On 13 February 2025, Robert F. Kennedy Jr was sworn in as the next US Health and Human Services Secretary. This decision was confirmed in a 52-48 vote, with unanimous opposition from Democrats. The sole Republican dissent came from former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who survived polio at the age of four.

He issued a statement soon after Kennedy’s nomination dictating why he didn’t vote for him that explained how being a survivor of childhood polio before the vaccine was created made him a firm believer in the fact that vaccines are proven cures and further doubt regarding this must not be instilled in Americans today. Kennedy is the founder of the anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defence, a group known to doubt the safety and efficacy of childhood vaccinations, that has even made the unbacked claim linking vaccine shots to autism. Kennedy might argue and deny he is not anti-vaccine, but comments made by him in an article published in The Rolling Stone contained baseless claims that thimerosal, a component of several vaccines, causes health problems. The article was later taken down, however that didn’t stop Kennedy from making these comments in a Joe Rogan podcast once again. Ahead of one of his hearings, Caroline Kennedy, cousin of Robert F. Kennedy Jr, herself prompted US senators to vote against him in this election, citing him as an inadequate candidate for this role due to his views on topics like vaccines and abortion.

When asked about his views on being pro or anti vaccines, Kennedy smoothly claimed “I’m neither. I’m pro-safety. I’m pro-good science”. His reluctance to accept vaccines as essential for treating diseases is disappointing when you realise, he has made previous strong claims that there is “no vaccine that is safe and effective”. He was a huge part of the petition for the US Medicines regulator to revoke authorisation for COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic. A vaccine that undoubtedly saved millions of lives. How much more proof is the current Health Secretary going to need?

Throughout his hearings, Kennedy faced intense scrutiny over his controversial past regarding vaccines. Under persistent questioning, he sought to reassure both senators and the public that he had no plans to alter the nation’s current vaccination schedule and insisted that he was not anti-vaccine, but rather pro-choice. Less than a month after this, he went back on his word. As a prominent public figure, Robert F. Kennedy holds significant influence over how Americans perceive and approach their own health decisions. His frequent shifts in stance highlight a glaring lack of consistency and leadership.

Furthermore, Kennedy was recently grilled about his views on abortion and instead of taking an unbiased and scientific approach to the stance he decided to solidify his position as Trump’s pawn and responded by telling lawmakers he agreedwith Trump that “every abortion is a tragedy.” Despite there being a correlation between abortion bans and an increase in infant mortality rates, the Trump administration has no intentions of changing the current law. The administration has already taken steps to limit reproductive rights established during the Biden-Harris administration such as removing ReproductiveRights.gov (it has since been brought back by TheSkimm) and reducing access to drugs such as mifepristone, a medication used to induce abortion.

The drug was labelled as “unsafe” and “unreliable” despite there having been several research and medical practices done to ensure it is a safe procedure and sometimes a necessary one. In his hearing, Kennedy did acknowledge the drug and said that Trump had asked him to “study the safety of mifepristone.” I hope that if he manages to do this in an unbiased and regulated manner, he will be able to ensure the public of its safety and debunk any previously made theories.

Under the current law, the Emergency Treatment and Labour Act states that a hospital must provide stabilising care to a patient. When asked if a pregnant woman, in a red state emergency room, should receive an abortion if medical figures advise it and it is necessary to save her life, Kennedy replied with a swift he “didn’t know”. His answer suggested an opposing action as to what the Biden administration proposed which was to ensure physicians knew they were mandated to provide the necessary abortion care as stabilising healthcare. The whole point of allowing abortions to be an option is to give the pregnant woman and physicians a chance to choose, undermining this just undermines the woman’s bodily autonomy and her right to make personal medical decisions.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Donald Trump speaking at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Image credits- Gage Skidmore from Flickr.

One of the next things RFK Jr. wants to impact is transgender protections that were put in place during the Biden administration. On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order instructing the federal government to only recognise a person by the sex appointed to them at birth.

Kennedy said in a statement “This administration is bringing back common sense and restoring biological truth to the federal government. The prior administration’s policy of trying to engineer gender ideology into every aspect of public life is over.” They want to end federal support for providers of gender transition care and essentially force millions to conform to a rigid, government-imposed standard of healthcare that disregards personal autonomy and medical expertise.

This move would unfairly and disproportionately affect transgender individuals by restricting their rights and access to basic healthcare and medical treatments. It was as Maurine Neiman, a University of Iowa professor of the biology of reproduction said, “While there are some areas of active debate, scientists are in wide agreement that biological sex in humans as well as the rest of life on earth is much more complicated than a simple binary.”

In conclusion, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s appointment as HHS Secretary signifies a dangerous shift towards ideology over science. Despite claiming neutrality, his actions and words reveal a pattern of reversing evidence-based policies that are arguably essential to millions across America. His role requires impartial, science-driven leadership, yet instead, he risks dismantling essential protections and turning the public health system into a battleground for political interests that align with Trump’s agenda.