on PinterestA federal judge has overturned HHS Health Secretary RFK Jr.’s changes to the childhood vaccination schedule.
on PinterestA federal judge has overturned HHS Health Secretary RFK Jr.’s changes to the childhood vaccination schedule. Matthias Bein/picture alliance via Getty Images
- A federal judge has struck down childhood vaccination recommendations implemented earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
- The judge also blocked HHS Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s appointments to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
- Medical professionals praised the judge’s ruling, saying vaccinations are vital in preventing diseases in children.
A federal judge has overturned new childhood vaccination policies implemented earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy ruled that federal health officials under the leadership of HHS Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had acted unlawfully when they issued new childhood vaccination recommendations in January.
Those guidelines reduce the number of childhood vaccinations, indicating vaccination against 11 diseases instead of the 16 diseases recommended under prior guidelines. The HHS policies also downgraded childhood immunization recommendations for other diseases, including rotavirus, influenza, and hepatitis A.
In his ruling, Murphy said that previous childhood vaccination recommendations had been made through “a method scientific in nature and codified into law through procedural requirements.”
The judge said that HHS officials had “disregarded those methods and thereby undermined the integrity of its actions.”
Murphy also ruled that Health Secretary Kennedy’s appointments to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) were not lawfully constituted, and blocked Kennedy’s 13 appointees to the panel.
The plaintiffs in the case argued that the committee had become dominated by people aligned with Kennedy’s anti-vaccine views and was constituted in violation of the Federal Advisory Committee Act’s mandates that it be fairly balanced and free of inappropriate influence.
After the ruling was issued on March 16, ACIP meetings scheduled for this week were postponed. The panel was scheduled to discuss potential changes to recommendations regarding COVID-19 vaccines.
In addition, the judge had put a hold on votes taken by ACIP members since June. That includes a December decision by the panel to roll back recommendations that newborns receive a first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth.
The Trump administration is expected to appeal Murphy’s ruling.
Medical professionals praise vaccination ruling
The lawsuit challenging the HHS childhood vaccination recommendations was brought by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other major medical groups.
“Today’s ruling is a historic and welcome outcome for children, communities, and pediatricians everywhere,” said Andrew Racine, MD, AAP president, in a statement.
This decision effectively means that a science-based process for developing immunization recommendations is not to be trifled with and represents a critical step to restoring scientific decision-making to federal vaccine policy that has kept children healthy for years,” Racine continued.
Medical professionals said the judge’s ruling was an important action and the correct decision.
“The judge’s ruling brings light and focus to the reality that the changes to the vaccine schedule were made by individuals who are not experts in vaccinations, science, or public health and the changes were not based upon any new data, evidence, or scientific basis,”
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