The Hidden Influence: How Pharma-Backed Groups Shape Vaccine Advocacy

Spotlight: American Academy of Pediatrics and American Families for Vaccines

The restructuring of ACIP has exposed a tightly interconnected ecosystem of advisory bodies, advocacy organizations, and pharmaceutical sponsors whose financial interests are deeply embedded in vaccine policy at both the federal and state level. We focus this discussion on the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Families for Vaccines.

Last year, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., purged the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) citing conflicts of interest. He removed all seventeen voting members of the committee in June 2025, then provided a conflict of interest page on the CDC website so that Americans could explore the COIs of current and previous ACIP voting members. In the announcementdated June 9, 2025, Kennedy stated:

“ACIP’s new members will prioritize public health and evidence-based medicine. The Committee will no longer function as a rubber stamp for industry profit-taking agendas. The entire world once looked to American health regulators for guidance, inspiration, scientific impartiality, and unimpeachable integrity. Public trust has eroded. Only through radical transparency and gold standard science, will we earn it back.”

Kennedy also shed light on the significant conflicts of interest of ACIP non-voting liaison representative, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), one of the harshest critics of the changes taking place on the committee. As a long standing liaison to ACIP, the AAP helped shape vaccine approvals and recommendations for decades – recommendations that, while technically advisory, are embedded in “nearly 600 statutes and regulations across 49 states, three territories, and Washington, D.C.” At the same time, the AAP received substantial financial support from vaccine manufacturers whose products are directly affected by ACIP recommendations, creating a feedback loop that benefits both AAP members (pediatricians) and their corporate sponsors.

In June 2025, as it boycotted ACIP meetings in response to new transparency requirements instituted by Secretary Kennedy, the AAP issued its own vaccine schedule. They then published a position statement in August 2025 in which they advocate for the removal of all non-medical, or religious, exemptions. They state:

“The AAP advocates for the elimination of nonmedical exemptions from immunizations as contrary to optimal individual and public health.”

Several states have begun adopting the AAP’s recommended vaccine schedule despite the significant financial conflicts of interest as well as the organization’s advocacy for removal of a protected civil liberty: religious freedom. Decentralization of public health should be the goal of every state, but the state level departments of health that affiliate with an organization that openly advocates for the removal of civil liberties while profiting not only from policy implementation but also from corporate sponsorship of vaccine manufacturers is deeply problematic and incompatible with transparent, ethical governance.

In January, the AAP was named in a RICO lawsuit (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) alleging “the organization has violated federal law by saying that vaccines on the federal child vaccine schedule are safe.” Epoch Times reports:

“The complaint alleges that RICO comes into play because AAP, vaccine manufacturers, and others are operating as part of an enterprise that aims to maintain and expand vaccine uptake “by assuring pediatricians, hospitals, parents, and policymakers that the schedule is categorically safe, while concealing material facts about the lack of testing, inadequacies in the vaccine safety monitoring programs, and financial incentives tied to vaccine schedule compliance.’”

In addition to shaping federal vaccine policy, the AAP lobbies in statehouses across the country alongside another organization with significant vaccine industry ties: American Families for Vaccines.  While AFV is formally a separate organization, its policy positions and partnerships closely mirror those of the AAP.

American Families for Vaccines (AFV) lists the AAP as one of its corporate “partners.” The organization’s expanding network of affiliate state chapters actively promotes pro-vaccine legislation and the removal or restriction of religious exemptions from vaccine mandates – a shared policy position with AAP. In 2025, AFV expanded its organizational structure to include a 501(c)(4) Action Fund, enabling the organization to engage directly in legislative advocacy. They anticipate being in 30 states by the end of 2026. Their stated goal is “to unite families, health experts, lawmakers, and partners under one banner.”

As of late 2025, AFV has established multiple state chapters, including (but not limited to):

Active State Chapters

Most Recent Additions — October/December 2025

AFV’s LinkedIn job postings include a six-figure Political Director role and a salaried State Director position in West Virginia, both offering benefits. 

Another co-director position in Louisiana shows similar compensation. 

Advocacy for Eliminating Vaccine Exemptions

As the first AFV chapter to form, Maine Families for Vaccines has touted the elimination of the state’s religious exemption as a 2019 policy victory, stating that:

“Maine has never been afraid to lead when it comes to doing what’s right. In 2019, a group of concerned parents formed Maine Families for Vaccines and raised awareness about Maine’s dangerously high opt-out rate for vaccines after the state experienced outbreaks of whooping cough and chicken pox in schools and daycares.

We organized to pass PL 154, removing non-medical exemptions to school-required vaccination requirements. The law went into effect on September 1, 2021. For this work, Maine Families for Vaccines was awarded the Maine Public Health Association’s President’s Award, its highest honor.”

