Robert F. Kennedy Jr had an absolute trainwreck of a confirmation hearing. Kennedy, who had been a vocal vaccine skeptic and preached numerous disproven conspiracy theories, was lambasted for his anti-science stance and his refusal to stop suing the very companies he now wants to regulate. This was not necessarily surprising given his previous stances. But there was one particular pivot: abortion.
Previously, RFK had expressed support for abortion rights. He said that governments should not be involved in women’s reproductive rights. Now, he made a big U-turn. “I believe every abortion is a tragedy,” RFK said, adding that he’d be okay with implementing whatever Trump wants on abortion. Then, he went on to talk about a particular drug that Republicans have been trying to ban: mifepristone.
“President Trump has asked me to study the safety of mifepristone. He has not yet taken a stand on how to regulate it. Whatever he does, I will implement those policies and I will work with this committee, make those policies make sense,” Kennedy told the Senate Committee
Mifepristone (brand name Mifeprex) is a medication used in combination with misoprostol to induce a medical abortion within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy by blocking progesterone, a hormone necessary for pregnancy maintenance. It is also used in lower doses for conditions like Cushing’s syndrome and uterine fibroids.
Conservative groups went all the way to the Supreme Court trying to restrict access to the abortion pill. Yet even the Supreme Court that overturned Roe v Wade unanimously rejected this restriction, with the court noting that plaintiffs “failed to demonstrate” any actual injury.
Safer than aspirin or ibuprofen
It’s unclear how RFK will “study the safety” of mifepristone, particularly when serious studies have been carried out for it (as for all FDA-approved drugs) to ensure safety. What new information could a man who has repeatedly expressed anti-scientific beliefs bring out? Presumably, the same type of information that led President Trump to call climate change a “hoax” despite overwhelming evidence stating the obvious.
The research shows that mifepristone was found to be as safe or safer than Viagra, Penicillin, or even aspirin. Yet somehow, you don’t see that many attempts to regulate Viagra.
The Trump administration’s push to ban or restrict mifepristone is obviously driven by ideology, not science. Legal-induced abortion is markedly safer than childbirth. Peer-reviewed studies have found that the risk of death associated with childbirth is approximately 14 times higher than that with abortion. Would the administration truly care about women’s well-being, they would focus on childbirth itself.
The maternal mortality rate in the US is strikingly high: twice as high as the UK, Germany, or France, and three times higher than Spain, Italy, or Japan. The high cost of US healthcare coupled with glaring disparities across racial and socio-economic backgrounds are the main drivers of this. Even now, maternal mortality is on the rise in the US.
Yet Kennedy seems completely unmotivated by science and reality. He has claimed that he was “raised at a time when there was no chronic disease epidemic,” a statement which Futurism called “as sweeping as it is idiotic.” He also wants to recreate America’s health system in his own image.
Anti-science
During his Senate confirmation hearing on January 29, 2025, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made several statements that were false or at the very least misleading.
Kennedy asserted that he is not anti-vaccine but “pro-safety,” suggesting that current vaccines lack sufficient safety studies. In reality, extensive research has demonstrated that current vaccines are both safe and effective. Multiple independent panels of scientists review vaccine data to ensure that the benefits outweigh the risks, and several vaccine safety monitoring systems are in place to detect any subsequent issues.
He also straight up lied, denying ever stating that “no vaccine” is safe and effective, suggesting that such claims were taken out of context. In fact, in a 2023 podcast with Lex Friedman he said: “I think some of the live virus vaccines are probably averting more problems than they’re causing,” and added: “There’s no vaccine that is, you know, safe and effective.”
We could go on and on about the lies and “fake news” Kennedy has propagated—the internet is riddled with fact-checks and articles showing just how bad it was. He wouldn’t be the first anti-science official in the US, nor the last. But Kennedy vowed to take this anti-intellectual rhetoric into practice. He aims to replace over 600 employees in the National Institutes of Health with his own hires and wipe out several departments. During one interview, Kennedy said, “In some categories, there are entire departments, like the nutrition department at the FDA, that are – that have to go.” While he has not stated this outright, he will undoubtedly try to restrict or ban drugs like mifepristone regardless of what the science says. “I serve at the pleasure of the president. I’m going to implement his policies,” Kennedy said during the hearing.
Science is not about ideology or political convenience—it is about evidence, rigorous study, and the pursuit of truth. Figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continue to undermine science when it clashes with their personal beliefs or political ambitions. The debate over mifepristone is not a debate about safety; it is a debate about control. The overwhelming scientific evidence confirms that the medication is safe and effective, just as it confirms the importance of vaccines and climate science. Rejecting science has real-world consequences—consequences that disproportionately affect vulnerable communities. If we truly care about public health, safety, and progress, we must stand by science, not conspiracy theories or politically motivated misinformation.
