Anti-vaccine activist Robert Kennedy Jr. appointed US Health Secretary
Photo: US Secretary of Health Robert Kennedy Jr. (GettyImages)
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was appointed as the US Secretary of Health and Human Services after his nomination was approved by the Senate, according to The Washington Post.
Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy was supported by 53 senators, while 47 voted against his appointment.
Who is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.?
Kennedy Jr. has been one of the most prominent anti-vaccine activists for years, frequently spreading conspiracy theories about vaccine safety and effectiveness.
Since 2005, he has publicly opposed vaccination, but his influence grew significantly in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. His stance led to serious disagreements even within his own family. In 2021, his sister, Kerry Kennedy, called his position on the issue very dangerous.
Two years earlier, three other family members jointly published an article publicly condemning Kennedy Jr.'s views on vaccines, calling them tragically wrong and warning of deadly consequences.
In 2022, Facebook and Instagram removed the accounts of Children’s Health Defense, an organization founded by Kennedy Jr., citing repeated violations of the platforms' policies on medical misinformation.
In 2023, he claimed that vaccines cause autism and compared their use to the extermination of Jews in Nazi concentration camps. He also once stated that 30% of the world's population would die from vaccination.
It is worth noting that even before his inauguration, Donald Trump had considered appointing Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health.
