Donald Trump picked Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human services, despite Kennedy being a loud voice against vaccines and a conspiracy theorist.
According to the Guardian, Kennedy “is the son of the former attorney general and presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy and the nephew of president John F Kennedy.”
Kennedy first decided to run as a presidential candidate in the 2024 election. He first made a bid as a Democratic candidate, but then decided to run as an independent to appeal to more voters and hopefully gain more support. He posed himself as an alternative for those Republicans not wanting to vote for Trump.
Kennedy, not gaining enough traction, then decided to drop out of the presidential race and endorse Trump. Then, in November Trump announced that he would nominate Kennedy to run the Department of Health and Human services.
Kennedy’s nomination is particularly concerning because he is known “for spreading conspiracy theories and questioning scientific research-often posing himself as someone who is better qualified than scientists to understand diseases and epidemiology,” according to The Guardian.
Scientists are heavily trained in their fields and their research is for the purposes of helping prevent diseases and increasing awareness about prevention of diseases.Having Kennedy, an environmental lawyer, repeatedly deny the claims of these scientists is jeopardizing the health of every American.
Kennedy not only denies the credible claims of scientists, but he also spreads baseless and absurd claims. “Kennedy’s baseless claims have included that Wi-Fi causes cancer and ‘leaky brain’; that school shootings are attributed to antidepressants; that chemicals in water can lead to children becoming transgender; and that AIDS may not be caused by HIV,” National Public Radio said.
Kennedy’s beliefs are opening the door for discrimination against vulnerable communities, like the transgender community. The transgender community already faces discrimination from ordinary Americans, and they do not need to be fighting against discrimination from the government as well.
Kennedy’s claims will also target the LGBTQ+ community, people struggling with mental health, and other minorities.
However, Kennedy’s beliefs go deeper than just encouraging discrimination against minorities. His beliefs also threaten the health of Americans, specifically regarding his stance on vaccines. According to The American Journal of Managed Care, “Kennedy is an outspoken vaccine skeptic, claiming that no vaccine is entirely safe and effectively linking vaccines to autism-a claim disproven by scientific research.”
Vaccines are important for everyone to have because they are a safe way to prevent diseases from spreading. Diseases like chickenpox or measles used to constantly spread around, and some people even died from these diseases. With vaccines, these diseases and others no longer vastly affect americans.
The key phrase that has emerged under Kennedy’s campaign is “Make America Healthy again,” a phrase inspired by Trump’s slogan “Make America Great again.”
If Kennedy truly wanted to make America healthy, he would stop spreading conspiracy theories, denying scientists’ claims, and fighting against vaccinations. Instead, he would embrace the credible research of scientists and would work with them to help improve Americans healthcare and their access to good healthcare.
In order to improve the health of America, one can make sure they are vaccinated against easily preventable diseases. In addition, they can speak out in support of vulnerable communities and work to help prevent discrimination against these communities.
One can visit the Center For Disease Control website or the World Health Organization website to get credible information about vaccinations or health.
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Ali Schulz- Editor-in-ChiefThis will be Ali Schulz’s third year on ECHO Staff. She also made several contributions while taking journalism class her freshman year. She was opinion/news editor her first year on staff |
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