The former president of the Maine chapter and current president of AFV and AFV Action Fund, Northe Saunders, traveled to Massachusetts last year to lobby in support of legislation that would remove that state’s religious exemption, again boasting that the removal of religious exemptions in Maine was a policy win. Saunders continues to actively lobby in Massachusetts in coordination with other organizations including the Massachusetts chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Massachusetts Medical Society. Watch Saunders’ Massachusetts testimony in the video below.

AFV’s Action Fund is engaging lobbyists and pollsters across the country, including Florida, Massachusetts, and South Dakota, employing polling to influence public perception and support policy efforts to restrict exemptions. 

Sustaining this level of multi-state lobbying, professional polling, and message testing requires significant financial investment, underscoring the role of well-funded interests in shaping these policy efforts. Still, the Florida chapter website asserts they are a “grassroots” organization. 

AFV president, Northe Saunders, traveled to Florida in January to lobby against legislation that would provide a personal belief exemption in state law. Hear his comments in the video below.

A Network of Industry Stakeholders with Aligned Financial Interests

The American Families for Vaccines’ corporate partnerships include the American Academy of Pediatrics, vaccine manufacturers—Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, Moderna, Sanofi—as well as, Biotechnology Innovation Organization, aka BIO, another ACIP non-voting liaison member and an organization known to testify in state houses in opposition to bills that would provide vaccine transparency. 

Each AFV corporate partner has identifiable financial or policy interests aligned with the expansion of vaccine uptake or requirements – all feeding into the profit margin of corporate sponsors. For example:

  • Vaccinate Your Family’s corporate sponsors include the CDC, Dynavax, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation, Moderna, Novavax, vaccine developer Dr. Paul Offit, Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur, Seqirus.
  • National Foundation for Infectious Diseases’ corporate sponsors include AstraZeneca, Bavarian Nordic, Moderna, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co, Inc., Sanofi US, Seqirus USA Inc.
  • Immunize.org’s corporate sponsors include GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Merck, Moderna, Sanofi, AstraZeneca, CSL Seqirus, Novavax, and Dynavax.

Lastly, Voice for Vaccines is owned by Task Force for Global Health, Inc., which reported revenue of $96.9 million in 2024 while managing approximately $961 millionin pharmaceutical assets. The extensive list of foundations, corporations, government agencies, and nongovernmental organizations that partner with the Task Force for Global Health includes:

The Task Force for Global Health finances the following programs:

Taken together, these organizations operate within a shared ecosystem of pharmaceutical funding, regulatory influence, and policy advocacy, giving them material stakes in the expansion of vaccine requirements. As such, they cannot reasonably be characterized as disinterested parties in debates over vaccine policy, transparency, or religious exemptions.

AFV’s claims of independence warrant scrutiny in light of its funding criteria and industry-backed partnerships.

AFV presents itself as independent of industry interests; however, its Statement of Independence specifies that funding is accepted only for activities aligned with its ‘mission and vision.’ That vision explicitly supports the removal of religious exemptions to vaccination and is financially supported by vaccine manufacturers, calling claims of independence into serious question. When an organization backed by industry interests actively advocates for policies that would curtail religious freedom—a constitutionally protected civil liberty—in medical decision-making, the implications are profound and demand heightened scrutiny. 

When vaccine policy is shaped by organizations financially aligned with the outcomes of those policies, transparency, independence, and respect for civil liberties are not optional, they are imperative. Policymakers must recognize when advocacy crosses the line from public health into a direct threat to civil liberties and reject the influence of organizations whose stated goals include the removal of constitutionally protected rights. Upholding informed consent and religious freedom demands vigilance, independence, and the courage to place the rights of citizens above the priorities of well-funded interest groups.

These entanglements underscore why statutory protections like the Medical Freedom Act are no longer optional but necessary, to restore informed consent, prevent coercion, and ensure that medical decisions remain with individuals and families rather than industry-aligned policy networks. 

Speak up. Show up. Stand firm. Freedom grows when we do.

Be a part of our historic lawsuit against the CDC. Every donation to Stand for Health Freedom helps funds our efforts to end medical mandates and restore parental authority in medical decision making.

The Vaccine Decision: Every Shot Has A Story is available now!

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Erica Comerford

Director of Political Affiars
An informed and empowered citizenry is extremely important to SHF’s Director of Political Affiars Erica Comerford, whose oldest two children were injured by childhood vaccines. She also has family members who suffered after receiving H1N1 vaccines in 2009. Erica studied business and nursing in college but was forced out of the nursing program when local hospitals would not accept vaccine exemptions to complete clinical rotations. Instead, she focused on homeschooling her children and dedicating as much time as she could to health freedom advocacy. In 2017, Erica co-founded a nonprofit grassroots advocacy organization in her home state, working to develop relationships with local legislators to pass health freedom legislation and defeat bills that curtail individual liberty. Erica is grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with SHF's state partners, identifying, vetting, and supporting health freedom candidates across all levels of government through the Vote for Health Freedom initiative. In her free time, Erica loves spending time with her husband and four children, and volunteering at church, and cheering for her kids on the sideline of the soccer field. Along with her family, she enjoys supporting an orphanage and school in Uganda which grows its own organic food and uses natural healing to improve the life and health of the children.

