17,000 doctors call RFK Jr. 'actively dangerous' to national healthcare

Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a danger to national healthcare and lacks the qualifications to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, more than 17,000 doctors said in a letter to U.S. senators.

The doctors are members of the Chicago-based Committee to Protect Health Care, which represents about 20,000 doctors and other medical professionals in the United States.

"We are appalled at [President-elect] Donald Trump's reckless decision to appoint Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of Health and Human Services," committee executive director Rob Davidson said in the undated letter.

"The health and well-being of 336 million Americans depend on leadership at HHS that prioritizes science, evidence-based medicine and strengthening the integrity of our public health system," Davidson said.

"RFK Jr. is not only unqualified to lead this essential agency," Davidson continued, "he is actively dangerous."

Davidson and the 17,000 doctors supporting the letter urge senators to reject Trump's nomination of Kennedy as HHS secretary.

Davidson and other doctors called Kennedy's nomination an "affront to the principles of public health" and said he has a "well-documented history of spreading dangerous disinformation on vaccines and public health interventions."

His views put "millions of lives at risk" and "his appointment is a direct threat to the safety of our patients and the public at large," Davidson said.

Kennedy has criticized mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations and other vaccines and has been accused of spreading misinformation about vaccines and other healthcare practices.

He has proposed ending the practice of adding fluoride to public water supplies and removing many food additives and preservatives from the nation's food supply.

Kennedy met with Democratic Party Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, both of Massachusetts, to discuss their potential support -- or opposition -- to his nomination as HHS secretary.

Both senators have voiced their opposition to Kennedy's nomination.

Kennedy also has met with Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, to discuss his nomination, Politico reported.

Cornyn chairs the Senate Finance Committee, which must approve Kennedy's nomination before it goes before the full Senate for consideration.