Infant Mortality is on the Rise. Kennedy and Shanahan Are Committed to Change That.

By Melissa Orrison, The Kennedy Beacon

By Melissa Orrison, The Kennedy Beacon

Noted historian and anthropologist Emmanuel Todd predicted the collapse of the Soviet Union based on infant mortality rates. According to Christopher Caldwell, writing in The New York Times, Todd argues that the West does not value the lives of its young. 

Caldwell writes, “Infant mortality, the telltale metric that led [Emmanuel Todd] to predict the Soviet collapse half a century ago, is higher in Mr. Biden’s America (5.4 per thousand) than in Mr. Putin’s Russia.”

Is this an indication that the US is facing a similar collapse? Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests it is. And a bleak situation appears to have worsened since Covid. 

The CDC tracks infant mortality in the National Vital Statistics Reports. Infant mortality is considered a death before the child’s first birthday, and is also subdivided into neonatal or post-neonatal mortality. Declines in infant mortality were noted through 2020. Then, a 3% increase was reported in 2022, the first increase in 20 years. Preliminary data indicated a very slight decline nationally in 2023, from 5.55 to 5.49 per 1,000 live births.

However, it should be noted that in 2019, before Covid, the infant mortality rate was 71% higher than other comparable nations, and infant mortality still remains higher in the U.S. Hailey Weiss reported in Time that Iowa, Missouri, Texas, and my home state, Georgia, have all seen significant increases. Georgia’s infant mortality rate is 6.25, Missouri’s rate is 5.85, and Texas’s rate is 5.72. Iowa’s rate of 5.2 is lower than the national average, but represents a 30% increase between 2021 and 2022.

Neither former president Trump nor President Biden has expressed concern about America’s health crisis or infant mortality in specific. However, Kennedy has said that, if elected president, he will make the epidemic of chronic disease in the U.S his top priority. Adding Nicole Shanhan to his ticket is a sign he means that. Shanahan is concerned with the “reproductive health crisis” that includes declines in women’s fertility worldwide.

My Own Experience

As a young mom, I am alarmed by the possible impact on fetuses whose mothers were subjected to the COVID-19 vaccine. The widely censored Dr. James Thorp, OB/GYN, argues in “COVID-19 Vaccines: The Impact on Pregnancy Outcomes and Menstrual Function,” that the vaccines have caused a rise in miscarriages, severe preeclampsia, and fetal malformation. His videos posted on Bitchute are not easily located through a standard Google search. 

Thorp says the vaccines can cause a condition in fetuses similar to AIDS, which he calls VAIDS, vaccine-induced acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. He says these newborns do not have a normal immune system and are at an increased risk of death from autoimmune disease, cancer, and opportunistic infections. After reviewing what he called an “avalanche of data” from around the world, he found that birth rates have declined while fetal death and fetal cardiac arrest have increased.

Naomi Wolf of Daily Clout interviewed Thorp on April 4, 2024 introducing him as one of the only members of the OB/GYN community in the U.S. to speak up on behalf of his patients. Thorp warned that mRNA vaccines given during pregnancy could negatively impact future generations.

Anecdotally, during pregnancy three years ago, I had severe preeclampsia with no prior risk factors or family history. After experiencing social pressure to take the vaccine, and fear of the rumored “vaccine passports” which might restrict my travel or job opportunities, I got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Being skeptical of the rushed vaccine, I figured one shot was better than two. I received the shot in April 2021 just days before it was pulled off the market for being linked to blood clots, and also days before becoming pregnant. 

After developing severe preeclampsia, I was induced at 37 weeks. Luckily, our son was healthy with no complications. At age two, he suffers from severe eczema, which an allergist described as an auto-immune response. Could this be linked to the abnormal immune response mentioned by Dr. Thorp?

I have yet to discuss any possible link between preeclampsia, eczema, and the COVID-19 vaccine with a medical professional. If doctors believe there was a link, would they even tell me? Given the career destruction visited upon James Thorp – and other doctors such as Pierre Kory, who famously fought for the right to treat patients with ivermectin – they likely fear the loss of their professional credibility.

More CDC Findings 

Non-hispanic Black infants have the highest mortality rates, with non-hispanic Asians having the lowest. Poverty increases infant mortality rates. The CDC includes maternal complications as one of the leading causes of infant mortality, after birth defects, preterm birth, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and injuries. 

According to Dr. Thorp, maternal complications and birth defects are correlated with COVID-19 vaccines, but it is not surprising that the CDC would not share this assessment. But we have been misled by this agency in the past. Remember “six feet apart” and “two weeks to slow the spread”? 

Recently, journalists making a request under the Freedom of Information Act for the CDC to provide all information about their investigations of myocarditis after COVID-19 vaccination, were provided with 148 completely redacted pages, as Louis Conte reported in The Kennedy Beacon.

Can the CDC be trusted as providing important information about possible health risks for pregnant women? In response to the loss of trust in traditional health institutions, FLCCC Alliance, a non-profit organization, has stepped up to offer guidance to those with questions about possible side-effects of the Covid-19 vaccination.  

With increasing rates of infant mortality and immune issues in children, without governmental intervention, the future can look bleak. However, Kennedy and Shanahan are committed to addressing  the chronic health crisis in America. 

And Kennedy has said that if he does not improve health outcomes in his first term as president, then he does not want to be reelected. Although it can take time to make the changes necessary to improve health across generations, the first step is electing leaders who are honest about the issues facing the U.S. and are prepared to act. 

Melissa Orrison is a journalist who co-presented “The Kennedy Tragedies Through a Risk Management Lens,” at In2Risk 2022 in San Francisco, California. She has also worked in higher education and tourism. She lives in Georgia with her husband and son.