Kennedy to headline Children’s Health Defense anti-vaccine conference
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to deliver the keynote at a 17 September conference hosted by the organisation he once led, with limited attendance and livestream passes still available.
US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is scheduled to headline a Children’s Health Defense conference in Washington, DC, on 17 September, according to event materials and reporting by Ars Technica.
The conference is billed around the “health freedom movement” and described by Ars Technica as anti-vaccine. Kennedy is due to appear alongside Andrew Wakefield, Sen. Ron Johnson, Sen. Rand Paul and other speakers associated with vaccine criticism.
Wakefield was stripped of his medical licence after a medical board found serious professional misconduct, including mistreatment of vulnerable children. His now-retracted study falsely linked the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to autism. That claim is false and unsupported.
Kennedy co-founded and formerly led Children’s Health Defense, formally separating from the organisation around the start of 2025 while pursuing his government role. During his confirmation hearings, he described himself as “pro-vaccine” despite his lengthy record as an anti-vaccine activist.
The event’s $250 in-person tickets are reportedly sold out. Limited passes for seating in the main conference room are available for $125, while livestream access is priced at $100.
