RFK Jr. Forms Anti-Vaccine Panel Backed by Skeptics
▼ Summary
– Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is reviving a long-defunct federal vaccine task force outlined in the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act.
– The task force’s stated goal is to promote the development of safer childhood vaccines with fewer adverse reactions.
– The federal government already has multiple overlapping systems for vaccine safety evaluation and actively promotes vaccine improvement through research and grants.
– The task force has never been active, producing no reports to Congress despite a legal requirement for biennial reporting.
– Anti-vaccine advocates have long sought the panel’s creation, viewing it as a tool to erode confidence in childhood vaccines.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is spearheading a controversial effort to revive a dormant federal vaccine task force, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from public health professionals while energizing anti-vaccine advocates. The panel, originally established under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, was intended to promote the development of safer childhood vaccines but has remained inactive for decades despite legal requirements for biannual reporting to Congress.
Kennedy and his supporters have long pushed for the activation of this task force, viewing it as a potential vehicle to challenge mainstream vaccine safety protocols. Public health authorities, however, warn that the initiative risks undermining well-established immunization programs that protect children from preventable diseases. Vaccines undergo rigorous testing and continuous monitoring through multiple overlapping federal systems, and agencies like the National Institutes of Health actively fund and conduct research into improved vaccine technologies.
The original legislation outlined the task force’s role in encouraging vaccines with fewer adverse reactions, but in practice, the group never became operational. Federal records indicate it existed on paper between 1990 and 1998 yet produced no reports or recommendations. Kennedy’s recent legal actions, including a 2018 lawsuit against the government for information about the panel, highlight his persistent campaign to bring the body to life.
Earlier this year, Kennedy faced a lawsuit from an attorney affiliated with Children’s Health Defense, an organization he founded, pressuring him to pursue the task force’s formation more aggressively. The lawyer publicly questioned Kennedy’s commitment to the cause, suggesting he had strayed from his earlier activism.
Health experts express concern that reviving the panel could provide a platform for spreading vaccine misinformation, potentially eroding public trust in one of modern medicine’s most effective public health tools.
(Source: Ars Technica)
