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Six former U.S. surgeons general have published an op-ed in The Washington Post, warning Americans that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is using his role as head of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to endanger the health of the nation.
The authors of the op-ed, which was published on Monday, represent “former U.S. surgeons general appointed by every Republican and Democratic president since George H.W. Bush” — including Jerome Adams, Richard Carmona, Joycelyn Elders, Vivek Murthy, Antonia Novello and David Satcher.
The surgeons general said that they’ve taken “two sacred oaths” in their lifetimes — one as physicians and another as public servants. “In keeping with those oaths, we are compelled to speak with one voice to say that the actions of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are endangering the health of the nation,” they wrote.
“Despite differences in perspectives, we have always been united in an unwavering commitment to science and evidence-based public health. It is that shared principle that led us to this moment,” the authors went on, adding that Kennedy is a “driving force” behind a “crisis” of the department lacking scientific integrity and transparency.
The former surgeons general said that Kennedy was unable to “restore trust” among the public when it comes to vital health initiatives, citing Kennedy’s long history of spreading lies about vaccines and his “de-emphasis” of vaccination in the face of the worst measles outbreak in the U.S. over the past three decades.
They also cited Kennedy’s recent (and discredited) claim that use of acetaminophen during pregnancy is linked to autism. That claim “has been widely condemned by the scientific and medical communities, who have pointed out that the available research is inconclusive and insufficient to justify such a warning,” they wrote.
The authors added:
Rather than combating the rapid spread of health misinformation with facts and clarity, Kennedy is amplifying it. The consequences aren’t abstract. They are measured in lives lost, disease outbreaks and an erosion of public trust that will take years to rebuild.
“Secretary Kennedy is entitled to his views. But he is not entitled to put people’s health at risk,” the former surgeons general wrote. “He has rejected science, misled the public and compromised the health of Americans. The nation deserves a health and human services secretary who is committed to scientific integrity and can restore morale and trust in our public health agencies.”
Kennedy has been widely condemned for his actions as head of HHS.
Last month, 16 states plus Washington, D.C. sued HHS due to its threats to cut funding for sex ed classes if they included lessons on transgender people. HHS announced in August that it would no longer fund what it called “gender ideology,” baselessly claiming that lessons that acknowledge the existence of trans people would “poison the minds of the next generation.”
Other examples of Kennedy’s incompetence abound. In May, for example, HHS, under his leadership, released a “Make America Healthy Again” report that included multiple errant and fraudulent citations. A deeper examination of that report revealed that it was created in large part by using Artificial Intelligence (AI), a move that experts blasted as widely irresponsible due to the technology’s tendency to completely make up “facts.”
And this past summer, Kennedy dismissed the entirety of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) board that issues guidance on vaccines and other methods to prevent infection. Kennedy filled most of the vacant spots on that board with anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theorists.
According to a Quinnipiac University poll published in September, only 33 percent of Americans approve of the job Kennedy has done so far, while 54 percent disapprove.
In the same survey, respondents were asked how confident they were in Kennedy’s medical advice. Only 39 percent said they had confidence in the information Kennedy cited, while 57 percent said they didn’t have much confidence in him.
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