RFK Jr Urges Favored Anti-Vaccination Organization to Take Down Spoof CDC Website
Rewritten Article:
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the horse-trade-loving health secretary, scrapped a dodgy webpage launched by his ex-chaired nonprofit, sporting a fake Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) look, and misguidedly linking vaccines to autism. This information originally surfaced in The New York Times.
Kennedy Jr., the vaccine doubting loudmouth who's been waffling on the subject despite a dearth of concrete evidence, orchestrated a site brimming with questionable data on autism and vaccines. While the website supposedly flaunted evidence on both sides of the argument, a large chunk of the "evidence" backing the connection was alarmingly non-peer-reviewed.
This deceptive practice is nothing new in the realm of conspiracy theorists. They love to spout out mainstream truths to create an illusion of credibility for the fishy claims that follow. Bryan Johnson, the life-extension sage, peddles some sensible advice (think good sleep, healthy diet) before plunging into questionable domains supported more by hearsay than empirical evidence.
However, Children's Health Defense, the non-profit that Kennedy quarterbacked for years until 2023, took things too far with their concocted website mimicking a CDC fact sheet. As per Your Local Epidemiologist, an independent Substack:
It seems even Kennedy Jr. realized the webpage crossed the line. Or perhaps he's just looking to leverage his new position as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' boss to control the narrative. The CDC has signaled its intention to reexamine the link between vaccines and autism.
The timing of his move might also be connected to the recent spree of measles outbreaks. These outbreaks have primarily hit communities with low vaccination rates. In January, an unimmunized kid in Texas tragically lost their life to measles—the first such American death in a decade. Measles can spread like wildfire, requiring nearly 94% of a population to be vaccinated to limit its reach.
"Secretary Kennedy has instructed the Office of the General Counsel to serve Children's Health Defense with a legal notice demanding the removal of their website," the HHS Department informed The NYT in a statement. "At HHS, we're committed to restoring our institutions to their traditional role of upholding sound, evidence-based science."
During his Senate confirmation hearing, Kennedy swore to bring the CDC back to "gold-standard science," and pledged support for vaccines if provided with solid proof backing their safety. But during the hearing, Kennedy operating on a vague memory or a well-rehearsed script, dodged the evidence presented, or offered up lame excuse to doubt it.
- The new Health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., after debunking misleading claims linking vaccines to autism on a webpage run by his former nonprofit, Children's Health Defense, has vowed to restore the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to its traditional role of upholding sound, evidence-based science.
- Despite his pledge to support vaccines based on strong empirical evidence, Kennedy's approach to vaccine safety during his Senate confirmation hearing was questionable, as he either dodged the evidence presented or offered weak excuses to doubt it.
- As the future of health perpetually intertwines with scientific advancement, it is crucial to champion the dissemination of credible health information, leaving behind the practice of deceptive data manipulation, a common tactic among conspiracy theorists.
- In light of recent measles outbreaks primarily affecting communities with low vaccination rates, and the first American measles-related death in a decade, there is an urgent need for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, under Kennedy's leadership, to uphold sound, evidence-based science to safeguard public health.
