I have never been so motivated and grateful to be a woman in science as while watching Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Senate Finance Committee nomination hearing.
During the hearing, RFK Jr. repeatedly thanked the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) moms who have supported his political aspirations. MAHA moms, as well as MAHA women, represent a movement of women’s genuine efforts to take control of their families health in the absence of established medical support, but the movement is also infiltrated by influencers promoting misinformation. They are encouraged by RFK Jr.’s attacks on the pharmaceutical, food, and chemical industries as leading causes of chronic diseases.
As an environmental health researcher, I know there is strong evidence that industrial and commercial chemicals are linked to increasing rates of neurodevelopmental disorders, cancer, asthma, and many other chronic diseases. However, RFK Jr. has clearly demonstrated he has very little understanding of public health, science, or women.
For example, my colleagues in public health are thrilled to see cervical cancer rates plummet with HPV vaccine administration among youth, while RFK Jr. says it is “one of the most dangerous vaccines ever approved.” Only strong scientific research allows us to separate the wheat from the chaff.
RFK Jr. has used true and frightening statistics, such as increasing rates of autism, obesity, and autoimmune diseases in the U.S., to gain power by exploiting the fears of women and moms of children with under-studied chronic diseases. As Senator Maggie Hassen said during RFK Jr.’s first Senate hearing, mothers of children with chronic disorders and diseases wonder what happened and what they could have done differently, which makes them especially vulnerable to this kind of disinformation.
RFK Jr. has incorrectly blamed vaccine additives for affecting children’s neurodevelopmental disorders, vaccines for causing autoimmune disorders, and antidepressants for causing school shootings.
Credit: Gage Skidmore/Flickr
We could do more to understand and address such issues by looking at our country’s research budget. In 2023, just over one percent of the total National Institutes of Health (NIH) research budget was dedicated to autism, autoimmune diseases, breast cancer, endometriosis, food allergies, infant mortality, infertility, lactation, maternal morbidity and mortality, ovarian cancer, pediatric cancer, polycystic ovarian syndrome, uterine cancer, uterine fibroids, violence against women, youth violence prevention, and vaginal cancer combined.
Other familiar statistics round out the story of our society’s demotion of women and children. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration did not require women to be included in clinical trials until 1993. The U.S. is one of the only countries with no paid parental leave and has among the world’s most expensive childcare. The U.S. has the worst maternal mortality rate compared to contemporary countries, with Black women facing the highest rates.
As a result, women have been left behind, scrambling for answers about their health. In the 2010s, wellness trends exploded, with Goop’s rise foreshadowing the rise of MAHA moms. Women who are not finding legitimate medical and scientific answers to their own and their children’s ailments are turning to those who seem to hold the promise of fixing the system that ignores them. In the same way self-care and wellness have become multi-trillion dollar industries, RFK Jr. uses systemic vulnerabilities in women’s health to sell false promises. Don’t fall for it.
I see this moment as a call for girls, women, and allies to assert themselves, take classes in biology and chemistry, and change the landscape of science and research to improve our lives.
As a mom and a woman in science, I’m positioned and ready to fight RFK Jr.’s misinformation and drive meaningful change aimed at improving women’s and children’s health.
Colleagues and I have published numerous studies of chemical exposures that are linked to women’s health. We found that PFAS, also known as toxic “forever chemicals,” are frequently found in children’s items, even if they are advertised as “green;” we conducted a systematic review that found the strength of evidence linking environmental chemicals with increased breast cancer risk has grown significantly; and colleagues found 45 endocrine disrupting chemicals in hair care products marketed to Black women, with the highest levels in products for children.
Most recently, we published a review showing firefighters are exposed to chemicals that are linked to breast cancer — a relevant study as women increasingly enter the profession, yet breast cancer is considered an occupational illness in only 20 states.
RFK Jr., Donald Trump, and Elon Musk have made it clear through attempts to dismantle DEI and science in general: They are afraid of us. What an inspiring reminder of our power. If we want to increase focus on women’s and children’s health, including high cancer rates among young women, RFK Jr. is not going to lead us. We are going to have to do it ourselves.