Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. touted the work of two controversial “healers” Sunday—just hours after advocating for vaccinations and attending the funeral of a child who died as part of a measles outbreak taking over Texas.
Kennedy praised Dr. Richard Bartlett, who, according to CNN, has a history of using unconventional treatments and who was disciplined for “unusual use of risk-filled medications” by the Texas Medical Board in 2003.
While none of the patients at the time had measles, the Texas Medical Board found that Bartlett had misdiagnosed his patients and mismanaged their care. He was cleared to return to practice in 2005.
Kennedy then touted the work of Dr. Ben Edwards, who, according to The New York Times, is a vocal antivaxxer and who has a “wellness clinic” that dishes out vitamin C supplements and cod liver oil, both as a lemon-flavored drink and unflavored soft gels.
In his latest X post, Kennedy was flanked by two families affected by the measles outbreak.
“In Seminole, Texas, with Jake and Tina Fehr whose 2-year-old daughter, Helena was just discharged after three weeks in the ICU, Peter and Eva Fehr whose daughter, Kayley, 6, passed in February, and Pete and Eva Hildebrand whose daughter, Daisy, 8, we buried this afternoon,” Kennedy wrote.
“I also visited with these two extraordinary healers, Dr. Richard Bartlett and Dr. Ben Edwards who have treated and healed some 300 measles-stricken Mennonite children using aerosolized budesonide and clarithromycin.”
Kennedy went to Gaines County, he said, to comfort the family of 8-year-old Daisy Hildebrand, the second child in the U.S. to die from the outbreak that has swept 22 states.
“It was a heartbreaking day, but I felt so much warmth and love from the entire Mennonite community. I have bonded with many of these resilient, hardworking, resourceful, and God-loving people over the past three months and it was good to finally meet them in person,” Kennedy wrote.
Hildebrand was unvaccinated and had no underlying health conditions, the Texas Department of State Health Services said in a statement. She tested positive for measles and hospitalized, but passed away last Thursday from what the child’s doctors described as “measles pulmonary failure,” the statement read.
Hildebrand’s death marked the second death of a child in Texas since the beginning of the outbreak, which began in January. School-aged Kayley Fehr—who was also unvaccinated—died in February.
Hildebrand’s funeral took place on Sunday. Kennedy was spotted outside a Mennonite church where the services were held, but he did not speak at a later press conference. Instead, he wrote on X that, “I came to Gaines County, Texas, today to comfort the Hildebrand family after the loss of their 8-year-old daughter Daisy… my intention was to come down here quietly to console the families and to be with the community in their moment of grief.”
He added that he “got to know the family of 6-year-old Kayley Fehr after she passed away in February. I also developed bonds with and deep affection for other members of this community during that difficult time.”
Kennedy has been vocal for years about his opposition to vaccines. He has previously described vaccinations as a “personal choice” and downplayed the severity of the current measles outbreak, describing it as “not unusual.”
Prior to this year, the U.S. had not recorded any measles-related deaths in a decade.
“It does cause deaths every year,” Kennedy said about the MMR vaccine to Sean Hannity on Fox News earlier this year. “It causes all the illnesses that measles itself causes, encephalitis and blindness, etcetera. And so people ought to be able to make that choice for themselves.”
Kennedy has also claimed that vitamin A and cod liver oil are effective treatments for measles. So bold were Kennedy’s claims, they forced the American Medical Association to release a statement last month urging: “As parents, our instinct is to do everything we can to keep our children safe. In the case of measles–a highly contagious disease that can cause severe health problems—that means getting your children vaccinated today. The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is extraordinarily safe and effective.”
However, Kennedy struck a different tone on Sunday, urging residents to get vaccinated.
“The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine. I’ve spoken to Governor Abbott, and I’ve offered HHS’ continued support. At his request, we have redeployed CDC teams to Texas. We will continue to follow Texas’ lead and to offer similar resources to other affected jurisdictions.”
