The GOP-controlled Senate voted Thursday to verify Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist, to steer the nation’s strongest well being care company.
Kennedy was confirmed because the secretary for the Division of Well being and Human Companies on a principally party-line vote of 52-48. Nevertheless, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., broke ranks on yet one more of President Donald Trump’s Cupboard nominees, becoming a member of all Democrats in opposition.
McConnell, a childhood polio survivor, stated Kennedy had a “record of trafficking in dangerous conspiracy theories and eroding trust in public health institutions.”
Quite a lot of Robert F. Kennedy’s views are controversial and out of doors the mainstream. Here’s a checklist of a few of his controversial well being coverage views.
VACCINES
Kennedy has lengthy been a vaccine skeptic, and he and Trump have falsely claimed that childhood vaccines are harmful and tied to rising autism charges. His opposition to vaccines is broad, and he has stated that “there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective.”
The idea that vaccines can result in autism has been disproven since a examine that claimed this was printed within the Eighties. In 1988, British physician Dr. Andrew Wakefield printed a report the place he linked the MMR (mumps, measles and rubella) vaccines to autism in kids — a part of a examine that used a considerably small pattern measurement of 12 kids. Since then, there have been quite a few massive research — together with one with 530,000 kids and one with 1.8 million kids. No hyperlink was discovered. In 2011, it got here to gentle that Wakefield and his colleagues faked the analysis.
For its half, the scientific group has lengthy stated that vaccines are protected and efficient. The U.S. has a long-standing security system in the case of vaccines.
On its web site, the Middle for Illness Management and Prevention observe: “Vaccines are very safe. The United States’ long-standing vaccine safety system ensures that vaccines are as safe as possible. Currently, the United States has the safest vaccine supply in its history. Millions of children safely receive vaccines each year. The most common side effects are very mild, such as pain or swelling at the injection site.”
REMOVAL OF RAW MILK RESTRICTIONS
Kennedy indicated earlier than the election that he can be eager to finish the Meals and Drug Administration’s “aggressive suppression” of uncooked milk. The FDA and the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention have known as uncooked milk one of many “riskiest” meals folks can eat due to the likelihood for contamination.
“Raw milk can be contaminated with harmful germs that can make you very sick,” the CDC says on its web site.
From 1998 to 2018, the CDC documented greater than 200 sickness outbreaks traced to uncooked milk, which sickened greater than 2,600 folks and hospitalized greater than 225.
Uncooked milk is much extra possible than pasteurized milk to trigger diseases and hospitalizations linked to harmful micro organism resembling campylobacter, listeria, salmonella and E. coli, analysis reveals.
Earlier than milk requirements have been adopted in 1924, about 25% of foodborne diseases within the U.S. have been associated to dairy consumption, stated Alex O’Brien, security and high quality coordinator for the Middle for Dairy Analysis. Now, dairy merchandise account for about 1% of such diseases, he stated.
REMOVAL OF FLOURIDE FROM DRINKING WATER
Kennedy has stated he needs the federal authorities to advise native governments in opposition to placing fluoride of their ingesting water. The CDC has stated small quantities of added fluoride in ingesting water stop cavities and tooth decay.
In 1950, federal officers endorsed water fluoridation to stop tooth decay, and the addition of low ranges of fluoride to ingesting water has lengthy been thought of one of many biggest public well being achievements of the final century.
Fluoride can come from numerous sources, however ingesting water is the primary supply for Individuals, researchers say. Practically two-thirds of the U.S. inhabitants will get fluoridated ingesting water, in response to CDC information.
There’s a beneficial fluoridation stage, however many communities exceed that, generally as a result of fluoride happens naturally at larger ranges in sure water sources.
Opposition is nothing new, although for many years it was thought of a fringe opinion. Adherents included conspiracy theorists who claimed fluoridation was a plot to make folks submissive to authorities energy.
VIEWS ON MEDICARE AND MEDICAID
As the brand new well being and human companies secretary, Kennedy will oversee the implementation of Medicaid, along with Medicare and the Inexpensive Care Act.
Nevertheless, throughout his affirmation listening to, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the rating member of the Finance Committee, advised that he did not appear to know the distinction between Medicare and Medicaid.
“Most people who are on Medicaid are not happy,” Kennedy responded. “The premiums are too high, the deductibles are too high, the networks are narrow.”
Kennedy additionally claimed that Medicaid isn’t producing “positive health outcomes” for folks.
A 2022 examine printed in The Lancet discovered that Medicaid enlargement from the ACA led to a discount in deaths from all causes. An earlier examine discovered Medicaid enlargement improved bodily well being for older adults.
Kennedy has criticized prescription weight reduction medication like Ozempic, saying higher-quality meals might remedy the weight problems downside within the U.S., however in December he pivoted, saying the medication “have a place” in ensuring individuals are not overweight, along with life-style modifications.
VIEWS ON ABORTION
Kennedy has beforehand expressed assist for abortion rights, which contradicts the beliefs of lots of the Republican lawmakers who confirmed him, although he has stated that he’ll comply with Trump’s directives on the subject.
He is in a little bit of a bind on the difficulty. About 6 in 10 voters in November’s election stated abortion ought to be authorized in all or most circumstances, in response to AP VoteCast, a survey of greater than 120,000 voters. About one-third stated it ought to be unlawful in all or most cases. However just like the Republican senators who might be questioning him, conservative voters see the difficulty in another way. Amongst Republican voters, about 6 in 10 stated abortion ought to be unlawful in not less than “most” circumstances, and solely about 4 in 10 stated it ought to be principally authorized.
RESTRICTIONS ON INGREDIENTS IN PROCESSED FOODS
Nevertheless, not all of Kennedy’s proposals are seen as considerably controversial. One among Kennedy’s concepts is well-liked throughout the board: getting some chemical compounds out of processed meals. Kennedy has vowed to ban sure meals components and crack down on ultra-processed meals which can be tied to weight problems and diabetes charges.
About two-thirds of Individuals “somewhat” or “strongly” favor limiting or reformulating processed meals to take away elements like added sugar or dyes, in response to an AP-NORC ballot. That is an space the place Democrats and Republicans agree: About 7 in 10 in every group favor the restrictions.
Assist is especially excessive amongst U.S. adults with a better family revenue, although analysis from the Nationwide Institutes of Well being has indicated that ultra-processed meals are consumed at larger charges in low-income teams. Roughly 8 in 10 adults with a family revenue of $100,000 or extra per yr assist the restrictions, in contrast with about half of Individuals with a family revenue of $30,000 or much less.
