In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread. Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.
A number of posts discussed Trump's support for the discredited notion.
Another leading anti-vaxxer is presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. He has repeatedly compared vaccine mandates to the Holocaust. Rolling Stone and Salon retracted an RFK article linking vaccines to autism. He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen."
He is now Trump's nominee to head HHS.
President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement Wednesday that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is his pick for secretary of Health and Human Services symbolizes a major regression when it comes to the humane treatment of autistic people. By picking Kennedy, he is wrongly elevating someone who sees autism, and therefore autistic people, as problems to be solved. He doesn’t see us as having a disability that deserves to be accepted.
The Kennedy pick also symbolizes a moral loss. Not just because of his opposition to vaccines, but also because of his opinions of autistic people. Of course, he believes that autistic people are largely the result of vaccines, making us evidence that Big Pharma is a danger.
If Kennedy becomes HHS secretary, he would likely cause incalculable harm.
Most Republican senators appear ready to support Kennedy Jr. to the influential Cabinet position inside the incoming Trump administration even as they are being hounded about how they'll vote for even more controversial nominees, such as former Rep. Matt Gaetz to be Trump's attorney general and Fox News host Pete Hegseth as secretary of Defense.
"RFK Jr. has championed issues like healthy foods and the need for greater transparency in our public health infrastructure," said Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican who has been openly critical of Trump and who serves on the Senate Finance Committee that will vet Kennedy. “I look forward to learning more about his other policy positions and how they will support a conservative, pro-American agenda."
Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, who will chair the Finance committee next year, said in a statement that Kennedy “prioritized addressing chronic diseases through consumer choice and healthy lifestyle,” adding: “I look forward to considering his nomination.”
