Crawford Advocates for Vaccinations Amidst Release of False Information from CDC

CHICAGO – State Rep. Mike Crawford, D-Chicago, reasserted his dedication to vaccinations, evidence-based facts, and respect for individuals with developmental differences, while pushing back against the Trump Administration and the Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s reckless spreading of junk science after the CDC added baseless information linking vaccines and autism to their website.

“The wild and unfounded information peddled by RFK Jr. is dangerous and will result in lifelong complications and even deaths that are completely preventable through vaccines. It’s dangerous for our citizens, damaging to the integrity of our country’s scientists and doctors, and demeaning to people with autism and developmental differences,” said Crawford. “I know from personal experience how devastating this rhetoric is to autistic people and their families. The idea that there is something or someone to blame is belittling and unfair. For the sake of our communities and their health, we must continue to push back on these harmful, baseless narratives.”

Before the CDC added false information to their website associating immunizations with autism diagnoses, Crawford co-sponsored House Resolution 507, condemning the harmful rhetoric of HHS Secretary Kennedy and reaffirming Illinois’s commitment to science and protecting those with developmental differences. This administration’s unfounded, demeaning statements create confusion amongst the general public, when these conversations should be happening between patients and doctors. Instead, Trump and Kennedy’s weaponization of misinformation has politicized science, replaced fact with fear, eroded public trust and torn down decades of progress for those with developmental differences. 

Following the changes to the CDC website, the Illinois Department of Public Health released a statement highlighting the danger of diseases for unvaccinated individuals and debunking the CDC’s claims. For more information about vaccines, visit the IDPH Immunization page.

“I stand with the scientists and professionals by reiterating the safety and effectiveness of vaccinations. And I look forward to continuing the medical and scientific progress made here in Illinois, while advocating for those who have been dismissed and discredited by this unjust federal administration,” Crawford said.