from the warning-label-indeed dept
Six former Surgeons Common have gotten collectively to publicly pen an opinion piece within the Washington Put up concerning the risks of RFK Jr. The put up is pretty lengthy and, frankly, reads as if all six of them are a part of a Techdirt fan membership for posts about Kennedy. Because the put up cycles by means of what Kennedy is doing that signify this hazard, it’s the best hits from our personal posts on Kennedy. The exodus of expertise from HHS and its youngster businesses. The mismanaged measles outbreak that grew to become the worst in a long time and resulted in 3 deaths, together with one youngster. The continuous misinformation about vaccines. The damaging rhetoric within the wake of the Atlanta CDC taking pictures, rhetoric that led to the shooter firing a whole lot of rounds on the CDC’s campus. And, in fact, the weird flip in the direction of blaming acetaminophen for rising autism charges.
But Kennedy continues to disregard science and the general public’s needs. Most just lately, HHS proposed new warning labels on merchandise containing acetaminophen (Tylenol), citing a supposed hyperlink between prenatal use and autism. This transfer has been broadly condemned by the scientific and medical communities, who’ve identified that the accessible analysis is inconclusive and inadequate to justify such a warning. In a rare and unprecedented response, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Faculty of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and different main well being organizations issued public steering urging physicians and sufferers to ignore HHS’s advice. As an alternative of serving to pregnant ladies make knowledgeable selections throughout a vital interval of their lives, Kennedy’s selections danger inflicting confusion, concern and hurt.
Relatively than combating the speedy unfold of well being misinformation with info and readability, Kennedy is amplifying it. The implications aren’t summary. They’re measured in lives misplaced, illness outbreaks and an erosion of public belief that may take years to rebuild.
That is all stuff you’ve examine right here and elsewhere already. And it’s not terribly stunning that any variety of docs and healthcare professionals, together with these six, could be vocally in opposition to the blatantly anti-medicine, anti-science exercise that’s at the moment being performed at HHS.
However, within the curiosity of progressing this previous a by no means ending shriek-fest about how clearly horrible Kennedy is at his present put up, it’s necessary to notice simply how bipartisan this all is. These six Surgeons Common had been appointed throughout six administrations, together with considered one of them twice. They had been appointed by each Bushes, Clinton, Obama, Biden, and, sure, Trump himself. And all six are unequivocal that this has nothing to do with politics and all the things to do with defending the well being of our nation.
As former U.S. surgeons normal appointed by each Republican and Democratic president since George H.W. Bush, now we have collectively spent a long time in service as the Nation’s Physician. We took two sacred oaths in our lifetimes: first, as physicians who swore to look after our sufferers and, second, as public servants who dedicated to defending the well being of all Individuals.
Immediately, in line with these oaths, we’re compelled to talk with one voice to say that the actions of Well being and Human Providers Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are endangering the well being of the nation. By no means earlier than have we issued a joint public warning like this. However the profound, instant and unprecedented menace that Kennedy’s insurance policies and positions pose to the nation’s well being can’t be ignored.
Sure, this. An excessive amount of of our politics has been become a sporting occasion, the place now we have our groups and again them not as a result of they’re proper, however as a result of we’re followers. And that makes every kind of sense in sports activities, however makes zero sense in any respect in politics. And it makes even much less sense once we’re speaking about issues of public well being.
A “loss” for one aspect can really be an actual loss for everybody. And the converse is true. As a result of if what is definitely successful is science and drugs, that advantages us all whether or not its detractors agree or not. And, positive, scientists can get issues fallacious. Medical doctors can, too.
However the query is that this: is everybody on this bipartisan record of former Surgeons Common all fallacious, silly, corrupt, and compromised… or is RFK Jr. no less than a kind of issues? The reply, it appears to me, must be apparent.
Filed Beneath: cdc, well being and human providers, rfk jr., surgeon normal
