Medical Groups Sue HHS, RFK Jr. Over COVID Vaccine Policy Changes

A coalition of six medical organizations, led by the American Academy of Pediatrics, filed a lawsuit against Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) over recent changes to COVID-19 vaccine recommendations.

The Details: The lawsuit challenges Kennedy’s May 19 directive, which called for removals to the COVID-19 vaccine from CDC immunization schedules for children and pregnant women, arguing it violates established US public health norms and endangers public safety. Filed by groups including the American College of Physicians and the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the suit accuses Kennedy of undermining science-based vaccine policy, saying these actions aim to "mislead, confuse, and gradually desensitize the public to anti-vaccine and anti-science rhetoric."

For Context: Kennedy has a history of vaccine skepticism, claiming they are not adequately safety-tested. In June, Kennedy fired all 17 members of the CDC's Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices and replaced them with his own appointees. The HHS said, “Secretary Kennedy is not anti-vaccine — he is pro-safety, pro-transparency, and pro-accountability.”

How the Media Covered It: The Investor's Business Daily (Lean Right bias) mentioned other accusations in the lawsuit including blocking communications between the CDC and cancelling meetings. Politico (Lean Left) provided background on COVID-19 vaccine data and noted that the scientists who collected the data said Kennedy had misinterpreted results. Reuters (Center) wrote that for decades Kennedy “has sown doubt about the safety of vaccines contrary to evidence and research by scientists.” Several outlets also omitted the HHS from their headlines, even though it was also named in the lawsuit.

Revised by the AllSides staff (of humans) after a first draft from our custom AI. Learn more. Support our mission.