RFK Jr. Adds More Vaccine Skeptics to Influential Advisory Committee

As Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to overhaul vaccine policy in America, he is adding two more vaccine skeptics to a committee that helps develop immunization guidelines.Both doctors are obstetricians-gynecologists. One of them, Dr. Kimberly Biss, has claimed that miscarriages at her Florida clinic shot up 100 percent among expectant mothers who received Covid vaccines. Dr. Biss has also recommended against administering Covid vaccines to children because she said the risk of death from infections was too low to justify the shots.In an online discussion two years ago with the Vaccine Safety Research Foundation, Dr. Biss said, “I was not anti-vaccine, I am now.”The other appointee is Dr. Adam Urato. He has previously questioned the safety of four common vaccines for pregnant women. He has claimed that doctors can’t tell if flu, Tdap, RSV and Covid vaccines will have any adverse effects on the woman or their unborn baby’s bodies.The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends all four as safe for pregnant women “and offer the best protection for you and your infant after birth.”In an emailed statement to the New York Sun, the organization said it “continues to be extremely concerned about the legitimacy and credibility of ACIP and its decision-making process after hearing that the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has once again been reconfigured, this time by the appointment of two ob-gyns whose past public statements do not align with evidence-based guidance.”“ACIP has historically been instrumental in providing evidence-based recommendations and guidance on vaccination during pregnancy. However, the current, reconstructed advisory committee has proven thus far that they are not following the longstanding tradition of relying on an unbiased review of reputable scientific evidence to make their recommendations and it is concerning that this practice of not providing evidenced-based recommendations will continue with the reconfigured committee,” the statement continued.The two doctors will join a committee that Mr. Kennedy has radically overhauled since joining the Trump administration. He fired all 17 members last June and replaced many of them with vaccine skeptics.“ACIP serves as Americans’ watchdog for vaccine safety and transparency,” Mr. Kennedy said in a statement announcing the appointments. “Dr. Urato and Dr. Biss bring the scientific credentials, clinical experience, and integrity this committee requires.”The committee provides recommendations on the use of immunizations for the control of vaccine-preventable diseases.In September, the committee voted to recommend Covid shots only for people 65 and older and those with underlying health issues.In December, the committee voted to no longer recommend giving the hepatitis B vaccine to most newborns on the day they are born. Senator Bill Cassidy, a doctor who cast one of the deciding votes to confirm Mr. Kennedy as health secretary, posted on X after the vote, “The ACIP is totally discredited. They are not protecting children.” The doctor’s group says it is concerned that women will avoid immunizations that will lead to avoidable loss of life.The vaccine committee is scheduled to meet again next month with the new members in attendance.

RFK Jr. Adds More Vaccine Skeptics to Influential Advisory Committee

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