Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, Surgeon General Ralph L. Abraham, GOP state Sens. Mike Fesi of Houma and Patrick McMath of Covington and many other Louisiana Republicans have joined the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement.

I am taking this occasion to make it clear I won’t be joining any movement dreamed up by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is this nation’s new health system secretary. When it comes to good health, Kennedy has some of the most unhealthy ideas imaginable.

Fesi is author of Senate Bill 2 that would prohibit the fluoridation of any of the state’s public water systems unless 15% of registered voters in the precincts served by the water system petition for a local election to decide the issue. It passed the Senate 24-10 and is in the House.

Dentists and other health professionals oppose Fesi’s bill, saying fluoride has dramatically reduced tooth decay and there is no evidence fluoride causes health problems. And I trust my dentist more than I trust Kennedy or Fesi.

Fesi is also sponsoring SB 19 that authorizes a pharmacist to dispense ivermectin over the counter without a prescription to anyone 18 or older. It passed the Senate 28-8 and is in the House

Ivermectin, which is mostly used by veterinarians, was suggested for preventing COVID-19. However, the Food & Drug Administration hasn’t authorized or approved the drug for preventing or treating COVID-19.

Fesi said his whole family took the drug and it worked to prevent COVID-19. Abraham said the drug has “some quite impressive antiviral qualities” and said he used it during the pandemic.

What medications others take and what they eat and drink is definitely their business. However, when they start recommending so many things for other people or passing laws to do that, they have stepped over the line.

That is exactly what McMath is doing with SB 14. It bans certain artificial ingredients and additives in school meals, requires doctors to take nutrition education, specifies what should be on food labels, requires restaurants to disclose the use of seed oil on menus and tries to stop families from buying sugary drinks with food stamp benefits.

Sen. Gerald Boudreaux, D-Lafayette, correctly calls all of that government overreach, according to nola.com.

“The parents should decide what’s best for their kids,” Boudreaux said.

We can thank Kennedy for the unbelievable return of measles and whooping cough and increasing deaths from the flu because of his long-time anti-vaccine campaign.

Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As of May 1, a total of 935 confirmed measles cases were reported by 30 states.

The CDC said measles was eliminated because a very high percentage of people received the safe and effective measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

The Advocate reported last Saturday that whooping cough cases are surging in Louisiana, which could produce more cases this year than has been seen annually for at least 35 years.

The state Department of Health said two whooping cough deaths have occurred among young infants, the first whooping cough deaths reported in the state since 2018.

The Associated Press reported that more U.S. children have died this flu season than at any time since the swine flu pandemic 15 years ago. The AP said the flu vaccination rate for U.S. children has plummeted from about 64% five years ago to 49% this season.

What Kennedy has done is bad enough, but to have President Trump, Gov. Landry, Dr. Abraham, the Republican legislators mentioned here and too many others promote Kennedy’s misinformation make for an extremely sad and dangerous time for Americans and Louisianans.

Landry has said he is committed “to working alongside President Trump and Secretary Kennedy to bring the Make America Healthy Again movement to every corner of the state.”

Cal Thomas, perhaps the most rightwing commentator in this country, said something Friday a week ago that convinced me I am doing the right thing by not joining the MAHA movement and staying with the advice of medical doctors who have helped me live more than 91 years..

Thomas said, “Putting faith in politicians to do for us what we should be doing for ourselves leads to a dead end and frustration.”

Jim Beam, the retired editor of the American Press, has covered people and politics for more than six decades. Contact him at 337-515-8871 or jim.beam.press@gmail.com.

ReplyForward Add reaction