Childrens Healt Defense

RFK, Jr. Calls on DOT Secretary Buttigieg to Investigate Spike in Airline Near-Misses Caused by Pilot Health Emergencies

Press Release

For Immediate Release

Washington, D.C — Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. today called on U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to investigate the spike in near-misses and narrowly averted airline accidents resulting from pilots incapacitated by health emergencies since 2021, coinciding with the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in the U.S.

In a letter to Buttigieg, Kennedy wrote:

"Secretary Buttigieg, the safety of pilots, cabin crew, airline passengers, and the general public is not and never has been a partisan issue. Everything contained within this letter pertains to fundamental issues of public health and safety, which you, the DOT, the FAA, and the Biden Administration profess to uphold and to protect.

The changes to FAA guidelines and the lack of publicly available evidence on which these changes rest, along with the increasing number of incidents involving the incapacitation or vaccine-related injury of pilots, are highly concerning."

A Children's Health Defense (CHD) analysis of raw data obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) determined there was a marked increase, on a per-flight basis, in medical emergency-related flight diversions in both 2021 and 2022, compared to 2019 and prior years, Kennedy said.

Similarly, there was a marked increase in medical emergency diversions on a per-passenger basis in 2021 compared to 2019 and prior years, while the 2022 figure is higher than those for 2018 and 2019, indicating an increase in medical emergencies occurring in the air, when adjusted for the reduced number of flights and passengers in the 2021 and 2022 calendar years compared to the pre-2020 period.

Kennedy said the FAA violated its own guidelines by recommending COVID-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use for pilots, contrary to the agency's policy of prohibiting pilots from taking any medical product that has been on the market for less than 12 months.

Kennedy's 13-page letter citing 69 sources detailed evidence the FAA loosened medical restrictions for conditions such as myocarditis and Guillain-Barré Syndrome, both documented adverse events related to COVID-19 vaccines.

The letter outlines 12 questions Kennedy said Buttigieg and the FAA need to answer for the American public and demands a thorough investigation into whether COVID-19 vaccines may be endangering pilots, flight crews and the public.

# # #

Children's Health Defense is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our mission is to end childhood health epidemics by working aggressively to eliminate harmful exposures, hold those responsible accountable and establish safeguards to prevent future harm. For more information or if you'd like to donate to CHD and our ongoing lawsuits, visit ChildrensHealthDefense.org.

The post RFK, Jr. Calls on DOT Secretary Buttigieg to Investigate Spike in Airline Near-Misses Caused by Pilot Health Emergencies appeared first on Children's Health Defense.

Class Action Lawsuit Against Biden Admin et al. Alleging Collusion to Suppress Free Speech

Press Release

For Immediate Release

Monroe, LA — On Friday, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Children's Health Defense (CHD) et al., filed a class action lawsuit against President Joe Biden and numerous other federal agents and agencies in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Monroe Division. The complaint alleges that the defendants have colluded with, encouraged and pressured social media companies to suppress speech that the government does not want the public to hear and to silence specific speakers who are critical of federal policy.

This class action, brought on behalf of all Americans who access the news from social media platforms, seeks nationwide injunctive relief on behalf of those Americans. Instead of seeking monetary damages, the claim asks the court to declare that the Defendants' conduct violates the First Amendment and to prohibit them from engaging in any form of social media censorship in the future.

The complaint calls the government's campaign to censor online speech one of "the gravest threats to free speech this country has ever faced."

"Because of the historically unprecedented power wielded by a handful of behemoth social-media companies over the content of American public discourse, the federal government's systematic campaign to induce these companies to censor speech is among the gravest threats to free speech this country has ever faced. …

Since 2020, an army of federal officers, at every level of the government—from the White House itself to the FBI, the CIA, the Department of Homeland Security, the CDC, the Office of the Surgeon General, and numerous less-well-known federal entities—has been engaged in the effort to induce those companies to censor constitutionally protected speech."

"U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said, 'Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself. It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime.' It also violates the constitution," CHD Chairman and Chief Litigation Counsel Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said. "The collaboration between the White House and health and intelligence agency bureaucrats to silence criticism of presidential policies is an assault on the most fundamental foundation stone of American Democracy."

"The most serious threat to free speech of our time—and probably one of the most serious in the nation's history—is the federal government's massive, concerted and extraordinarily successful effort to get social media companies to censor ideas and information the government doesn't want people to see, say or hear," said Jed Rubenfeld, co-counsel for Plaintiffs. "This lawsuit challenges that censorship campaign, and we hope to bring it to an end. The real victim is the public, which is why we've brought this suit as a class action on behalf of everyone who accesses news from social media."

