Dr. Amy Acton: Attacking Doctors and Spreading Conspiracy Theories is the MAHA Way
By Dr. Amy Acton
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is already the most dangerous Secretary of Health and Human Services that we’ve ever had. Over the past 100 days, he’s peddled anti-vaccine conspiracies, infantilized people with autism, and—most recently—supported Republicans’ budget bill that will cut Medicaid and Medicare for millions of millions of Americans.
But he’s not stopping there.
In his new 73-page “Make America Healthy Again” report, RFK Jr. takes his anti-science propaganda to a new level. He uses the official government report to not only legitimize junk science but also to concoct and demonize a new villain supposedly standing in the way of his agenda: Doctors.
That’s right. Throughout the entire report, RFK Jr. throws accusation after accusation at physicians for contributing to childhood chronic diseases.
As a doctor, I am appalled that he’s using his position in office to demonize the medical professionals who dedicate their lives to years of education, rotations, and grueling hours to keep our communities and families safe.
As a mother, I am horrified that RFK Jr. is trying to convince parents to pin the blame on doctors for childhood diseases and diagnoses.
As senseless as this all sounds, this is a malicious strategy to sow the seeds of doubt against the medical community and their legitimacy. Since his confirmation, RFK Jr. has ramped up his attacks on public health and made outlandish claims. In the face of these unprecedented attacks, doctors have stepped up to call them out.
RFK Jr. knows that if he can convince the American public that doctors are actually working against their patients, he can claim that their complaints against him should be disregarded, allowing him to further peddle discredited anti-science beliefs. On his 100th day in office, RFK Jr. and his newly established “MAHA Commission” released a report to reiterate them.
He tried to connect safe and tested vaccines to autism, ADHD, and other chronic childhood diseases. He claimed that what people with type 1 diabetes needed was a cookbook to control their illness. He omitted any socioeconomic factors, like poverty or lack of access to health care, that could contribute to chronic childhood diseases.
And the studies he used to support these false claims? The data was either severely misrepresented or selectively chosen—or, as NOTUS uncovered, completely made up. At least seven studies that were cited in RFK Jr.’s report don’t exist. Under no circumstances should this “report” ever have been released; that’s why I co-signed a letter, which is available for anyone to sign, to RFK Jr. demanding the report be removed from the White House website.
But even when presented with the proof and actual studies that disprove his claims, RFK Jr. and the Trump administration are doubling down on the report, putting millions of children at risk.
During the COVID pandemic, I was on the front lines in Ohio, working to save lives and reopen responsibly and quickly as the director of the Ohio Department of Health. I know how important it is to follow the science and to make sure families have the correct information to keep themselves and others safe.
I also saw how easy it was for some to spread medical misinformation—and its deadly consequences. It’s crucial that publicly disseminated information and guidance be backed by actual professionals.
As the top health official in our nation, RFK Jr. has a sacred responsibility to keep Americans safe. What he’s doing now is disingenuous and dangerous. It’s not an exaggeration to say that if allowed to continue as is, he will kill Americans.
Now, more than ever, we need elected officials in office who will fight back against these relentless and reckless attacks on public health. We need to stop letting untrained career politicians dictate health policies. We need leaders who will protect their constituents from these policies and actions at every turn.We need doctors, nurses, and medical professionals to run for office.
Personally, I’m running for Ohio Governor because I refuse to look the other way as all this damage takes place. I look forward to confronting the challenges that everyday families face—including keeping them safe and healthy.
It’s more urgent than ever that we, within the medical community, meet this moment head-on. We need medical voices at every level of office—from local seats up to the Senate (and even the White House)—across the country. People who actually know what it takes to make America healthy. People who families trust with their lives.
We cannot allow RFK Jr. to destroy public health any further than he already has.
Dr. Amy Acton is running for Governor in Ohio. She is a doctor and was Ohio’s top health official during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can join calls to remove the “MAHA Report” from the White House website here.
