Opinion: I’m a Republican former congressman and doctor. The new HHS placebo-controlled trial mandate is dangerous

As a cardiothoracic surgeon and former member of Congress, I’ve spent decades working to protect people’s health — first in the operating room, later in Washington. I’ve sat with worried parents. I’ve cared for patients at their most vulnerable. And I’ve always believed that public health decisions, especially those made by government, must be grounded in science, shaped by ethics, and made with the public’s trust in mind.

That’s why I’m deeply concerned about a new policy announced by the Department of Health and Human Services. It mandates placebo-controlled trials for all new vaccines — even when proven vaccines for the same disease already exist. That’s a sharp and dangerous break from decades of precedent.

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