CHD President and General Counsel Mary Holland said, "If Government can censor its critics, there is no atrocity it cannot commit. The public has been deprived of truthful, life-and-death information over the last three years; this lawsuit aims to have government censorship end, as it must, because it is unlawful under our constitution."

Representing the Plaintiffs in addition to Mr. Rubenfeld is Louisiana Attorney G. Shelly Maturin, II.

# # #

About Children's Health Defense:

Children's Health Defense® is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our mission is to end childhood health epidemics by working aggressively to eliminate harmful exposures, hold those responsible accountable and establish safeguards to prevent future harm. We fight corruption, mass surveillance and censorship that put profits before people as well as advocate for worldwide rights to health freedom and bodily autonomy. For more information or to donate to CHD and our ongoing lawsuits, visit ChildrensHealthDefense.org.

The post Class Action Lawsuit Against Biden Admin et al. Alleging Collusion to Suppress Free Speech appeared first on Children's Health Defense.

CHD Responds to Significant Increase in Autism Prevalence: 1 in 36 Children

Press Statement

For Immediate Release

Washington, D.C. — On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new data from the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network, reporting 1 in 36 (2.8%) 8-year-old children — 4% of boys and 1% of girls — have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), based on an analysis of data from 2020. Since the CDC began collecting data, prevalence estimates have skyrocketed from 1 in 150 in 2000 to today's estimate of 1 in 36 children.

In response to the CDC's announcement, Children's Health Defense (CHD) Chairman and Chief Litigation Counsel Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said:

It's clear why CDC steadfastly refuses to investigate the cause of the exploding Autism epidemic, a national cataclysm that dwarfs the devastating impacts from COVID-19: The principal culprits are regulatory capture and poorly tested vaccines.

President and General Counsel Mary Holland said:

These new data — that 4% of boys and 1% of girls at age 8 — have an autism spectrum disorder — are a profound indictment of the CDC. It is willful blindness to knowingly and intentionally look away from the true causes of autism for over twenty years — during which time the rates have risen above 300% — is nothing short of criminal. The country and the world desperately need new leadership to defend children's health.

Brian Hooker, Ph.D., chief scientific officer for CHD said:

The CDC gives no rationale for the shocking increase in the incidence of autism in children in the U.S. except for better diagnosing and better access to services. We know that this is ludicrous, especially given the higher incidences of autism seen in underserved minority children and the alarming rate of autism with intellectual disability in Black children. It's time for real answers as to what is driving this ever-increasing epidemic.

# # #

Children's Health Defense® is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our mission is to end childhood health epidemics by working aggressively to eliminate harmful exposures, hold those responsible accountable and establish safeguards to prevent future harm. We fight corruption, mass surveillance and censorship that put profits before people as well as advocate for worldwide rights to health freedom and bodily autonomy. For more information or to donate to CHD, visit ChildrensHealthDefense.org.

The post CHD Responds to Significant Increase in Autism Prevalence: 1 in 36 Children appeared first on Children's Health Defense.

CHD and California Community Groups File Lawsuit Challenging Los Angeles County Over New Wireless Antenna Ordinances

Press Release

For Immediate Release

The lawsuit alleges that the ordinances passed on Jan. 10 flout environmental laws, violate due process rights, and ignore safety concerns

Los Angeles, CA — Children's Health Defense (CHD) and a coalition of community and environmental groups advocating for safe technology filed a lawsuit on Monday against Los Angeles (L.A.) County in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. The suit contends that the recently adopted amendments to Title 16 and Title 22 (the ordinances) of the L.A. County Code — which allow for the fast-tracked proliferation of wireless infrastructure — violate the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by exempting projects under the ordinances from CEQA review. The lawsuit also asserts that the ordinances raise constitutional due process concerns in relation to wireless projects that directly impact local residents, who will suffer significant losses of personal and real property rights without the ability to contest. The plaintiffs seek a permanent injunction and petitions the court for a temporary stay and restraining order and preliminary injunction, pending resolution of the lawsuit.

The complaint points to multiple examples of what plaintiffs state violates  CEQA, the California Constitution and the board's own rule.

"The Ordinance creates the framework for permitting thousands of wireless facilities throughout … the County. The Board of Supervisors purposefully and unlawfully blinded themselves to the significant and adverse consequences to its local communities and the environment that will occur as a direct result of this Project.

