By Weston Kelly
Former lawyer Ronald F Kennedy Jr., recently appointed as the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, has become a destructive force in the medical community. Known for his aggressive anti-vax ideals and “old-school” medicine tactics, he blatantly disregards scientific data in order to push his false agenda. (Watch Dr. Noc debunk his statements on Instagram or Youtube, or TikTok). Kennedy endangers American lives with his absurd policies regarding healthcare. However, he recently took initiative by opening his mind to measles vaccines—angering supporters and encouraging critics. Hopefully, this progressive behavior will continue and RFK Jr. can remedy his blemishes on the medical community.
The Secretary prioritizes fighting chronic diseases instead of infections. Cancer, autism, asthma—treatments for all of these chronic illnesses could benefit if he took the proper route. However, Kennedy claims that the two types of diseases are funded disproportionately—they are not. In fact, cancer alone receives around the same amount of funding from the NIH compared to all infectious diseases. Other brain conditions also receive billions each year (NBC News). He decided to cut around 10,000 federal workers dedicated to research in these fields: Sexual violence, post-partum risks, cancer in firefighters, congenital syphilis outbreaks, drug-resistant gonorrhea, HIV, and abortions (Politico). These cuts were made to eliminate redundancies, although many feel as though the cuts were unnecessary. His approach to fighting chronic illnesses involves cutting back on infectious disease research, even though professionals believe the two “go hand in hand.” Garth Ehrlich, a professor of microbiology and immunology, claims that multiple sclerosis, cancer, and Parkinson’s all have ties to infectious microbes or viruses.
Fortunately, RFK Jr. recently promoted the use of the measles vaccine after the large outbreak in Texas. Two children died as a result of the virus; measles deaths are entirely preventable. After the deaths. Kennedy advocated for a measles vaccine in order to eliminate the possibility of future deaths. Despite his skepticism over vaccines and their connection to autism (of which there is no definitive evidence), he put the health of the nation first. His decision drew attention from those on both sides of the political spectrum. Dr. Cassidy, the moderately right-leaning chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, publicly praised RFK Jr. for the advocacy (Newsmax).