If Trump appoints Kennedy to the HHS, it’s going to get even darker for women

In the wake of Donald Trump’s US presidential election win, on what is already a very dark day for women, the reality that Robert F. Kennedy Jr (RFK Jr) could be heading up women’s health via the so-called HHS adds yet another layer to the darkness:

Trump on RFK Jr: “He’s gonna do pretty much what he wants as far as I’m concerned. He wants health for women.” pic.twitter.com/Vf0Um94EB0

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 5, 2024

JFK Jr. having a “big role” in healthcare in a hypothetical Trump administration is a threat to America. Trump is a terrorist screaming “Death to America!”

First Trump’s ill-handling of the Covid crisis — often devious — led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans.… pic.twitter.com/uLqRTHsNjx

— Stephanie Kennedy (@WordswithSteph) November 1, 2024

Kennedy at the HHS

Back in August, Kennedy ended his own presidential campaign and endorsed Trump. His running mate, Nicole Shanahan, stated that Kennedy would do an “incredible job” as secretary of health and human services. Trump later told CNN that he “probably would” appoint Kennedy to some role.

Only last week CNN reported Trump saying:

I’m going to let him go wild on health… I’m going to get him go wild on the food. I’m going to let him go wild on the medicines.

In a separate, live-streamed event, Kennedy said Trump had promised to give him control of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Raging conspiracy theorist

Robert F. Kennedy Jr is an anti-vaccine activist and conspiracy theorist. Oh, and he’s a raging Zionist too. He has also advocated for dismantling core functions of federal health agencies. He also founded Children’s Health Defense which is the most funded anti-vaccine organisation in America.

Like most men in positions of power that are making decisions about women’s health, Kennedy has no formal training or experience in medicine or public health:

I bring up womens rights a lot, but yall have no clue the things they want to take away.

Healthcare, education, social security, Medicare, Medicaid.

Hope yall never need any assistance in your life, or that the government checks his ass.

— tailKATE ♥️💙🏒🏔️ (@COgirlWIworld) November 6, 2024

Kennedy has previously been criticised for claiming that vaccines are linked to autism and opposing Covid-19 restrictions.

In a statement posted on X earlier this year, Kennedy stated:

Sometimes, women abort healthy, viable late-term fetuses. These cases of purely “elective” late-term abortion are very upsetting. Once the baby is viable outside the womb, it should have rights and it deserves society’s protection.

He also said “I think we have to leave it to the women rather than the state.” But what Kennedy, along with many other decision-making men seem to be failing to grasp, is that while some women might have to make that ‘choice’ in late-term pregnancy, is it not one they would ever want to have to make.

When women need late stage abortions, its usually because there is a danger to the mothers life, foetal abnormalities, or barriers to accessing healthcare which prevent them from getting an earlier abortion:

Send this to every woman you know. The women of our country can look forward to polio, measles, cavities and rotten teeth and no bodily autonomy. https://t.co/cWOIwmIKBg

— Jason A. Aluia ® (@Jason825) November 5, 2024

Pure misogyny

Already, 14 states have banned abortion and 11 have bans after a certain point in pregnancy. Additionally, 16 have a ban “at or near viability” – when a foetus can survive outside of the womb.

Allowing Kennedy to run HHS will only set women’s rights to their own bodily autonomy back even further.

The Trump campaign had misogyny embedded to the very core. JD Vance’s sexist “childless cat lady” jibes at elected women Democrats, and calling Kamala Harris “trash” in his final rally before the election, were a case and point of this.

Trump had been hush-hush about what he would do if abortion bans landed on his desk.

Yet, a rapist and serial misogynist was never going to be on the side of women’s reproductive rights. Since Kennedy had already signalled Trump would hand him the health department, the writing was on the wall.

Trumps win, and RFK Jr’s impending appointment is a huge loss for women, disabled, neurodivergent, or anyone who gives a shit about the state of the world. And if you’re not terrified, you’re not paying close enough attention.

Feature image via