Credit: Olivia Green

Join WSPN’s Olivia Green as she breaks down unqualified leaders in U.S. healthcare, spotlighting Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and how they affect the daily lives of local citizens.

Though the recent government shutdown has finally ended, its deep repercussions cannot be ignored. For a record-breaking 43 days, millions of workers went without pay, local businesses shut down and billions of dollars in revenue were lost. Such a crisis should be the final breaking point to demonstrate that the political system of the United States needs reform.

The United States has long been home to rival parties, and the government shutdown did nothing but exacerbate that rivalry. The political state of the U.S. is now marked by a clear divide between the Democratic and Republican parties.

Why, now more than ever, are these gaps so prominent? The answer lies in the qualifications (or lack thereof) of the politicians themselves. The absence of qualification in healthcare leaders is what leads to misinformation that endangers the everyday lives of citizens.

Let’s say you were tasked with finding a teacher for an advanced chemistry class. You’d most likely search for candidates with a background in chemistry and education. You wouldn’t choose a psychologist, no matter if they’ve won awards or have earned national recognition, because psychology isn’t quite the same subject as chemistry. But unfortunately, it seems our government could not follow this line of reasoning.

Now let’s turn to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Nominated by President Donald Trump in February, he controls 13 national health agencies, some of which include the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Furthermore, he exercises authority over the HHS’s trillions of dollars in budget money.

Kennedy Jr. has multiple degrees in environmental law. He is a renowned lawyer and writer, with an impressive background in prestigious colleges.

These institutes hold a vast amount of power, controlling vaccinations, medication and food regulations. Most importantly, their work is grounded in the health and medicine sector. So why is Kennedy Jr., who has no background in medicine or health, in charge of leading health organizations that directly influence the lives of American people?

Moreover, Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly spread misinformation about vaccines and voiced inconsistent views regarding vaccines and scientifically racist beliefs. He has denied his previous anti-vaccine argument, even though he was a vocal anti-vaxxer in the past. Furthermore, he made several comments about the effectiveness of vaccines on Black people, revealing a concerning set of fundamentally racist scientific beliefs.

Kennedy Jr. is not qualified to be the leader of such important health institutions, and keeping him in power is a naive blunder that threatens the health and security of people across the country, including those in Wayland.

Kennedy Jr., due to his lack of qualifications, has spread misinformation about autism to the general public. This is one example of how having an unqualified leader in the health department jeopardizes the wellbeing of people.

Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly made inaccurate statements on medical topics surrounding autism to the point where news outlets have fact-checked his claims and proven them to be false. Not only are they untrue, but offensive: the Autism Society pushed back, calling his statements “harmful, misleading and unrealistic.”

Among the completely false scientific statements were the blows to the nature of people with autism. Kennedy Jr. reduced people with autism to being seemingly helpless, asserting that they would never amount to any job or even be able to use the toilet.

Not only is this not true in about 75% of cases of people with autism, it’s also downright offensive. Nobody asks to have autism. It’s just something that happens to occur in some people. So why does Kennedy Jr. feel the need to put these people down? The answer seems to be pure arrogance, a nonexistent background in medicine and a general lack of awareness that is astonishing for someone in charge of such a powerful healthcare institution.

Beyond his complete lack of respect for those with autism, Kennedy Jr.’s claims about Tylenol and its relation to autism are simply false. Spreading misinformation is downright childish, and it contributes to a lack of awareness among people who listen to public health officials and regurgitate that information in their daily lives.

Misinformation about a disorder as common and serious as autism can be detrimental to the lives and wellbeing of those dealing with the disorder, as well as those attempting to provide care and assistance to the affected people.

What does the lack of knowledge about autism mean for Wayland? Well, I fear for the funding of the special education department. If our own politicians can’t take autism seriously, how can we trust them to continue to adequately fund our special education departments? Will this be the next careless “budget cut” made under Trump?

Kennedy Jr. is a leader and public figure, meaning he frequently makes appearances on TV and news and offers statements to the public. The leader of the NIH should be qualified and educated. Kennedy Jr. isn’t either, and instead of informing the American people, he spews misinformation to millions.

Where medical fields are concerned, it is imperative that all information is fact-checked and carefully curated before being shared with the public for safety reasons. This doesn’t seem to be a priority or even a problem on his radar, which is concerning.

My heart breaks for passionate students with visions of going into healthcare having to witness the battlefield that is the government right now. Across the country, people are affected by the blatant disrespect repeatedly displayed by Kennedy Jr..

It’s insulting that someone with zero health qualifications is allowed to take control of the largest health institution in the country, and beyond that, is permitted to continue spreading proven misinformation.

I urge students to not let powerful government figures affect what they are passionate about. While having Kennedy Jr. as the leader of the NIH certainly poses a threat to the national medical field, students should not let that stop them from continuing in public health. Now more than ever, we need decisive people to stand up for what medicine is really about: helping people and stating the facts.