Robert F. Kennedy Jr. photo: Scott Eisen / Getty images
The nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the post of US Secretary of Health and Human Services has sparked a flurry of criticism due to his anti-vaccination views and support for discredited healthcare conspiracy theories, The Guardian reports .
Donald Trump, the US president up for a second term, announced his decision in a post on Truth Social on Thursday. He stated that Americans “are suffering because of the food and pharmaceutical industries” and that Kennedy would “restore gold-level scientific standards and transparency to end the chronic disease epidemic and make America healthy again”.
An explosion of criticism from experts and the public
Public Citizen, a progressive consumer advocacy organisation, called Kennedy “a clear and present danger to the nation’s health”.
“Trump’s policies during the COVID pandemic have cost hundreds of thousands of lives. Kennedy’s appointment could spark a new healthcare disaster,” the organisation said.
Dr Apu Akkad, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, called it a “terrible day for public health” and stressed the importance of making decisions based solely on scientific evidence.
Criticism from the political front
Democratic California Congressman Robert Garcia harshly criticised the nomination: “He is a tinfoil-hat vaccine denier and conspiracy theorist. He will destroy our healthcare infrastructure and vaccine distribution system.”
Lawyer and political commentator George Conway called Trump’s latest appointments “some of the worst in US history”, particularly singling out Kennedy, Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence and Matt Goetz as Attorney General.
The dubious reputation and consequences of Kennedy’s activities
Kennedy, known for his anti-vaccination views, helped spread disinformation in Samoa in 2018 after the accidental deaths of two babies due to the wrong vaccine. This led to a sharp drop in vaccination rates and a measles outbreak that killed 83 children.
In addition, Kennedy promotes ideas that contradict scientific evidence, including opposing water fluoridation, supporting raw milk as a “healing product” and promoting ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19, despite the lack of scientific evidence.
Kennedy’s appointment could be a test for US public health, which critics say is at risk from ill-conceived policies and a disregard for evidence-based medicine.
