Over 17,000 doctors warn Senate: RFK Jr. is 'actively dangerous'
A coalition of over 17,000 doctors sent a joint letter to the Senate, asking members to vote against Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to be secretary of health and human services under Donald Trump.
The Committee to Protect Health Care said in its letter that Kennedy is “not only unqualified to lead this essential agency—he is actively dangerous.” The group describes Trump’s decision to nominate him as “an affront to the principles of public health, the tireless dedication of medical professionals, and the trust that millions of Americans place in the health care system.”
Chief among the group’s concerns about Kennedy are his years promoting conspiracy theories about vaccines and his activism against vaccination. The letter describes Kennedy’s support for these unscientific notions as “direct threat to the safety of our patients and the public at large.”
Vaccination has historically been an extremely effective way to safeguard public health. Vaccination for HPV (human papillomavirus) prevents most cases of cervical cancer, while polio has nearly been eradicated after the deployment of a vaccine.
Despite these and many other successes, the group of doctors noted that in a 2022 speech, Kennedy compared vaccination policies to the actions of Nazi Germany. They also highlighted the work of Kennedy’s nonprofit, Children's Health Defense, in fighting against vaccination.
In its letter, the group also pointed out Kennedy’s 2019 trip to Samoa, during which he advocated against vaccines. The trip was followed by a major outbreak of measles there that killed more than 80 people (mostly babies and young children).
Public opinion polling has shown distrust for Kennedy because of his anti-science advocacy. In a Dec. 6-9 poll from Axios/Ipsos, only 30% of Americans said they trust Kennedy on health-related topics, ranking him 2 percentage points lower than Trump in the same survey.
Medical experts have said that if the Department of Health and Human Services follows Kennedy and deemphasizes support for vaccination and medical research, it could lead to a resurgence of key diseases and infections. Cases of measles and whooping cough, along with meningitis and polio, could explode under such policies.
Related story: RFK Jr. faces fresh scrutiny over alleged ties to deadly measles outbreak
When Trump was last in office, he misinformed and misled the public about the rampant COVID-19 pandemic. He argued that warm weather would lead to the virus dissipating and complained about masking to prevent the spread. Ultimately, more than 396,000 Americans died from COVID-19 while he was in power.
A successful nomination of Kennedy and the implementation of his anti-science ideas could make things much worse.
Campaign Action