Fact-checking RFK Jr.'s claims on vaccines, pesticides at confirmation hearing

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s confirmation hearing connected Wednesday to pb the Department of Health and Human Services saw senators question the biology lawyer astir his views connected vaccines, abortion, pesticides and adjacent Lyme disease.

Senators asked Kennedy astir views helium has often promoted connected vaccines that are astatine likelihood with the statement of nationalist wellness researchers and the mainstream technological assemblage that are based connected decades of beardown technological evidence, contempt saying helium is "supportive of vaccines" connected Wednesday.

The nominee was besides questioned astir his past comments, including claiming that pesticides origin children to go transgender.

Additionally, senators asked Kennedy astir comments helium made successful enactment of termination rights erstwhile helium was a registered Democrat and a 2024 statesmanlike campaigner successful opposition with caller comments, supporting President Donald Trump's views and believing that laws regulating the process should beryllium near up to the states.

Here are a fewer aesculapian claims made by Kennedy that are missing discourse oregon see falsehoods:

Claim: CDC approved COVID-19 vaccines "without immoderate technological basis."

Context: COVID vaccines are among the astir studied vaccines successful history, with ample objective studies showing the wellness benefits acold transcend immoderate imaginable risks.

Claim: Kennedy says helium had thing to bash with the measles outbreak successful American Samoa

Context: The 2019 measles outbreak led to much than 5,700 cases and 83 deaths. The Ministry of Health cited Kennedy's sojourn and rhetoric arsenic exacerbating vaccine hesitancy astatine a important moment, according to a work from The Lancet.

In effect to the information of Kennedy arsenic HHS Secretary, Samoas manager wide of health, Aiono Prof Alec Ekeroma, told The Guardian, We cannot and should not enactment silent. We cognize what this assignment means. It means much platforms for anti-vaxxers and little backing for vaccines and wellness programs.

It indispensable beryllium treated arsenic a menace to our wellness security, Ekeroma said.

The 2019 measles outbreak led to much than 5,700 cases and 83 deaths. The Ministry of Health cited Kennedy's sojourn and rhetoric arsenic exacerbating vaccine hesitancy astatine a important moment

Claim: Kennedy: 'I astir apt did say, Lyme illness is "highly apt a militarily engineered bioweapon"'

Context: Lyme illness is caused by a benignant of bacteria and spreads done the wound of blacklegged ticks, according to the CDC.

Claim: Kennedy says helium has ne'er claimed pesticides pb children to go transgender

Context: Kennedy has repeatedly suggested biology toxins, including those successful drinking water, are linked to sex place successful children. These claims are unfounded.

Claim Sen. James Lankford: The FDA has discouraged radical from submitting information reports astir termination medicine mifepristone unless the idiosyncratic died.

Context: Anyone is invited to taxable a information study connected immoderate medicine utilizing a publically disposable database.