Who Are the MAHA Moms? They’re Feeling Heard by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. + More
Source: Children’s Health Defense
Who Are the MAHA Moms? They’re Feeling Heard by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
After years of feeling marginalized for their views, many of which do not follow mainstream science, the mothers in the Make America Healthy Again movement — the so-called MAHA moms — are excited to see many of their beliefs promoted at the highest level of government.
At a Sept. 22 event at which President Donald Trump, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. discussed a link between Tylenol use in pregnancy and development of autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, the men turned over the podium to two MAHA moms and encouraged people to listen to the women.
MAHA moms feel included in the conversation for the first time, according to Claire Dooley of Washington, D.C., a second-generation advocate who is skeptical of vaccines.
“There’s a whole group of people who have been feeling alienated for a very long time, and now we don’t feel like that anymore, and I think that’s kind of the way we can step into the future,” Dooley said.
The MAHA movement brings together advocates for independent health care and parents rights. There are moms who want a more organic lifestyle, and people who are distrustful of pharmaceutical companies. There are grassroots advocacy groups, groups backed by donations from undisclosed funders, Facebook groups and nonprofits like Kennedy’s former project, Children’s Health Defense.
Top FDA Vaccine Official Says US Vaccine Schedule May Be Suboptimal
The current vaccine schedule in the U.S. may not be optimal, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) top vaccine official said in a new interview.
“I think the scientific establishment blindly defending the U.S. vaccine schedule is incorrect,” Dr. Vinay Prasad, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, told the Free Press in an interview published Sept. 29. “It is possible that our schedule is suboptimal.”
The FDA is part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Another HHS division, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sets the immunization schedule, which contains more vaccines and doses than many other countries, such as Denmark.
Inside the High-Stakes Battle Over Vaccine Injury Compensation, Autism and Public Trust
Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has floated a seismic idea: adding autism to the list of conditions covered by the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. The program, known as VICP, provides a system for families to file claims against vaccine providers in cases where they experience severe side effects.
Kennedy has also suggested broadening the definitions of two serious brain conditions — encephalopathy and encephalitis — so that autism cases could qualify.
Either move, experts warn, would unleash a flood of claims, threatening the program’s financial stability and handing vaccine opponents a powerful new talking point.
Legally, HHS “is required to undergo notice and comment rulemaking to revise the table,” said Richard Hughes, a law firm partner who teaches at George Washington University.
The “table” is a list of specific injuries that the U.S. government accepts as presumed to be caused by a vaccine if those injuries occur within a certain time window. If someone can show they meet these criteria, they have a simpler path to securing compensation without having to prove fault. Autism is not in the table because a link between vaccines and autism has been thoroughly debunked.
New Mexico Health Official Hopes Special Session Will Help ‘Bulletproof’ Vaccine Policy
During the special legislation session starting Wednesday and focused on federal health insurance and food assistance programs, New Mexico lawmakers also plan to address state laws on vaccine policy. Current federal tumult over vaccine availability requires providing state officials the flexibility “to set their own standards,” Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth recently told Source NM.
New Mexico Department of Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Miranda Durham told Source NM she hopes the changes in the law will offer state officials more leeway as federal vaccine policy faces delays and uncertainty. The hope is to “bulletproof” the state’s vaccination policy infrastructure and send clear public health messages, she noted. “We are essentially hoping to just broaden the guidance that we can rely on in making vaccine decisions,” Durham said.
Durham pointed to the recent challenges the state faced in offering COVID-19 vaccines. State law requires pharmacies to follow guidelines set by the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. But under the current federal administration, those guidelines have not been finalized. Thus, the state “was left in limbo,” she said.
Trump Signs Order Aimed at Using Artificial Intelligence to Boost Childhood Cancer Treatment
President Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday aimed at using artificial intelligence to improve research and treatments for childhood cancer. The order builds on a 2019 database established by Trump that collects data on childhood cancer. That order directs agencies to use artificial intelligence to analyze information in that database to accelerate research and clinical trials.
“Using cutting-edge AI, we will empower scientists and researchers to discover new treatments, cures and prevention strategies,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “AI can also make groundbreaking trials and therapies — it’s just going to be so accessible to everybody.” The order coincides with an announcement from the Department of Health and Human Services that the agency is doubling the funding for the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative that Trump established in 2019.
The agency said parents will still control their child’s health information, even as the information in the database will be analyzed by artificial intelligence to advance research.
Recent Top Stories
Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.
