We're in court again this time to fight Trump/RFK anti-vax agenda
By Ben Solis, Rhode Island Current
The new childhood immunization policies and vaccine schedule from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is the focus of yet another multistate lawsuit..webp)
The US has had 3,300 new measles cases since
Trump and RFK Jr. took over
The lawsuit challenges the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “decision memo” issued in January, which stripped seven childhood vaccines, including those protecting against rotavirus, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), of what has been a typically and universally recommended status.
The complaint — which names federal DHHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CDC Acting Director Jay Bhattacharya — also challenges what several attorneys general have called the unlawful replacement of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the expert federal panel that has guided U.S. vaccine policy for decades.
“Childhood vaccines are proven to save lives, and the overhaul of the nation’s immunization schedule has only sown unnecessary confusion and anxiety for parents who are simply trying to make the best, most informed decision for their children,” Nessel said in a statement. “While physicians … are standing up for kids and following evidence-based recommendations, the CDC cannot be permitted to let politics and unlawful appointments interfere with longstanding public health policy.”
Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, Michigan’s chief medical executive, previously said that the new changes may create confusion for families and clinicians in terms of school vaccine requirements, clinical workflows and the supply and use of combination vaccines.
Bagdasarian reupped that sentiment on Tuesday as news came that Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel was joining others in the new lawsuit, including the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said in a statement Wednesday morning that the Trump administration’s actions here are “the natural result of appointing an anti-vaxxer as head of HHS.”
“You don’t need to be a scientist to understand the science: for decades vaccinations have prevented hundreds of millions of cases of illness in this country and have saved Americans trillions of dollars in related expenses,” Neronha said. “Now, Secretary Kennedy has unlawfully fired all members of a qualified committee charged with protecting our kids’ health and replaced them with those who will do his bidding. If allowed, Americans, and especially our kids, will pay the price. We can’t, and won’t, allow them to endanger the lives of our children.”
A list of Neronha’s federal litigation against the Trump administration is on his office’s website. Nessel’s efforts against the Trump administration are also listed on her office’s state website.
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This story was originally produced by Michigan Advance, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Rhode Island Current, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
Rhode Island Current is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Rhode Island Current maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janine L. Weisman for questions: info@rhodeislandcurrent.com.