Science was sidelined': RFK Jr. being sued over vaccine changes

The American Academy of Pediatrics is suing HHS Secretary R.K. Jr. saying, quote, we believe the children deserve better. The lawsuit alleges changes to COVID vaccine recommendations without a scientific reason and Kennedy's firing of vaccine advisers, replacing them with multiple vaccine skeptics, are illegal and are outside established scientific practice. Joining us now, the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Susan Kressley. Doctor, thank you so much for joining us. Please explain the reasoning of this lawsuit. So first, this is not a step we took lightly. Vaccines remain one of the most effective tools we have to protect children's health. They are incredibly safe. That hasn't changed. We are here because there are deliberate efforts underway to distract from these facts, create unnecessary fear and anxiety and mislead the public. What do you understand is the basis for these decisions? So from our perspective, actions really crossed a line when the action was taken to change recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines without the appropriate process, without looking at the data and without expert review. And so while to us, this is not just about COVID-19, it was that definitive action that made us compelled to act. What is the normal process? For instance, the COVID-19 vaccine that got put into place, the mandates for it or the recommendations for it. What was the process to do that back in 2020 and 2021 when the vaccine was becoming available? Well, what I can tell you is how the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices has been functioning for years, and it worked very well. There were 17 highly qualified experts that had gone through a rigorous process. They looked at all the data, they had robust, transparent conversations in the public purview where they could decide what was in the best interest of public health. What happened recently is that that no longer took place. Those experts were sidelined, the science was sidelined and replaced by a party of eight and then seven people who had way less experience on the vaccines and the science behind how to interpret the data. And there was a decision made that was outside the normal process and without scientific basis. So what's the precedent that you're arguing in front of, that you will be arguing in front of a judge to say that this is not just a bad decision, but a decision that should not be allowed? So you have to ask the lawyers, the legal case for that. I'm the pediatrician. Yeah, no, as I asked you that, I thought maybe that wasn't quite fair. Let me ask you this one. I'm curious about what the real risk is here. If the vaccine panel no longer recommends a vaccine, are children and parents still going to be able to access it? Well, we don't quite frankly know because the recommendations are so woven into so many decisions. But we do know what we do know and what we have been seeing is that when every time someone raises doubt, this impacts parents feeling confident in their decisions to vaccinate their children and causes anxiety that's unnecessary. It's not just about COVID-19 vaccine in our offices. It's about every vaccine that parents are questioning. So what is the confidence level for vaccines right now out there? How has it already been affected? I think two things are happening. People are asking more questions, both about how can I trust these vaccines? Are they safe? There are many more questions than we experienced years ago. But the other piece of this is that just as many parents who and we have to remember that the vast majority of parents vaccinate their children in this country, they're worried their vaccines are going away. And so we are also fielding questions because there's uncertainty about the infrastructure of the vaccine delivery system and what will be available to protect children. And just to be clear, vaccines safe? Safe, effective, life-saving, and one of the best tools we have to protect children's health. Dr. Kressley, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate your time today. Thank you for having me.