Key facts
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will headline an anti-vaccine conference in Washington D.C.
- The event is hosted by Children's Health Defense (CHD), an organization Kennedy previously led.
- Andrew Wakefield, a doctor known for promoting a false link between vaccines and autism, is a featured speaker.
- The conference is scheduled for September 17, with an opening reception the night before.
- In-person tickets for the conference are sold out.
- Kennedy formally separated from CHD around the start of 2025 to pursue his role as health secretary.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is scheduled to deliver a keynote address at a sold-out anti-vaccine conference in Washington D.C. this week, hosted by his former organization, Children's Health Defense (CHD). The event, set for September 17, will also feature Andrew Wakefield, a physician whose medical license was revoked due to fraudulent research falsely linking the MMR vaccine to autism. Despite being ostracized from the medical community, Wakefield remains a prominent figure in anti-vaccine circles, with CHD and Kennedy having promoted his claims. The conference, billed as a "pursuit of a more perfect future," will address current risks and opportunities for the "health freedom movement." Other speakers include Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.), Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Mark Gorton of the MAHA Institute, Jan Jekielek of Epoch Times, and CHD CEO Mary Holland. In-person tickets for the conference, priced at $250, are sold out, though limited seating and livestream passes remain available. Kennedy formally separated from CHD around the start of 2025 to focus on his role as health secretary, and has publicly attempted to distance himself from his past anti-vaccine activism.