RFK Jr. headlines sold-out anti-vaccine conference alongside Andrew Wakefield
US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will deliver a keynote address at an anti-vaccine conference being held in Washington, DC, later this week and hosted by the anti-vaccine organization he once led, Children's Health Defense (CHD). The organization announced Monday that Kennedy had signed on to the event. Kennedy will appear alongside other high-profile figures in the anti-vaccine world, including Andrew Wakefield, the disgraced former doctor who was stripped of his medical license over a fraudulent, now-retracted study that falsely claimed a link between autism and the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. An investigation by a medical board found that Wakefield had mistreated vulnerable children and that his actions amounted to serious professional misconduct. Despite being ostracized from the medical community, Wakefield has become an enduring figure in the anti-vaccine community. His dangerous falsehood that vaccines cause autism has also endured—with significant help from CHD and Kennedy, who have embraced and widely promoted the erroneous link. Read full article Comments
US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will deliver a keynote address at an anti-vaccine conference being held in Washington, DC, later this week and hosted by the anti-vaccine organization he once led, Children's Health Defense (CHD). The organization announced Monday that Kennedy had signed on to the event.
The online registration site for the CHD’s conference hails Wakefield as a “tireless advocate for parental choice.” For Kennedy, CHD’s cofounder and former leader, the site describes him as “a uniquely powerful and celebrated champion for those whose voices have long gone unheard.”
Overall, CHD’s conference is billed as a “pursuit of a more perfect future” and will discuss the current risks and opportunities for the “health freedom movement.” The event’s sessions and talks will be held on September 17, with an opening reception the night before.
