Robert F. Kennedy Jr., chosen by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, has a history of spreading vaccine conspiracy theories and opposing preventative measures. His past actions, including a petition to the FDA to revoke authorization for Covid vaccines and comparisons of Covid measures to the Holocaust, have sparked controversy and concern.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — President-elect Donald Trump ’s choice to “Make America Health y Again” as the head of the Department of Health and Human Services — petitioned the government to stop the use of all 19 vaccines in the heart of the pandemic. Kennedy petitioned the Food and Drug Administration in May 2021, asking that the agency revoke authorization for Covid vaccines.
Kennedy has a long history of spreading vaccine conspiracy theories and was a vocal opponent of preventative measures during the pandemic. In 2022, at a rally organized by his group Children’s Health Defense, he compared measures around Covid to circumstances during the Holocaust. “Even in Hitler’s Germany, you could cross the Alps to Switzerland. You could hide in an attic like Anne Frank did,” he said. The petition to stop Covid vaccinations was filed on behalf of Children’s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine nonprofit that Kennedy founded. The organization has also attempted to shield doctors in Washington state who were under investigation for spreading misinformation about Covid. “Acting on this Citizen Petition will enhance the FDA’s credibility with the public,” Kennedy and Meryl Nass, at the time a physician, wrote in their petition about the Covid vaccine. In 2023, a regulatory board in Maine revoked Nass’ license and fined her $10,000 for her treatment of three patients diagnosed with Covid. She is alleged to have improperly prescribed the antiparasitic drugs ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine to these patients. In August, the FDA denied the petition. “FDA has a stringent regulatory process for licensing vaccines,” the organization wrote in its response. NBC News in November that he would not ban vaccines in his role in the Trump administration. “If vaccines are working for somebody, I’m not going to take them away,” he said. “People ought to have choice, and that choice ought to be informed by the best information …So I’m going to make sure scientific safety studies and efficacy are out there, and people can make individual assessments about whether that product is going to be good for them.” Kennedy last month. “I think he’s going to be much less radical than you would think,” he said. However, Kennedy has expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of other vaccines in the past. On X last June, he said there is “no evidence” that bird flu vaccines will work. Last week, over 17,000 doctors signed a letter urging Trump to reconsider his appointment of Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Vaccines Anti-Vaccine Department Of Health And Human Services Covid-19 FDA Children's Health Defense Donald Trump
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