NBC NEWS – The Department of Health and Human Services has terminated seven grants totaling millions of dollars to the American Academy of Pediatrics, escalating its confrontation with the group, which is suing Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccine policy.
The grants supported initiatives aimed at reducing sudden infant deaths, improving teen and young adult health, preventing birth defects, such as fetal alcohol syndrome, and identifying autism early, according to an academy spokesperson.
The cuts were first reported by The Washington Post.
The AAP recommends administering puberty blockers and hormones for minors with so-called gender dysphoria. SOURCE: What’s Gone Wrong with the AAP?, Nancy McDermott, Genspect
In an emailed statement, Andrew Nixon, an HHS spokesperson, said the grants “were canceled along with a number of other grants to other organizations because they no longer align with the Department’s mission or priorities.”
When NBC News asked about the agency’s priorities, Nixon responded by sending links to “about” pages on websites of HHS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Health Resources and Services Administration.
Mark Del Monte, the academy’s CEO and executive vice president, said the group learned this week that the grants had been terminated and was now exploring “all available options, including legal recourse.”
“The Academy is proud of this work, and of the staff, pediatricians, and partners who were engaged in these important programs,” he said in a statement. “The sudden withdrawal of these funds will directly impact and potentially harm infants, children, youth, and their families in communities across the United States.”
“In 2022, post-Roe v. Wade, the AAP opposed restrictions on adolescent abortion access … the policy sidestepped ethical questions about informed consent and parental involvement, relying on advocacy-driven rhetoric rather than comprehensive data on adolescent decision-making.” – What’s Gone Wrong with the AAP?, Nancy McDermott, Genspect
Dorit Reiss, a vaccine policy expert and professor of law at the UC Law San Francisco, said the agency could face legal trouble if it doesn’t provide a reasonable explanation …