"A wireless project can often so sicken local residents that it constructively evicts whole families who can no longer tolerate continuous exposure to non-ionizing radiation emitted from small cell and macro cell towers. This situation is especially tragic for poor and minority families who are holding on desperately to affordable housing and lack any financial means of escape. Basic justice demands that these families … be given adequate prior notice and a fair hearing before their voices are silenced, their property is taken or devalued, or their lives are put at risk.

"The wireless facilities will endanger the air, water, flora, fauna, and objects of historic or aesthetic significance. The wireless facilities are not designed to withstand earthquakes or floods and will create new risks of fire."

The coalition bringing the lawsuit includes Fiber First LA, Mothers of East LA, Boyle Heights Community Partners, United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, and Union Binacional de Organizaciones de Trabajadores Mexicanos Ex Braceros 1942-1964, amongst other groups.

"The right of citizens to have a voice in important decisions about their health, their safety and their future is fundamental to American democracy," said Brenda Martinez, founding member of Fiber First LA. "The L.A. Board of Supervisors has clearly put the interests of giant telecoms ahead of the interests of the people they're supposed to represent. There's no other reason to take away the right of people in our community to be heard."

"The ordinance is purposefully designed to create a back-room, tower permit rubber-stamp process that excludes the public and even nearby residents that will be directly affected and aggrieved," said W. Scott McCollough, attorney for the plaintiffs. "The ordinance does—and individual permit decisions will—entirely ignore the environmental and other effects on people. It will exacerbate, not solve, the digital divide."

# # #

Children's Health Defense® is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our mission is to end childhood health epidemics by working aggressively to eliminate harmful exposures, hold those responsible accountable and establish safeguards to prevent future harm. We fight corruption, mass surveillance and censorship that put profits before people as well as advocate for worldwide rights to health freedom and bodily autonomy. For more information or to donate to CHD, visit ChildrensHealthDefense.org.

The post CHD and California Community Groups File Lawsuit Challenging Los Angeles County Over New Wireless Antenna Ordinances appeared first on Children's Health Defense.

DEADLINE EXTENDED – Action Alert: Demand the FCC Recognize Electromagnetic Sensitivity (EMS) and Prioritize #FiberFirst

Tell the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to recognize Electromagnetic Sensitivity (EMS) as a legitimate health condition, accommodate those disabled by it and demand #FiberFirst.

With this new rule, the FCC wants to ensure everyone has access to wireless high-speed internet. Despite mounting evidence that radiofrequency (RF) radiation from wireless technology is harmful to people and the environment, the FCC is charging forward.

After receiving hundreds of comments urging the FCC to recognize the EMS-disabled community and prioritize fiber technology in its rulemaking process, the FCC has done neither. We need your help to let them know this is unacceptable!

Before April 20, we need to repeat our concerns to the FCC about the risks and harms of wireless technology on our children and vulnerable populations by submitting comments in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking phase. We must also share these concerns with our elected officials, who must hold government agencies accountable for their decisions.

Take action by completing the form and submitting official comments.

TAKE ACTION NOW

What is EMS?

Prevalence estimates indicate that up to 30% of the population is affected by EMS — a condition where radiofrequency radiation emitted from smartphones, WiFi, cell towers, smart meters, etc., produces adverse health effects or worsening of existing health conditions. Symptoms of EMS:

• Headaches
• Cognitive impairment
• Disorientation
• Sleep disruption
• Fatigue
• Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
• Vertigo
• Nausea
• Skin rashes
• Behavioral problems
• Mood swings
• Anxiety
• Depression

TAKE ACTION NOW

We Must Advocate for Disability Rights

The EMS community is large in number but often cannot attend public policy and zoning meetings due to wireless exposure.

Those with severe symptoms are functionally excluded from public participation, and those with nearby wireless facilities, such as cell towers, cannot even take refuge in their homes.

What We Are Proposing

• The FCC should prioritize "fiber to the premises (FTTP)" solutions. FTTP is the installation of optical fiber directly to individual homes, multi-dwelling units, schools, municipal buildings and businesses to provide high-speed broadband access. The FCC should rely on fixed wireless only when fully wired is technically impossible. The main purpose of mobile wireless is to support mobility, not to be a substitute for wired fixed arrangements.
• Allow equal access to broadband in a form that does not threaten or worsen the health and well-being of RF-sensitive individuals, especially those with EMS disabilities. Individuals who cannot be around RF must have the ability, as a matter of right, to obtain wired (fiber-based) broadband.
• Provide RF-free "safe zones" in public spaces and buildings to ensure inclusion in public life.

