RFK Jr. Is Just Another Rich Guy Trying to Rip You Off

For reasons that should be studied by future generations Trump nominated the worst, and most watered-down Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. RFK Jr, lover of animal carcasses and easily preventable deaths is a known anti-vaxxer. If you're not in the know anti-vaxxers are people who think science and facts don't hold up to reshares they found in Facebook mommy groups.

RFK Jr. has an EXTENSIVE history of making inaccurate and misleading statements on vaccines and infectious diseases. For years he's led an advocacy group that is a major player in the anti-vaccine movement, promoting the long-debunked idea that vaccines lead to autism, among other false claims. Actually let's get into that part first.

RFK Jr. Is Directly Responsible for Misinformation That Led to a Measles Outbreak in Samoa

In the small island country of Samoa, an outbreak of measles in 2019 caused at least 83 deaths and 1,867 hospitalizations, mostly of babies and young children. Thousands more fell sick. The preventable illness was able to ravage the small, closely knit population of around 200,00 due to record low vaccination rates.

Now why would this community stop vaccinations all of a sudden? Well, back in July 2018 two babies died due to a medical error in the administration of a measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, after the vaccine powder was mixed with expired muscle relaxant anesthetic instead of water.

Again. The VACCINE did not cause the death of the infants, the accidental use of EXPIRED MUSCLE RELAXANT instead of BAC water to constitute the vaccine caused the accidental deaths.

The vaccine did not cause the deaths, human error did. The vaccine didn't kill these babies, an overdose of muscle relaxants did.

AGAIN after the government shut down the vaccination program for 10 months to investigate - the deaths were established to have been due to the nurses mixing the vaccine with an expired muscle relaxant, instead of water. The two nurses pleaded guilty to manslaughter and were sentenced to five years in prison.

This didn't stop bad actors like RFK Jr. to take hold of the narrative though. On June 4, 2019, Kennedy appeared in an Instagram photo with Australian-Samoan anti-vaccine activist Taylor Winterstein. Kennedy's charity and Winterstein have both perpetuated the allegation that the MMR vaccine played a role in the 2018 deaths of two Samoan infants.

Thanks to RFK and others like him vaccination rates - aka the number of young children covered - dropped to a low of only 31% in Samoa.

In fact, during the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine Kennedy filed a citizen's petition on behalf of his advocacy group, Children's Health Defense, requesting that the FDA revoke its authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine. Here's a quick reference list of his other anti-vaccine achievements:

• Kennedy chairs the Children's Health Defense, an anti-vaccine advocacy group

• The group has campaigned against vaccines, fluoridation of drinking water, Tylenol aka acetaminophen, aluminum, wireless communication, among other things.

• In June 2005, Kennedy wrote an article, "Deadly Immunity", that appeared in both Rolling Stone and Salon.com and alleged a government conspiracy to conceal a connection between thimerosal and childhood neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism. The article contained factual errors. Scientists and advocates showed how Kennedy had misunderstood, incorrectly cited, and perhaps even falsified data.

• In May 2013, Kennedy delivered the keynote address at the anti-vaccination AutismOne / Generation Rescue conference

• In 2014, Kennedy published an anti-vaccine book

• The group has been identified as one of two major buyers of anti-vaccine Facebook advertising in late 2018 and early 2019.

• Kennedy and Children's Health Defense have falsely claimed that vaccines cause autism.

• Kennedy focused on the subset of vaccines that contained thimerosal, a mercury-based anti-microbial that has been falsely claimed to cause autism.

• In April 2015, Kennedy participated in a Speakers' Forum to promote the film Trace Amounts, which promotes the discredited claim of a link between autism and mercury in vaccinations.

• Kennedy constantly platforms discredited British former doctor Andrew Wakefield, the anti-vaccination activist Del Bigtree, and the conspiracy theorist Rashid Buttar.

• Kennedy is listed as executive producer of Vaxxed II: The People's Truth, the 2019 sequel to Wakefield's and Bigtree's anti-vaccination documentary Vaxxed.

• In February 2021, Kennedy's Instagram account was deleted "for repeatedly sharing debunked claims" about COVID-19 vaccines.

• In March 2021, the Center for Countering Digital Hate identified Kennedy as one of 12 people responsible for up to 65% of anti-vaccine content on Facebook and Twitter.

• Kennedy has said that governments and the media are conspiring to deny that vaccines cause autism.

• In May 2021, Kennedy petitioned the FDA to rescind authorization for all current and future COVID vaccines.

• Kennedy has promoted misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine, falsely suggesting that it contributed to the death of Hank Aaron and others

  
  

If confirmed as health secretary, Kennedy could declare a public health emergency, control and direct funding, and influence key decisions at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and NIH, all of which are overseen by HHS.

With bird flu already impacting American poultry and cattle it'd be dangerous to have a man who promotes drinking raw milk at the helm of the HHS. That's right, Kennedy promotes consuming raw milk despite the public health warnings that it can harbor the bird flu virus. His views on vaccines could be even more consequential.

Kennedy denies spreading misinformation, despite all the overwhelming evidence laid out above. He also plans to keep a financial stake in lawsuits against the drugmaker Merck if confirmed.