On Thursday, Donald Trump announced that he would nominate RFK Jr. to lead the United States Department of Health and Human Services during his presidency, adding to his list of controversial cabinet picks. Robert F. Kennedy Junior., part of the long politically involved Kennedy family, had a traumatic upbringing. His uncle, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated when RFK Jr. was nine, and when he was fourteen, his father, Ronald F. Kennedy, was also assassinated. To cope with this, RFK Jr. turned to drugs, eventually being convicted and pleading guilty to possession of heroin.
This year, RFK attempted to run for president in the Republican party, before abandoning his campaign to endorse Trump. Despite Kennedy’s upbringing, the policies he seeks to implement are not in the best interests of U.S. citizens. The motion of Kennedy leading a part of government has led to much debate and skepticism from public health officials, as Kennedy has repeatedly expressed his anti-vaccination beliefs to the public despite scientific evidence, along with conspiracy theories, (including, but not limited to, how Wi-Fi causes cancer and school shootings are derivable from antidepressants).
RFK Jr. has willingly embraced his new role. He has already started sharing his plans to overhaul American public health, specifically blaming corruption in the health and food industries for America’s poor health. Kennedy told MSNBC that he wanted to see “entire departments” in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), especially nutrition specialists in the department, released. The FDA is responsible for public health, ensuring the safety of drugs, medical devices, and the nation’s food supply. In the case that many of the department’s nutritionists are let go, America could see much more instability in diseases such as diabetes and obesity, and regulations for healthy eating. In addition to his threats to the FDA, Kennedy is also attempting to go against vaccines, famously known for spreading the debunked fact that vaccines can cause autism. Vaccine requirements are decided at the state level for children, but the federal government can mandate which vaccines are given, so some lawmakers are concerned about Kennedy's supposed role in the system. Kennedy would likely attempt to decrease the amount of vaccines that are available to the public, which could snowball into a more serious health crisis than the US currently has.
A more specific controversy that Kennedy has caused is his campaign to remove fluoride from our water. Fluoride, one of the main ingredients used in toothpaste, is also used in the water supply. As a result, tooth decay has been reduced by around 25%, saving billions of dollars in dental expenses for patients. This has been considered one of the best public health achievements of the 20th century and proved to be beneficial to medical professionals around the US.
Overall, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s plans for the future of health in the United States should be a cause of great concern to everyone living in America. His main sources of information come from falsified sources and conspiracy theorists, and there should be more experienced candidates who would be more beneficial to the future of the United States as a whole.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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10 comments:
Robert F. Kennedy is definitely one of the more controversial member of Trump's new administration, and is not the only one to lack experience in the field he might soon be governing. It's extremely worrying that the next president will be surrounded by conspiracy theorists and people that don't listen to science, on top of his extremely right-wing policies.
Also, while Trump selected Kennedy to lead the Department of Heath and Human services, it does not mean that he actually will. For his nomination to be considered valid, it has to go through an approval process in the Senate where a background check and several interviews are conducted. Even though the Senate is republican controlled (53-47), the 3 seats that control the majority will allow the democratic representatives to place a large amount of pressure on a few republican senators to switch their votes (assuming all republicans vote in favor, and all democrats vote against, which is no guarantee).
Robert F. Kennedy is a laughable pick by Donald Trump for Health and Human Services as he is not qualified for the role being both an anti-vaxxer and general health conspiracist. This is a dangerous position for modern medicine as vaccines, a cornerstone of modern medicine, could be abolished with little to no restrictions as the department exists outside of checks and balances from congress and the judicial branch. He also is a critic of a proven and long standing healthcare improvement, fluoride in water, this process long tested and documented has resulted in approx ~1/3-1/4 decrease in cavities for the average American and removing this process disproportionately effects the poor. Overall, Trump's nominations have spelled doom and in my opinion lots of gloom for the country and only time will tell if these unqualified diehard loyalists are approved and what the effects will be.
This is absolutely disastrous for American health as we know it. Not only is he not qualified medically in any capacity, he has continually peddled dangerous conspiracy theories and, as a NYT article put it, he will now be able to push these theories from the position of authority which will have a terrible impact on the information streaming from the government. I worry especially for the millions of Americans who blindly follow this man, and their health and safety. I wonder if this will be approved despite the Republican majority, are there voices of reason left?
Although I am not surprised, Donald Trump's pick for RFK as leader of health and human services is outlandish. I understand that Trump most likely feels he needs to reward RFK for his endorsement of Trump, but surely he could have found a way to do that without putting such a massive responsibility on a man who clearly knows so little. The fact that the head of Health and Human services is anti-vax and believes in health conspiracy theories such as water turning kids gay should be reason to prevent him from making public statements whatsoever, much less leading an organization on the forefront of Health. Unfortunately uneducated Americans will blindly follow his suggestions, meaning our future as a nation will come with serious health service issues.
Following this endorsement, Trump, Elon, and RFK were pictured on a private jet all eating McDonald's together; which makes a mockery out of a man who is trying to set the standard for health in this country. Online, this image has gone viral, and the conversations regarding RFK's legitimacy and qualifications, or lack thereof has been ignited.
You bring up an astute point about how the removal of fluoride in water would disproportionately affect under resourced communities; especially given this administration's views on public healthcare which would include dental services and hygienic check ups. Overall, these suggestions are laughable, and offer a glimpse at what nonsense RFK would bring in office if this pick is approved.
As an aspiring bio major this is extremely worrying for my future, but at the same time extremely funny to me. It was already ironic that Trump, a convicted felon, was elected as president, but now a conspiracy theorist with no knowledge on health or science is being nominated as the head of the Health and Human services. Most conspiracy theories are sprung from a distrust of the government, and as a man so connected to it it seems contradictory to spread those beliefs.
While his personal background and experiences are valid, RFK's views on issues like vaccinations, fluoridation, and the FDA are controversial. To me it is important that any future leaders in this position will prioritize science-based policies and expert guidance to protect public health. I am concerned about the health of our country and the future of science and medicine.
It is absolutely insane to me the people that Donald Trump has put into his cabinet. Not only do these people who he has put in have no qualifications to be in office, but probably even more worrying is their obedience to Donald Trump. Donald Trump being unchecked is extremely scary for our country and I truly hope that the other branches of government limit his actions because the things that Donald Trump said he is going to do are things that are unamerican, and terribly hurtful to the wellbeing of our countryAllowing someone who doesn't believe in child vaccination is something that is very worrying to me, and puts our country in great danger. It is hard to believe that Donald trump and his administration would be able to properly handle a health crisis like COVID-19 and
It's almost ironic that someone like RFK Jr. would be leading the Department of Health and Human Services, given his history of conspiracy theories and anti-vaccine views. It’s hard to fathom how someone with such a track record could be put into such an important position, but then again, we did elect a convicted felon as president. That said, it’s interesting to consider how his personal experience as a former drug addict might shape his perspective on public health issues. While I’m not overly concerned, since our government has numerous checks and balances to prevent extreme actions like abolishing vaccines, it’s still unsettling to think that someone with such controversial beliefs could be at the helm of the nation’s health policies.
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