 |
| Mariam Zuhaib/AP |
They say the decision “erodes trust” by pitting providers against federal recommendations that aren’t grounded in evidence.
A coalition of doctors’ groups led by the American Academy of Pediatrics filed a lawsuit Monday against Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., arguing that his May announcement that the government would no longer recommend Covid-19 vaccines for healthy pregnant people and children violated longstanding norms governing U.S. immunization policy.
The organizations say Kennedy’s May 19 “Secretarial Directive” documenting his move to pull the vaccine from the CDC’s immunization schedule constitutes a final agency action ripe for challenge, noting that he cited no emergency or specific circumstantial changes to support the move.
“The Secretarial Directive is contrary to the wealth of data and peer-reviewed studies that demonstrate the safety and efficacy of Covid vaccines for children and pregnant women,” the plaintiffs said in the lawsuit.
HHS didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Organizations on the challenge include the American College of Physicians, the American Public Health Association and the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
The directive, they wrote, has put doctors “in the untenable position of telling their patients that the country’s top-ranking government health official’s advice and recommendations are wrong and that we are right.”
“This erodes trust, which is the foundation of a healthy physician-patient relationship and vital to the success of AAP members’ medical practices,” they added. --->READ MORE HERE
 |
| AP |
A coalition of six medical organizations on Monday sued Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The Context
Kennedy, who launched an independent campaign for president and later backed Donald Trump, has faced harsh blowback from scientists and medical experts for his views on vaccines and food safety, most of which are not supported by scientific evidence.
"There is no vaccine that is safe and effective," he said in 2023. Kennedy has said he's not "anti-vaccine" and is "pro-vaccine" but that he wants more stringent testing and safety guidelines.
What To Know
"This administration is an existential threat to vaccination in America, and those in charge are only just getting started," the lawsuit said. "The professional associations for pediatricians, internal medicine physicians, infectious disease physicians, high-risk pregnancy physicians, and public health professionals will not stand idly by as our system of prevention is dismantled. This ends now."
The plaintiffs in the suit include the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians and Infectious Diseases Society of America, among others. It was filed in Massachusetts.
The suit challenges Kennedy's unilateral decision to revoke COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for children and pregnant women, calling the move an attack on evidence-based medicine and public health.
The plaintiffs argued that Kennedy acted arbitrarily by dismissing 17 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory panel on immunization and replacing them with vaccine skeptics. The lawsuit seeks preliminary and permanent injunctions to block the policy changes, as well as a court declaration deeming them unlawful. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to relevant/related stories and resources:
WHO accuses China of withholding Covid-19 genetic data
US court says worker's COVID safety concerns covered by labor law
USA TODAY: Coronavirus Updates
WSJ: Coronavirus Live Updates
YAHOO NEWS: Coronavirus Live Updates
NEW YORK POST: Coronavirus The Latest
If you like what you see, please "Like" and/or Follow us on FACEBOOK here, GETTR here, and TWITTER here.
No comments:
Post a Comment