04/21/2026
I’ve been getting a lot of questions this week about the headlines coming out of the HHS, and honestly, I’m just as concerned as many of you are. Since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took over, we’ve seen a lot of talk about "health freedom," but what happened over the last few days is moving us away from actual medical science and toward some pretty dangerous territory for moms and babies.
First, the change in how we handle the Hepatitis B vaccine for newborns is a major step backward. The new guidance at the CDC is moving away from the universal birth dose. The logic being used in Washington is that if a mom tests negative, the baby isn't at risk. But as someone who lives in the delivery room, I can tell you that tests aren't perfect, and "low risk" doesn't mean "no risk." We’ve spent decades virtually eliminating this virus in infants, and it feels like we’re intentionally inviting it back into our nurseries.
Even more heartbreaking is the shift in how we’re talking about maternal mortality. This past week was Black Maternal Health Week, yet we’re seeing a directive to scrub terms like "Black" from federal health funding and research. If we aren't allowed to name the problem—that Black women in this country are dying at three times the rate of white women—we can’t fix it. Cutting hundreds of millions in research funding for these programs isn't "efficiency," it’s a direct threat to the lives of my patients.
I know the news is a whirlwind, and it’s hard to know who to trust. But my advice hasn’t changed. I don't make recommendations based on who is sitting in a cabinet position in DC; I make them based on the peer-reviewed data that keeps you and your baby safe.
If you’re feeling anxious or confused about these changes, please don’t just sit with it. Bring it up at our next appointment. My door is always open.
www.ruthhaskinsmd.com
