When John F. Kennedy delivered his 1961 inaugural address, fewer than half of Americans had even been born. Still, his call to service, “ask not what the country can do for you, but what you can do for your country,” endures as one of the nation’s most recognized phrases.
Kennedy’s leadership extended beyond diplomacy and service programs. In April 1961 alarmed by the risks millions of unvaccinated children faced, Kennedy announced a bold national effort to make the polio vaccine available to every American. It was a reminder that public health, too, was a matter of national security and civic duty.
The momentum continued when Kennedy signed the Vaccination Assistance Act of 1962, channeling resources into state programs for mass immunization. Following passage of this legislation, Kennedy campaigned for widespread polio vaccination, demonstrating his commitment to public health and leadership where government and citizens joined together to end a deadly disease.
Soon after, the now-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched a public health mascot called Wellbee to help promote the Sabin type II oral polio vaccine. Paired with Kennedy’s aggressive immunization push, this campaign protected millions of children from the suffering that polio once brought to our neighborhoods and schools, a stark contrast to today’s resistance to proven vaccines.
Today, Kennedy’s nephew Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is sabotaging that legacy. Since his confirmation, RFK Jr. has worked to...
WANA (Oct 19) – Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Sunday, October 19, denounced what he described as an “absurd show” staged in the British Parliament by the Polish foreign minister...