by a measles outbreak there that killed more than 80 people, mostly infants and young children.
Opinion polls show distrust of Kennedy, who is anti-science. An Axios/Ipsos poll conducted Dec. 6-9 found that only 30% of Americans said they trusted Kennedy on health-related topics, putting him two points ahead of Trump in the same poll. It was low.
Health experts say if the Department of Health and Human Services follows President Kennedy’s lead and neglects support for vaccinations and medical research, it could lead to a resurgence of major illnesses and infections. Under such policies, the number of people infected with measles, whooping cough, meningitis, and polio could increase explosively.
Related article: RFK Jr. faces new scrutiny over alleged links to deadly measles outbreak
When Trump last took office, he misinformed and misled the public about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. he claimed He argued that warmer weather would help the virus dissipate and complained about wearing masks to prevent the spread of infection. Ultimately, more than 396,000 Americans died from COVID-19 during his tenure.
Things could get even worse if Kennedy’s nomination is successful and his anti-science ideas are implemented.
