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U.S. Health Secretary Kennedy Renews Backing for Vaccination ‘Freedom of Choice’
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reiterated his support Wednesday for the rights of parents to keep their children from taking vaccinations, even those required for enrollment in public schools.
Kennedy visited the State Capitol on a Make America Healthy Again tour, encouraging people to eat better food, discussing his efforts to cut out food dyes and touting his work to send federal funds to rural areas for health care. Tennessee lawmakers are being asked to approve $1 billion over five years as part of the Rural Health Transformation program, following federal Medicaid cuts, as long as they agree to a long list of mandates.
Sticking with his stance on vaccines, Kennedy said the federal government recommends vaccinations but noted he hasn’t been involved in the issue on a state-by-state basis. Asked if he wants to see more states end mandated vaccinations for school enrollment, Kennedy said, “I believe in freedom of choice.”
FDA Removes Warning Page About Dangerous Autism Treatments
The FDA removed a webpage that warned consumers about potentially dangerous products and therapies marketed as autism treatments. An archived version of the page said the agency had warned or taken action against companies that made improper claims that their products could treat or cure autism or autism-related symptoms.
The page warned that “some of these so-called therapies carry significant health risks,” citing chelation therapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, detoxifying clay baths, and products including raw camel milk and Miracle Mineral Solution (chlorine dioxide). The page was removed at the end of 2025, an HHS spokesperson told MedPage Today.
The article had not been updated since 2019 and “was retired along with other older articles” as part of “routine housekeeping,” the spokesperson said. The spokesperson did not say whether the warning page will be updated soon or whether the FDA still regards the treatments as potentially dangerous. The decision, combined with recent changes announced by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., sparked alarm among autism researchers.
Iowa House Lawmakers Advance Bill to End School Vaccine Requirement
Iowa House lawmakers advanced a bill Wednesday that would eliminate vaccine requirements for Iowa students entering elementary or secondary school. Current law requires that Iowa students are vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, measles and rubella, hepatitis B, varicella and meningitis unless they are granted a medical or religious exemption.
The bill (HF2171) would end that requirement and make Iowa the first state to eliminate its requirement for children to be vaccinated to go to school. At a subcommittee hearing, Rep. Brooke Boden, R-Indianola, said the exemptions aren’t enough.
“You either really have to have a medical concern or you have to claim that you’re religious, and I think that’s coercing parents into a situation in which they’re not able to utilize their parental right [and] find the right vaccination schedule for their child,” Boden said.
Autism Probably Affects Boys and Girls Equally, Massive New Study Reveals
Autism has historically been viewed as a condition that affects men and boys more frequently than women and girls. But a massive new study based on data from millions of people suggests this isn’t actually the case, at least in Sweden. While boys are diagnosed with the condition at higher rates during childhood, by adulthood, the ratio is roughly 1:1. This suggests it’s not a case of fewer women having autism: it’s just that they aren’t diagnosed until later in life.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis rates have been climbing since the 1990s, but diagnoses are not equal between males and females. The DSM-5, which defines mental health conditions and recommended treatments, states that for every four males diagnosed with autism, only one female receives a diagnosis.
But the recent study, led by medical epidemiologist Caroline Fyfe of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, paints a very different picture, adding to a growing body of research that suggests autistic women and girls are being let down by current systems of diagnosis and treatment.
‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water: How Exposure Can Impact Infant Health
Environmental Working Group reported:
Exposure through drinking water to the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS can harm infant health before birth, a recent study finds. The risks of exposure can include premature birth, low birth weight and even infant mortality. University of Arizona researchers found that babies born to people living downstream from a PFAS-contaminated site were far more likely to give birth before 28 weeks and give birth to infants weighing under 2 pounds, compared to people whose drinking water sources were upstream of the site.
The research examined data on PFAS in drinking water and birth outcomes from over 11,000 births from 2010 to 2019 in New Hampshire. Premature birth and low birth weight are key factors linked to infant mortality in the first year. The study also found that living downstream from the site was tied to an increase in infant mortality of 191%.
A science review by EWG found that PFAS are routinely detected in umbilical cord blood, crossing the placenta and reaching the developing fetus during pregnancy.
The New Hampshire study results add to the large body of evidence that exposure to PFAS can harm infants’ health before birth.
