Did Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. vaccinate his children? Would he now? Congressional committee members want to know.
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WASHINGTON – Skirting a question on an issue that has gained him support and stoked opponents, Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Wisconsin Democrat Rep. Mark Pocan during a hearing before a House committee he thinks Americans should not be taking medical advice from him.
The issue? Vaccines.
Pocan asked Kennedy, “If you had a child today, would you vaccinate that child for measles?”
“Probably for measles,” Kennedy said, before backpedaling. “What I would say is my opinions about vaccines are irrelevant.”
“I don’t want to seem like I am being evasive but I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me,” he added, reiterating his stance when pressed further by Pocan.
For years, Kennedy has questioned the effectiveness of vaccines and promoted debunked claims that certain vaccines are linked to autism.
Just last month, Kennedy claimed that measles vaccines are “leaky” because their effectiveness wanes over time – an argument disputed by medical experts.
“That’s kind of your jurisdiction because CDC does give advice,” Pocan replied, to which Kennedy said, “What we’re trying to do is to lay out the pros and cons, the risks and benefits accurately as we understand them, with replicable studies.”
When pressed on whether he would vaccinate his children for chickenpox and Polio, Kennedy once again said he didn’t want to be giving advice.
Kennedy made headlines in December last year when it was reported that one of his allies, Aaron Siri, filed a petition in 2022 on behalf of an activist group asking the Food and Drug Administration to suspend or withdraw approval of a polio vaccine for children. Kennedy told senators at the time he was “all for” the polio vaccine.
What the secretary might do and what he has done in his personal life may differ. When questioned during his confirmation hearing about vaccinating his children on Jan. 29 before the Senate Finance Committee, he answered straightforwardly: “All of my kids are vaccinated.”
Contributing: Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY