FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Doctors for America
PO Box: 21161
2300 18th St NW Lbby
Washington, DC 20009-9996
August 28, 2025
Kennedy’s War on Doctors and Evidence-Based Medicine
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today’s announcement from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., proposing limits on access to COVID-19 vaccines for children and young adults, is deeply alarming. As physicians and health advocates, we know that vaccines are among the most effective tools we have to protect communities. Restricting access to lifesaving vaccines undermines public health, spreads confusion, and places children and families at unnecessary risk.
With COVID cases climbing – leading to a surge in emergency department visits and an uptick in hospitalizations – and respiratory virus season quickly approaching, these barriers are especially dangerous for infants. This past influenza season saw the highest number of pediatric deaths during a non-pandemic influenza season in the 20 years of reporting history. Healthy infants under two are at greatest risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19, yet this group will not have access to vaccination. Secretary Kennedy’s decision also means that healthy pregnant women who are at increased risk of blood clots and pregnancy loss due to COVID infection can be denied vaccination. These changes reflect a rejection of strong scientific evidence and undermine our most effective public health tools to keep Americans healthy.
“Restricting access to lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines is reckless and dangerous,” said Dr. Christine Petrin, Board President, Doctors for America “ Medical decisions must be made by families and their doctors—not politicians. Doctors for America calls on the Administration to reverse this harmful decision and put science and patients first.”
Doctors for America stands firmly with science and evidence: COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective, and essential. Parents who wish to protect their children with vaccination should always have that option—free from political interference. Medical decisions belong with families and their trusted clinicians, not politicians.
We call on the Administration to immediately reverse this reckless decision and instead prioritize policies that expand, not restrict, access to vaccines. Public health must be guided by science and compassion—not politics.
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About Doctors for America:
Doctors for America (DFA) is a national movement of over 40,000 physicians and medical students across all 50 states and every specialty who are committed to putting patients over politics. We mobilize and train clinicians to be effective advocates, equipping them with the skills to influence policy and lead change at both state and federal levels. Our work focuses on three core areas: expanding access to affordable care, strengthening community health and prevention, and advancing health justice and equity. Unlike many organizations, DFA does not accept funding from pharmaceutical companies, insurers, or for-profit healthcare corporations—ensuring that our voice remains independent, trusted, and grounded solely in what is best for patients. By uniting the trusted voices of doctors and medical trainees, DFA drives policy change, defends evidence-based care, and works to improve the health of our patients, communities, and nation. Find out more at doctorsforamerica.org and on Twitter drsforamerica or Bluesky drsforamerica.bsky.social.