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James Jarvis, MD, is president of the Maine Medical Association.
In recent weeks, Americans have witnessed troubling examples of political leaders overruling or undermining science. President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., have publicly questioned long-established evidence on vaccines and, more recently, cast doubt on whether pregnant people should use Tylenol. These interventions are not just rhetorical skirmishes in the culture wars — they threaten the integrity of science itself and, more importantly, the health of millions.
As physicians and public health professionals across Maine, the Maine Medical Association (MMA) represents the voices of 4,300 physicians who care for our communities every day. We know firsthand that science is not partisan. It is a disciplined process of questioning, testing, and verifying.
When scientists study whether a vaccine prevents disease, or whether acetaminophen (Tylenol) is safe in pregnancy, they are guided by rigorous methods — randomized trials, careful observational studies, peer review, and decades of accumulated evidence. Decisions derived from this process are never perfect, but they are the best protection we have against disease and harm.
Vaccines are among the most studied and effective medical interventions in history. From smallpox to polio to COVID-19, they have prevented millions of deaths worldwide. The safety profile of vaccines is robustly monitored in the United States through multiple independent systems, including the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System and the Vaccine Safety Datalink. When political leaders dismiss this evidence, they not only endanger lives but also erode the public’s trust in the very institutions designed to protect them.
The consequences are visible. Vaccine skepticism has already led to outbreaks of measles in communities where immunization rates dropped below safe thresholds. If government leaders amplify misinformation, we risk turning back decades of progress in preventing childhood illnesses that were once nearly eradicated.
The same is true for medications in pregnancy. Acetaminophen has been the pain reliever of choice for pregnancy precisely because it is safer than alternatives such as ibuprofen or aspirin. Recently, a few studies have raised questions about potential developmental effects. These findings warrant a careful scientific review, rather than a political decree, especially in light of other peer-reviewed studies that continue to support the use of acetaminophen. To leap ahead of science with sweeping pronouncements risks frightening women, confusing clinicians, and — ironically —driving pregnant patients toward less safe alternatives.
History offers sobering lessons about the costs of politicizing science. In the early years of the HIV epidemic, political leaders resisted acknowledging the scope of the crisis, delaying effective interventions and costing lives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, politicization of masks, vaccines, and treatments fueled unnecessary deaths and division. When science becomes a political football, communities pay the price in suffering and lost trust.
Science works best when it is insulated from politics. Independent agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are designed to provide evidence-based recommendations free from partisan influence. While policymakers may weigh economic, social, or ethical considerations, they must not distort or suppress scientific findings to fit political agendas.
Maine communities understand the stakes. Our state has seen the benefits of science firsthand: in high childhood vaccination rates that keep our schools safe, in evidence-based programs that address opioid use disorder, and more. Weakening the role of science would roll back these gains.
Science cannot — and should not — dictate every policy decision. But a policy built on the denial of science is a dangerous foundation. Vaccines and Tylenol are not political symbols; they are medical tools that have been studied by thousands of scientists over decades. To politicize them is to gamble with the health of mothers, children, and entire communities.
The Maine Medical Association urges Maine people, and our elected leaders, to insist on keeping science at the center of public health. Our well-being depends on it.
