Who Is RFK Jr and Why He Matters Now
Robert F. Kennedy Jr is an American lawyer, environmental advocate, and long-time critic of mainstream vaccine policy who now serves as the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). In this cabinet role, he oversees federal health agencies including the CDC and FDA, giving him direct influence over vaccine schedules, hospital regulations, and national health priorities.
Kennedy’s rise from activist outsider to the country’s top health official has made him a central figure in global debates about public trust in science, regulatory oversight, and the politicization of medicine. Supporters see him as confronting powerful institutions they believe are unaccountable, while opponents warn that his skepticism of established evidence could undermine decades of progress in public health.
RFK Jr’s Effort to Rewrite Vaccine Policy
As HHS secretary, RFK Jr has moved quickly to reshape U.S. immunization policy, starting by firing all 17 members of a key advisory panel on vaccine recommendations and replacing them with his own appointees.[1] He has signaled interest in aligning the U.S. pediatric vaccine schedule with that of countries such as Denmark and has already overseen controversial changes, like weakening recommendations for universal newborn hepatitis B vaccination.[1]
Legal scholars emphasize that Kennedy must comply with the Administrative Procedure Act, which requires health regulations and recommendations to be based on a transparent, reasoned review of evidence, with opportunities for expert and public input.[1] Public health groups warn that if these processes are rushed or politicized, courts could strike down new policies and, in the meantime, confusion and reduced vaccination may trigger preventable disease outbreaks among children.[1]
Clash Over Youth Gender-Affirming Care
RFK Jr’s HHS has also taken steps to bar hospitals from performing what it labels “sex-rejecting procedures on children,” a move expected to sharply limit access to gender-affirming medical care for minors.[3] The department frames this policy as protecting children from irreversible decisions, but many medical and civil rights organizations view it as a politically driven intrusion into clinical practice.
Oregon and 18 other states have sued HHS, arguing that Kennedy’s actions unlawfully restrict evidence-based care and violate state and individual rights.[2] Critics, including New York’s attorney general, stress that national medical standards cannot be rewritten unilaterally by an agency document and warn that the policy could deprive transgender youth of medically necessary treatments that major professional bodies associate with better mental health outcomes.[2][3]