What You Can Do

1. Complete the form below to email FCC committee decision-makers and your federal elected representatives.
2. Use our customizable prepared response (at the bottom of this page) or write your own and submit a comment directly to the FCC.

If the form below does not appear, use this page.

Customizable Prepared Response
Instructions: Select and copy the text below, open the FCC comment page and paste the text in the "Brief Comments Field".

Electromagnetic Sensitivity (EMS) is the name given by the U.S. Access Board to the condition whereby individuals exposed to radiofrequency (RF) radiation from smartphones, WiFi, cell towers, smart meters and other wireless devices experience adverse health effects or worsening of existing health conditions.

Prevalence estimates indicate that up to 30% of the population suffers from some form of EMS. It is past time that EMS is recognized and addressed.

I applaud the FCC's initial effort and fully support the emphasis on "harms experienced by historically excluded and marginalized communities" and the desire for "meaningful policy reforms and systems improvements, as well as a framework for collaborative action to extend digital opportunity to everyone." However, I also support the commission's enunciated goals to advance "equity in the provision of and access to digital communication services and products for all people of the United States, without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, or disability."

I believe that forcing exposure – even as part of a genuine effort to afford broadband access – is itself a form of discrimination as a matter of law. More importantly, it is fundamentally inequitable because it leads to great harm: people with severe symptoms are functionally excluded from public participation since almost all public spaces are flooded with RF, and those with wireless facilities nearby cannot even take refuge in their homes.

I urge you to:

• Prioritize "fiber to the premises (FTTP)" solutions. The goal is to bring fiber as close to the user as possible, to use a copper tail for short distances where necessary, and to resort to wireless technology as a last resort.
• Allow equal access to broadband in a form that does not threaten or worsen the health and well-being of RF-sensitive individuals, especially those with EMS disabilities. Individuals who cannot be around RF must have the ability, as a matter of right, to obtain wired (fiber-based) broadband.
• Provide RF-free "safe zones" in public spaces and buildings to ensure inclusion in public life.

I request that you prioritize #FiberFirst and halt the expansion of wireless services to protect the EMS-disabled.

The post DEADLINE EXTENDED – Action Alert: Demand the FCC Recognize Electromagnetic Sensitivity (EMS) and Prioritize #FiberFirst appeared first on Children's Health Defense.

Children’s Health Defense Responds to Appellate Court Staying COVID Vaccine Mandate for New York State Health Care Workers

Press Release

For Immediate Release

Rochester, N.Y. — The Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division, Fourth Judicial Department, granted a stay on Monday that will keep New York's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers in place during an ongoing case sponsored by Children's Health Defense (CHD).

The stay temporarily halts a Jan. 13 decision by New York State (NYS) Supreme Court Judge Gerard Neri that struck down New York's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers as null, void and unenforceable.

Gov. Kathy Hochul's administration appealed Judge Neri's decision on Medical Professionals for Informed Consent v. Bassett and asked for an emergency "stay" of the decision pending appeal. After deliberating for nearly a month, the stay was granted on the condition that the appeal is perfected on or before March 20, with oral arguments on the merits of the case scheduled for May 15.

"It is extremely unfortunate that the Governor and Department of Health are standing firm on their irrational healthcare worker COVID shot mandate that fails to stop disease spread in the midst of a severe healthcare worker shortage," said Mary Holland, CHD president and general counsel. "The good news is that the Appellate Division will hear the case on an expedited basis, as early as May, and will resolve the issue."

"The legal issues here are clear," said Sujata Gibson, lead counsel working with CHD on the case. "Plaintiffs remain hopeful that justice will prevail when the Court considers this case on the merits."

# # #

Children's Health Defense® is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our mission is to end childhood health epidemics by working aggressively to eliminate harmful exposures, hold those responsible accountable and establish safeguards to prevent future harm. We fight corruption, mass surveillance and censorship that put profits before people as well as advocate for worldwide rights to health freedom and bodily autonomy. For more information or to donate to CHD, visit ChildrensHealthDefense.org.

The post Children's Health Defense Responds to Appellate Court Staying COVID Vaccine Mandate for New York State Health Care Workers appeared first on Children's Health Defense.