First Opposition to Cabinet Nomination... Letter Delivered to Senate
"Public Health at Risk... Reality Must Not Be Ignored"
Seventy-seven Nobel laureates have sent a letter to the U.S. Senate urging them not to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump as the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 9th (local time), Nobel laureates in fields such as medicine, chemistry, economics, and physics sent a letter to senators urging them not to approve the confirmation of the nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services nominated by President-elect Trump.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (right), nominated as the Minister of Health and Welfare in the next administration. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News
According to the NYT, this is the first time Nobel laureates have taken collective action opposing a cabinet nomination. President-elect Trump nominated Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services on the 13th of last month.
In the letter, they stated, "We question whether Kennedy Jr., who lacks qualifications in medicine, science, and administration, is suitable to lead a department that protects public health and funds biomedical research," adding, "Appointing Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services would endanger public health and undermine the United States' global leadership in health sciences."
They criticized Kennedy Jr. for promoting various conspiracy theories. Kennedy Jr. is known as an anti-vaccine activist who founded an anti-vaccine organization and claimed that autism is caused by vaccines. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he called COVID-19 vaccination a 'crime against humanity,' comparing it to the Nazi Holocaust, and claimed that COVID-19 was a virus created to target both white and black people.
The Nobel laureates pointed out, "He made false claims linking vaccines to autism and rejected scientific evidence that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). He asserted without evidence that the COVID-19 virus targeted specific racial groups." They also expressed concern that Kennedy Jr.'s opposition to verified public health tools such as vaccines and fluoridation of drinking water could pose risks to national welfare.
Dr. Richard Roberts, a 1993 Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine and the drafter of the letter, said he tries to avoid political involvement as much as possible but urged, "This political attack on science is very harmful. Science must be protected." He added that even if the letter persuades only a few senators, it would be enough to block Kennedy Jr.'s appointment, saying, "We truly want to protect the health of the people."
Signatories of the letter include Victor Ambros, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and this year's Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine; Gary Loveman, a professor at Harvard Medical School; and Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson, professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Dr. Harold Varmus, a 1989 Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine, stated, "Science depends on the political structure of this country," and added, "We must not ignore reality just because we are scientists."
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