After newly sworn-in president Donald Trump signed a controversial new executive order impacting children’s access to psychiatric medication this week, a handful of horrified US residents have spoken out.
The Republican leader announced the introduction of a new campaign, titled the ‘Make America Healthy Again Commission’, yesterday (19 Feb), which would focus on the wellbeing of American children, with a specific focus on mental health and illness.
The commission – which will be chaired by Robert F. Kennedy Jr (the US Health and Human Services Secretary) – calls for ‘drastically lowering chronic disease rates and ending childhood chronic disease’.
It vows to do so by ‘assessing the threat that potential over-utilisation of medication’, ‘certain chemicals’, and ‘certain other exposures’ pose to children.
78-year-old Trump’s new order also pledges to ‘assess the prevalence of and threat posed by the prescription of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antipsychotics, mood stabilisers, stimulants, and weight-loss drugs’.
The policy states that, in 100 days’ time, the new commission must submit a report regarding prescriptions of these such medications.
80 days after that, a strategy which includes recommendations must be filed to the federal government.
As we say, however, Trump’s latest campaign hasn’t gone down too well with many Americans, with a handful of healthcare professionals having since spoken out against it.
Among them is Dr. Lelach Rave – interim executive director of the Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics – who emphasised that mental health and illness medications are often life-saving.
Speaking to The Seattle Times, Dr. Rave explained: “Any parent who has a child who is struggling with depression or anxiety or psychosis, it’s a scary place to be.
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Several healthcare professionals have now spoken out (Natalia Lebedinskaia/Getty)
“And there’s a lot of harm that goes with having untreated illness.”
She continued: “Not that you discount the risks of medications because they’re real as well, but there is real risk with disease.”
As per the publication, several other Washington physicians have addressed with the notion that monitoring prescriptions is sound practice, but believe that a federal order could spark division between physicians and their patients.
Speaking about mental health implications directly, Summer Starr, the interim director of Washington’s National Alliance on Mental Illness, also raised her concerns.
“You’d never deny someone cancer treatment,” she began. “There isn’t the same level of stigma for that. We’re trying to destigmatize mental health, and this just adds another layer of that.”
Starr added that denying children and teenagers initial treatment for mental health and illness could impact their recovery later down the line.
It isn’t just medics that have expressed their concerns over the aims of the new commission, with hundreds of social media users also hitting out.
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Trump signed his policy yesterday (19 Feb)
“I have ADHD and OCD. I wouldn’t be able to function without medications altering my brain and fixing my imbalances,” one confessed on X (formerly Twitter).
Another wrote: “This was one of RFK Jr.’s first orders after being sworn in.
“Just an astonishing denial of science and will cause so much pain to the 45 million Americans facing mental health challenges.”
A third slammed: “Literally would not be alive today without my ssri. But that’s probably the point.”
Trump sparks major concern as he takes aim at very common medication
Several Washington healthcare professionals have also spoken out in protest of the new White House order
Donald Trump has set his sights on psychiatric drugs, with healthcare professionals across the United States preparing to make major changes to regulation practices when it comes to children, as per a controversial new executive order.
A White House policy signed earlier this week by the Republican leader, 78, announced the introduction of a new campaign titled the ‘Make America Healthy Again Commission’.
Chaired by Robert F. Kennedy Jr – the US’ Health and Human Services Secretary – the new commission will focus on the health of American children, with a specific focus on mental health and mental illness.
Trump’s new policy on children’s health
Trump’s new order calls for ‘drastically lowering chronic disease rates and ending childhood chronic disease’ by ‘assessing the threat that potential over-utilisation of medication’, ‘certain chemicals’ and ‘certain other exposures’ pose to children.
The policy also vows to ‘assess the prevalence of and threat posed by the prescription of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antipsychotics, mood stabilisers, stimulants, and weight-loss drugs’.
By 100 days after the date of the order, the new commission is required to submit an initial report regarding prescriptions of these such medications. And 80 days after that, the commission is required to submit a strategy about plans to improve the general health of children, with recommendations for the federal government.
Why are healthcare professionals concerned?
