As an organization dedicated to women’s preventive health, the Alliance for Women’s Health and Prevention (AWHP) is deeply concerned and disappointed about the recent decision by Secretary Kennedy to remove COVID-19 vaccines from the CDC’s recommended immunization schedule for healthy pregnant women. This change diverges from a strong body of scientific evidence supporting the safety and benefits of vaccination during pregnancy.
Pregnancy increases susceptibility to severe COVID-19 complications, including hospitalization, intensive care admission, and adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth and stillbirth. Vaccination during pregnancy has been shown to be safe and effective, offering protection to both the mother and the newborn. The sudden removal of the recommendation for pregnant women, without transparent justification, jeopardizes maternal and infant health and may exacerbate vaccine hesitancy.
This decision will also remove insurance coverage requirements for COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant women for both public and private insurers, which in turn will severely disproportionately affect low-income women who rely on Medicaid for health insurance. Of the 24 million women enrolled in Medicaid, more than half are in their reproductive years and more than half are women of color. This decision will have a tangible, harmful impact on women nationwide — and will severely worsen health disparities, undoing extensive efforts to close these unacceptable gaps.
We urge the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to reconsider this decision and to continue recommending COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant women, aligning with the prevailing scientific consensus — including from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — and safeguarding public health.
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About AWHP
The Alliance for Women’s Health and Prevention is a non-partisan 501(c)(4) non-profit organization working to ensure that all women and girls have access to high-quality preventive care. Our mission is to advance policy that drives equitable access and prevents the burden and progression of disease to improve the lives and health of all women and girls.
For more information on AWHP, please visit WomensHealthandPrevention.org and follow us on LinkedIn and X @AWHPOrg.
Media Contact: press@womenshealthandprevention.org