Governor Shapiro Signs Executive Order on Vaccine Access
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has issued an executive order that aims to safeguard the rights of residents to choose their vaccines. He asserts that this step is essential in countering recent actions by the Trump Administration that could restrict these freedoms.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Shapiro (D-Pa.) emphasized individuals’ rights to make their own healthcare choices, without interference from figures like President Donald Trump or Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr.
“RFK Jr. doesn’t run health care here in Pennsylvania,” Shapiro stated. “If the federal government isn’t going to rely on facts and science, we will – and we’ll protect the people of Pennsylvania.”
These remarks follow the HHS secretary’s decision in May to remove the Coronavirus vaccine from the CDC’s list of recommended vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women.
“Recently, we’ve seen the president and RFK Jr. spreading what’s frankly misleading information about vaccines,” Shapiro noted. “They’re actively trying to limit your access to vaccines and your ability to decide what vaccines your children should receive.”
Shapiro also highlighted an incident from June, when RFK Jr. dismissed all 17 members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee, a move that Kennedy claimed was overdue.
In a July interview with NewsNation, Kennedy mentioned that the advisory panel had faced scrutiny for two decades.
“In 2002, Congress probed the panel and found that 97% of its members had conflicts with the pharmaceutical industry,” Kennedy remarked.
He elaborated that in one instance, four out of five panel members were associates of Merck during the approval of a Merck vaccine.
“One panel member who voted had a patent on that vaccine, which he later sold for $186 million. We wanted to ensure that, for the first time, members without conflicts of interest are part of that panel,” he added.
Kennedy’s reforms are part of a broader strategy to rebuild public trust in America’s healthcare system.
Earlier this week, he released a video countering claims against him made during a recent congressional session, insisting that vaccines have saved millions of lives.
“In 1900, around 13,000 Americans died from measles. By 1960, this number had plummeted to a few hundred. Yet the measles vaccine wasn’t introduced until 1963, three years later, so it can’t take full credit for that decline,” Kennedy argued.
RFK Jr. pointed out that while many believe vaccines have saved countless lives, this notion is often accepted without rigorous examination by public health authorities.
He acknowledges that while vaccines are essential to public health, placing blind faith in vaccination alone can be problematic.
