Should parents "do their own research" on vaccines?

A few months ago, I was unsure which cabinet member was least qualified for their role, but it is now clear that Robert Kennedy Jr. can claim this dubious distinction. Not only is he temperamentally and by experience unfit to head a massive government agency, but he is actively fighting against the agency’s purpose.

Measles is a highly contagious disease that is 98% preventable by vaccination. Because measles spreads so easily, about 97% of the population must be vaccinated to prevent outbreaks.

The very success of vaccination in reducing childhood diseases has led many parents to worry less about these diseases. Measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, and whooping cough were once “the usual childhood diseases” but should now be rare. Polio should be exceedingly rare.

Instead, 2025 has seen 935 cases of measles to date, 121 (13%) of whom were sick enough to be hospitalized, and 3 children have died. 96% of those sickened have been unvaccinated. There have also been outbreaks in Canada, with Ontario and Alberta the hardest hit.

The U.S. has also seen whooping cough make a comeback. In 2024 there were 35,000 cases reported and 10 deaths.

Mr. Kennedy’s solution is to “do research on treatments” for measles, though the remedies he suggests such as cod liver oil have been extensively studied for decades and found worthless.

Kennedy has made himself wealthy from his vaccine-denial activities, earning a large salary from his foundation, Children’s Health Defense, and getting kick-backs from lawyers by sending them parents to join class-action suits against vaccine manufacturers. Children’s Health Defense is an activist group mainly known for anti-vaccine advocacy and is one of the main sources of misinformation on vaccines.

Instead of urging parents to vaccinate their children, as recommended by every medical group that has studied this subject, Kennedy suggested “parents should do their own research.” For most parents, this does not mean careful review of published scientific studies but rather going on Facebook or other social media platforms, where misinformation abounds.

Vaccines, while not 100% perfect, are very effective and very safe. Vaccines do not cause autism. This claim has been studied by numerous groups over recent decades and demonstrated to be false. While nothing we inject or ingest is 100% safe, the risks from vaccines are much less than the risks of the diseases they prevent.

Parents who care about their children should listen to their pediatrician and get their kids vaccinated so these ancient scourges can remain history and not current plagues.


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