RFK Jr. to Headline Anti-Vaccine Conference Organized by Children's Health Defense
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to headline an anti-vaccine conference that has sold out its venue, according to reporting by Ars Technica. The event is organized by Children's Health Defense, the nonprofit organization Kennedy founded that has promoted vaccine skepticism and opposed vaccination requirements.
The conference will feature Andrew Wakefield among its speakers. Wakefield is the former physician whose 1998 study linking vaccines to autism was later retracted and found to be fraudulent. His medical license was revoked, but he has continued to be a prominent figure in anti-vaccine advocacy.
Kennedy, who has built a political career around vaccine skepticism, has previously testified against vaccination mandates and promoted discredited claims about vaccine safety. Children's Health Defense has been designated as an anti-vaccine organization by groups tracking public health misinformation.
The conference comes amid ongoing policy debates about vaccination requirements in schools and healthcare settings, topics that remain active in state legislatures across the country.