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Several healthcare professionals have spoken out (Natalia Lebedinskaia)
Whilst Trump’s focus on children’s health might be somewhat admirable, the new policy’s implication that mental health medication – which is often life-saving in cases involving depression and anxiety – poses a threat to children has sparked concern in the medical field.
Whilst commonly-prescribed drugs like SSRIs, antipsychotics and stimulants can – like all medications – have physical side effects, they are also critical for many young people who are struggling with ill mental health.
Cases of children impacted by ADHD and ADD – of which the report states explicitly, there are 8.4 million – will also take a hit.
Speaking to The Seattle Times since the news was announced on Wednesday (19 Feb), Dr. Lelach Rave – interim executive director of the Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics – has spoken out.
“Any parent who has a child who is struggling with depression or anxiety or psychosis, it’s a scary place to be,” she explained. “And there’s a lot of harm that goes with having untreated illness.”
The acclaimed medic continued: “Not that you discount the risks of medications because they’re real as well, but there is real risk with disease.”
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Trump’s new executive order will directly affect mental health and mental illness (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
As per the publication, several other Washington physicians have addressed with the notion that monitoring prescriptions is sound practice, but believe that a federal order could spark division between physicians and their patients.
Speaking about mental health implications directly, Summer Starr – the interim director of Washington’s National Alliance on Mental Illness – also raised her concerns.
“You’d never deny someone cancer treatment,” she began. “There isn’t the same level of stigma for that. We’re trying to destigmatize mental health, and this just adds another layer of that.”
She added that, denying children and teenagers initial treatment for mental health and mental illness, could impact their recovery later down the line.
“I do know that the earlier people are able to get the support that is needed for mental health recovery, the better that process is for them.”
People outraged after White House shares bold four-word statement about Donald Trump with bizarre photo
The image comes after the Trump administration moved to block a toll program in New York City
President Donald Trump declaring himself a ‘king’ has caused some critics to question whether the US is being considered a monarchy or a democracy.
On Wednesday (19 February), 78-year-old Trump used his own social media platform, Truth Social, to write: “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”
The comment came after the Trump administration moved to end the New York City congestion pricing plan – a program which would see drivers entering the city in certain areas being charged.
The White House claimed the US federal government has jurisdiction over roads leading to New York and that the controversial toll would ‘unfairly burden working-class residents in the region’, as per the BBC.
Trump’s statement has been reshared by the official White House X account alongside an illustrated picture in the style of a TIME Magazine cover.
The image depicted the 47th President of the United States wearing a crown and featured the words ‘LONG LIVE THE KING’ in the bottom left-hand corner.
An image of President Donald Trump wearing a crown was circulated online by the official White House X account (X/@whitehouse)
This seemingly computer-generated image has caused a flurry of social media users to comment on the upload.
Taking to X to have their say, one critic wrote: “Isn’t the whole point of America even existing to not have a monarch?”
A second argued: “I thought that we lived in a Democracy, not a Monarchy.”
“We literally fought a revolution to NOT have a king,” replied someone else, referring to the American Revolution, which took place between 1765 and 1783.
Illinois’ Democratic Governor, JB Pritzker, also responded to the faux magazine cover.
He wrote: “As Governor of Illinois, my oath is to the Constitution of our state and our nation.
“We don’t have kings in America, and I won’t bend the knee to one.”
However, many Trump supporters liked the controversial post, with one typing: “He looks good in a crown, definitely should get one.”
“Looks like someone’s feeling royal today! The crown emoji is practically mandatory right now,” another replied.
A third commented: “I VOTED FOR THIS!”
“CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!” –President Donald J. Trump
New US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told New York Governor Kathy Hochul that he would be rescinding approval of the program, calling it a ‘slap in the face to working class Americans’.
“Commuters using the highway system to enter New York City have already financed the construction and improvement of these highways through the payment of gas taxes and other taxes,” he remarked.
“The toll program leaves drivers without any free highway alternative, and instead, takes more money from working people to pay for a transit system and not highways. It’s backwards and unfair.”
Gov Hochul has since responded, claiming the state hasn’t ‘laboured under a King in over 250 years’.
