A top US health official, who previously led an influential anti-vaccine organization, addressed activists at a Washington conference, emphasizing his commitment to their cause while acknowledging legal constraints. Speaking for nearly an hour and a half, he reassured supporters that he would have taken immediate action if possible but stressed the need to follow existing laws to achieve lasting reform. The remarks come amid a surge in measles cases, marking the worst outbreak in recent years. His speech highlights tensions between advocacy for policy shifts and the practical limits of executive authority.
The US health secretary added that he would’ve made sweeping changes ‘on day one’ but he had to follow the lawAs the death toll from the worst measles outbreak in decades rises, Robert F Kennedy Jr headlined the Washington DC conference of the anti-vaccine organization Children’s Health Defense, which he led for nearly two decades.“Let me be clear. You have a strong and steadfast friend at the White House,” Kennedy, now serving as secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), told anti-vaccine activists at the conference in a nearly hour-and-a-half-long speech. He urged patience, saying that he would’ve made sweeping changes “on day one” but that he had to follow the law in order to make permanent change. Continue reading...
