Actor Mia Farrow criticized Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after reports circulated that President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) would seek to revoke approval of the polio vaccine, which has safeguarded millions of people for decades against a virus capable of causing paralysis or death.
The legendary performer—best known for her role in the horror classic Rosemary's Baby—shared photos on social media to warn Kennedy that "we cannot go back to this."
She wrote the following in one post:
"I had polio when i was 9. I was taken from my parents [and] placed in a Hospital for contageous diseases- the polio ward. I would see them once a week - thru the glass window at the end of my ward."
"I could not walk. It was terrifying. Kids died. Iron lungs were awful. Dont let RFK Jr ban the vaccine."
You can see her post below.
Farrow, who is the daughter of the late director John Farrow and late actor Maureen O'Sullivan, also shared a photograph of herself in her father's arms as a child that she paired with the following caption:
"Happiest day. My father brought me home from the hospital. There were some paparazzi outside."
You can see her post below.
Farrow's late son Thaddeus had also been a polio survivor and Farrow hammered in her point further by sharing a photograph of leg braces used by Thaddeus as a child as well as another of a packed hospital ward of patients in iron lungs.
@realmiafarrow/Threads
Many echoed Farrow's concerns.
The New York Timesreported Friday that Aaron Siri, a lawyer consulting with Kennedy, has filed multiple legal petitions in recent years to challenge vaccines on behalf of the Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN). Among these is a 2022 petition urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to withdraw approval of a widely used polio vaccine for infants and children, claiming additional safety studies are needed.
Siri is also representing ICAN in efforts to petition the FDA to "pause distribution" of 13 additional vaccines, including combination immunizations for tetanus, diphtheria, polio, and hepatitis A, until manufacturers disclose more information about aluminum—an ingredient linked by some studies to a minor increase in asthma risk.
However, vaccines undergo rigorous testing before approval and are continuously monitored for safety. Removing a vaccine from the market involves a formal process: the FDA must document a new safety concern, give manufacturers a chance to respond, hold a hearing, and issue a decision. Companies can challenge unfavorable rulings in court.
