Kennedy tells anti-vaccine group he previously led that he’ll ‘stay in this fight’

Kennedy Reassures Anti-Vaccine Activists at Children’s Health Defense Gathering

Earthguardiansonline.com – With the United States facing its largest measles surge in decades, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. delivered a keynote address Thursday to Children’s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine organization he helped establish and once led.

The appearance drew a standing ovation from conference attendees and marked an extraordinary moment for a sitting HHS secretary. Kennedy left the group when he pursued the presidency, but his remarks made clear that he still considers himself aligned with many of its concerns over vaccines and public-health policy.

His address came amid a measles outbreak that has grown as vaccination coverage has fallen. More than 3,200 cases have been recorded in the US this year, despite measles having been declared eliminated nationally in 2000. Pennsylvania has reported four measles-related deaths this year, including two infants and an 18-year-old.

A conference focused on vaccine skepticism

Kennedy spoke between Mark Gordon, president of the MAHA Institute, and Andrew Wakefield, the British gastroenterologist and filmmaker whose 1998 publication suggested a connection between vaccination and developmental conditions including autism.

Wakefield’s paper was withdrawn in 2010, and he subsequently lost his medical license. The study has long been discredited, but Wakefield remains a prominent figure among vaccine opponents.

For nearly 40 minutes, Kennedy largely avoided the subject of vaccines. Instead, he described Trump administration priorities involving chronic disease, food dyes, ultraprocessed foods in government programs and regenerative agriculture. He also referenced federally supported research into possible health effects from electromagnetic fields and chemtrails, prompting applause in the room.

When he ultimately addressed vaccines, Kennedy praised President Donald Trump for embracing people skeptical of vaccine policy.

“You have a strong and steadfast friend at the White House.”

“President Trump will not allow the government to treat parents who question vaccine orthodoxies as lepers.”

Kennedy said the administration had not removed vaccines from public access, while portraying its work as an effort to examine questions raised by parents.

“We have not taken vaccines away from anyone. We have preserved access, but we have started asking the questions that you and millions of American parents have been asking for years.”

Questions over safety claims and public-health policy

A lawyer by training, Kennedy had pledged during his confirmation process and in social-media statements that he would not limit vaccine access. Yet at the conference, he criticized vaccine safety and effectiveness and promised continued support for people who share his views.

Children’s Health Defense has spent years challenging vaccine requirements and government health rules through lawsuits. The group has also promoted “medical freedom” legislation and produced films questioning vaccine safety. Its online store includes baby clothing with messages such as “No Vax No Problem” and “Unvaxxed Unafraid.” Conference participants were offered a chance to win a signed edition of Kennedy’s book, The Real Anthony Fauci, and could obtain free copies of The Wuhan Cover-Up.

Kennedy called the federal reporting system for possible vaccine-related adverse events “very bad.” He said serious vaccine injuries may be extremely uncommon, but argued that their full frequency is uncertain.

“In our country, we care about rare illnesses and deaths. We care about every child who dies from measles. They get headlines. We should care about the children — shouldn’t we, I’d ask you, care about children who are dying or suffering or being injured by vaccine injuries?”

That was his sole reference to measles during the speech. The disease can spread rapidly among people who are not immune, particularly in communities where vaccination rates are lower. Public-health specialists emphasize that the measles vaccine is highly effective and that severe vaccine-related harms are exceptionally rare.

A 2021 review examining 338 studies across 518 publications concluded that vaccines were safe across populations and that serious adverse events were rare, in line with other recent systematic vaccine-safety reviews.

Changes underway at HHS

Kennedy’s tenure at HHS has already brought some of the most consequential vaccine-policy shifts in the US in decades. Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised its Covid-19 vaccine guidance, requiring patients to consult a health-care provider before receiving the vaccine.

In October, Kennedy also formed a working group outside the CDC’s usual advisory structure to examine the safety, effectiveness and scheduling of vaccines for children and teenagers.

The conference speech underscored the tension surrounding his role: Kennedy is the nation’s top health official while also maintaining close ties to a movement that has challenged long-standing vaccination practices. For families, the practical issue remains immediate. Decisions about immunization affect not only individual protection, but also the ability of communities to prevent outbreaks of highly contagious illnesses such as measles.

As the outbreak continues, the debate surrounding vaccine policy is likely to remain central to Kennedy’s leadership at HHS and to the broader national discussion over public health, parental choice and trust in medical guidance.