Rfk Jr Does Not Just Reject Vaccines. He Rejects Science And Must Step Down | Bernie Sanders

Since taking office, Robert F Kennedy Jr, nan caput of nan wellness and quality services section (HHS), has undermined vaccines astatine each turn. He has dismissed nan full Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine advisory panel, narrowed entree to life-saving Covid-19 vaccines, filled technological advisory boards pinch conspiracy theorists and fired nan recently appointed CDC head for refusing to rubber-stamp his actions.

But his rejection of vaccines is only portion of nan problem. Secretary Kennedy is unfit to beryllium our nation’s starring nationalist wellness charismatic because he rejects nan basal principles of modern science.

For generations, doctors person agreed that germs – for illustration germs aliases viruses – origin infectious diseases.

In nan 1850s, John Snow, known arsenic nan begetter of epidemiology, traced a cholera outbreak successful London to h2o contaminated pinch quality discarded – not nan “bad air”, aliases alleged miasma, that galore astatine that clip believed to beryllium nan cause.

In nan 1880s, Louis Pasteur, nan French chemist, successful a controlled experiment, injected 1 group of sheep pinch an anthrax vaccine while different group went without it. Then he injected each of nan sheep pinch anthrax bacteria. The vaccinated sheep survived, nan unvaccinated did not.

The germ mentation led to a gyration successful nationalist wellness and medicine which, complete nan years, has saved tens of millions of lives.

Just a fewer examples.

At a clip erstwhile galore women were dying during childbirth astatine hospitals, Dr Ignaz Semmelweis recovered that handwashing by doctors saved lives.

Joseph Lister showed that sterilizing aesculapian instrumentality earlier room prevented needless deaths.

Florence Nightingale, considered nan mother of modern nursing, substantially improved hygiene astatine hospitals and made healthcare overmuch safer for patients.

Pasteur made nan nutrient we eat and nan beverage we portion safer done a process of heating called pasteurization.

And these are conscionable a fewer examples.

Yet, incredibly, successful nan twelvemonth 2025, we now person a caput of HHS who has formed uncertainty and aspersions connected nan very conception of nan germ mentation – nan very instauration of modern medicine for complete a century.

In his book The Real Anthony Fauci, Mr Kennedy absurdly claims that nan cardinal tenet down nan germ mentation “is simply untrue”. Vaccines are not, Mr. Kennedy falsely asserts, responsible for nan monolithic diminution successful deaths from infectious diseases. Instead, Kennedy falsely proclaims that “science really gives nan grant of having vanquished illness mortalities to sanitation and nutrition”.

Yes. No 1 disputes that due sanitation, a nutritious fare and workout tin lead to healthier lives. But nary reliable intelligence aliases expert believes that unsocial makes a personification immune from polio, measles, mumps, Covid, HIV/Aids and different infectious diseases. Otherwise patient group tin go sick, hospitalized aliases moreover dice from these and different unspeakable diseases.

Sadly, Kennedy’s vulnerable rejection of well-established subject is down his chaotic conspiracy theories and misinformation campaigns.

It’s what led to Kennedy’s mendacious assertion that “there is nary vaccine that is safe and effective” contempt peer-reviewed technological studies uncovering that vaccines person saved much than 150 cardinal lives and reduced babe deaths by 40% successful nan past 50 years.

It’s down Kennedy’s bogus claim that nan polio vaccine “killed many, many, many, many, galore much group than polio ever did”, moreover though nan technological information has shown that nan polio vaccine has saved 1.5 cardinal lives and prevented astir 20 cardinal group from becoming paralyzed since 1988.

It undergirds his history of promoting nan ridiculous thought that HIV does not origin Aids, contempt rigorous studies uncovering nan nonstop opposite. This type of outrageous HIV/Aids denialism is wide believed to person caused nan deaths of astatine slightest 330,000 group successful South Africa who did not person nan life-saving medicine they needed.

It’s what led him to opportunity that nan Covid vaccine was nan “deadliest vaccine ever made”, that vaccines origin autism, and that nan hepatitis B vaccine doesn’t activity and should only beryllium utilized for “prostitutes” and “promiscuous cheery men” – lies that person been thoroughly debunked by technological information and nan aesculapian community.

Frighteningly, it’s what caused Kennedy to say: “I spot personification connected a hiking way carrying a small babe and I opportunity to him, ‘Better not get him vaccinated.’ And he heard that from me. If he hears it from 10 different people, possibly he won’t do it.”

As a backstage citizen, Kennedy is entitled to his views, nary matter really misguided they whitethorn be.

If Kennedy would for illustration to aquatics successful h2o contaminated by earthy sewage and fecal matter, arsenic he has done recently successful Washington DC’s Rock Creek Park, he is free to do that.

But arsenic our nation’s apical wellness official, Secretary Kennedy’s rejection of subject and nan actions he has taken arsenic a consequence of his bizarre ideology is endangering nan lives of millions of children successful nan United States and passim nan world.

Today, Kennedy is making it harder for group to get vaccines. Tomorrow, what will it be? Will he show doctors they don’t request to lavation their hands earlier surgery? Will he show hospitals that they don’t request to sterilize their scalpels and different aesculapian equipment?

The American group request a caput of HHS who will perceive to scientists and doctors, and not conspiracy theorists.

We request a caput of HHS who will perceive to aesculapian experts who whitethorn disagree pinch him, not occurrence them summarily.

Bottom line: we request an HHS caput who will not prosecute successful a warfare connected subject and nan truth itself.

Secretary Kennedy must measurement down.

• Bernie Sanders is simply a US senator, and ranking personnel of nan health, education, labour and pensions committee. He represents nan authorities of Vermont and is nan longest-serving independent successful nan history of Congress