“We sure as hell are not going to start now. In case you don’t know New Yorkers, we’re going to fight. We do not back down, not now, not ever,” she said.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the city will ‘fight’ the Trump administration (Alex Kent/Getty Images)
New York officials have also vowed to ‘fight’ the Trump administration to bring the proposed $9 (£7.15) toll into play.
The congestion charge will affect all vehicles entering Manhattan between 60th Street and the southern tip of the island in the Financial District between 5am and 9pm on weekdays and from 9am-9pm on weekends, the BBC reports.
Transportation officials argue that the program would help first responders reach emergencies quicker and that money raised from the tolls would help fund a regeneration of the New York subway system.
Donald Trump signs new executive order aiming to have major impact on IVF
Trump announced his new parenthood policy yesterday (18 February)
Donald Trump made a number of promises regarding IVF access in the United States as part of a new executive order signed earlier this week.
The 78-year-old president’s latest move saw the cost of the procedure – which enables LGBTQ+ couples, couples facing infertility and single people, to create a family – debated in the White House, and a number of pledges made.
IVF became a big talking point during Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign as the debate around the increasingly common treatment came into the spotlight.
What is IVF?
Known as in vitro fertilisation, the medical procedure is most commonly offered to couples who are struggling to get pregnant.
It sees the woman’s eggs extracted and combined with a man’s sperm in a lab dish in a bid to create a fertilised embryo.
This is then transferred into the woman’s uterus to create a pregnancy.
IVF is carried out as per the woman’s cycle, meaning more than one attempt is usually needed.
The process is also used by LGBTQ+ couples who wish to become parents and are biologically prevented from being able to conceive a child naturally.
In this case, the eggs of a donor are used, with the embryo being carried by a surrogate. Or, in same-sex female relationships, a sperm donor is used and one of the women in the couple carries the child.
The price of the process, however, means that IVF is often used as last resort after other fertility treatments fail.
Trump’s new policy directly addresses IVF accessibility (Carlos Duarte/Getty)
Trump’s new IVF executive order
This week, Trump has chimed in on IVF accessibility and its extreme costs, vowing to make the process more affordable.
According to a message directly from the White House, the politician explained: “Americans need reliable access to IVF and more affordable treatment options, as the cost per cycle can range from $12,000 to $25,000.”
The policy continues: “Providing support, awareness, and access to affordable fertility treatments can help these families navigate their path to parenthood with hope and confidence.”
Trump’s new executive order also issued a request to the assistant to the president for domestic policy for a list of policy recommendations on protecting IVF access.
He also hoped that this instruction could ‘aggressively’ reduce ‘out-of-pocket and health plan costs’ for treatment within a 90-day period.
IVF and insurance: how available is the treatment?
Trump declared his new policy yesterday (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Depending on the firm providing it to a couple, insurance coverage for IVF can be a difficult realm to navigate.
Larger companies in the States tend to offer this coverage in a bid to attract future employees and retain existing ones.
According to AP, in recent years, more and more employers have also been offering coverage for infertility diagnoses, which mean that LGBTQ+ couples and single women can feel assured.
In smaller companies, however, insurance coverage is considerably less common.
This lack of widespread coverage, however, has created a nationwide divide, being that couples who miss out are often forced to fork out hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Recent debate on IVF
Trump’s latest promise comes after the process became a significant talking point in the state of Alabama, after leaders agreed last year to protect IVF providers from legal liability after the state Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law.
IVF has long been a debated topic in the US (Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images)
Margaret Marsh – a history professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey – recently told press that the American anti-abortion movement, which is against IVF on the basis that embryos are often lost in the process, never went away, despite its popularity surging in recent years.
The 2022 overturning of Roe v Wade – which constitutionally protected a woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy – she says, had a part to play in why more and more people have been taking the anti-IVF stance.
“Not everyone in the anti-abortion movement opposes these reproductive technologies, but many do,” Marsh told AP.
Last year, however, Trump declared that he supported availability to IVF.
In June, a poll conducted by the The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research also found that 6/10 US adults supported the notion that IVF was a process that deserved protection.
