Statement of CSPI President Dr. Peter G. Lurie

The job of Surgeon General of the United States is not an entry-level position.

The position is traditionally occupied by a practicing, licensed physician with considerable clinical or public health experience. On paper, Dr. Casey Means lacks this key credential.  

Even if she were qualified on paper, Means has taken some breathtakingly misinformed positions on matters of public health, including on birth control pills, raw milk, and the causes of autism. Considered alongside the supplement pitching and the conspiratorial thinking and unscientific mysticism on her blog, this is all disqualifying.  

The question is whether Senators have learned anything from the Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., confirmation debacle. He provided enough reassurance on vaccines to convince some to vote for him – and now he has set about undermining public confidence in vaccines and the process by which they’re approved. Let’s not make that mistake again.

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