Scott Kiley

Associate Director of Local Advocacy

Scott Kiley has been married to Jill Kiley for 37 years. Together they have 3 children, 3 grandchildren and reside in Florida. He is an entrepreneur having founded several businesses, one that remains today.

In battling the tyranny that unfolded during the Covid pandemic, Scott uses his organizational and entrepreneurial skills to focus on health care freedom. Scott and his wife Jill organize health freedom advocates in an effort to deliver meaningful change at a local level. Doctors, attorneys, nurses and passionate health freedom warriors make up the team. The advocates focus on their local county commissioners, city council members, school board members, sheriff and police. The advocacy work is always collaborative, respectful and educational while bring real change that enhances health care freedom. Team effort success has come in the form of local legislation through resolutions and ordinances.

Scott and his wife Jill share a vision of uniting every county within their state of Florida and using this unity to bring change in Tallahassee.

Jill Kiley

Associate Director of Local Advocacy

Jill earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Southern Illinois University and a master’s in Clinical Social Work from the University of Illinois-Chicago. As a Youth and family therapist, mother of three, and grandmother, Jill has always stayed abreast of health issues affecting our society’s physical and mental well-being.

During the COVID lockdowns, she realized that the gaslighting of the public and the straying from evidence-based medical advice from our medical authorities needed to be questioned. The flawed science around the pretrials of the COVID-19 vaccines was alarming!  Jill and her husband, Scott, decided they needed to stand up and fight back locally against the deceptive narrative invoked against our society and continue advocating for our God-given rights

Jill and her husband, Scott, have become the local conduits of truth in a society of censorship. They have coordinated with activists in their community to educate local officials, resulting in impactful changes to local legislation to protect residents and their freedoms. “Bringing Truth to Light gracefully, opens doors to dialog and spurs curiosity for truth.”

Jill Hines

Directory of Advocacy
A former banker turned homeschool mom, Jill Hines began researching alternatives to conventional medicine in 2010 and what she discovered changed the trajectory of her life. She corrected a worrisome health issue, and embraced a natural approach to wellness. Advocating for informed consent and parental rights became a full-time mission when she joined the board of the Georgia Coalition for Vaccine Choice and later became the co-director of Health Freedom Louisiana. Due to her advocacy efforts during the COVID crisis, Jill was one of 25 Louisianans selected by Central City News as “a hero of the constitutional crisis.” She was also presented the Impact Award for Outstanding Public Service from the government watchdog organization Citizens for a New Louisiana. Jill now represents hundreds of millions of Americans who experienced censorship due to the Biden administration's efforts to suppress disfavored speech as a plaintiff in the landmark lawsuit Missouri v. Biden. Jill holds a marketing degree from Louisiana Tech University and now passionately “sells” health freedom full-time. Serving as Stand for Health Freedom’s advocacy director provides an incredible opportunity to advance the growing movement to preserve the sacred right to refuse unwanted medical interventions for ourselves and our children without fear of retribution.
“We have lived through a terrifying societal, psychological, and medical experiment which afforded us a knowledge that our forefathers tried to impart and we can no longer ignore: Our freedom is tenuous. For our children’s sake, the time is now to take a stand for health freedom.”

Chrissy Scott

Executive Assistant and Social Media Manager

A labor and delivery nurse with a lifelong passion for maternal and fetal health, Chrissy Scott left her job of 19 years after learning the truth about the harms caused by the medical system. In 2009, she was mandated by her employer to receive the H1N1 vaccine during her first trimester of pregnancy with her second child. She was assured that the vaccine was “safe and effective” for pregnant women, but her son was born with a kidney defect that could have been fatal. She didn’t connect the dots to vaccine injury until several years later when the declining health of her oldest son drove her to seek answers outside of allopathic medicine.

This personal journey ignited in her a new passion for truth and transparency in health care. As SHF’s Executive Assistant, Chrissy facilitates communication and local advocacy initiatives alongside Leah Wilson for their home state of Indiana. She also manages and creates graphics for SHF’s social media accounts and the website’s swag shop.

Chrissy earned her nursing degree from Anderson University and served her entire career at her local hospital. While she’s no longer a floor nurse, her five very active boys frequently test her nursing skills! She homeschools her children and has been co-owner of a successful home décor sign business with her sister.

“Parents, being the experts on their own children, are best suited to make decisions for the well-being of their family. To do this properly, they must be given full and accurate information and be free from force or coercion.”

Ellen Chappelle

Writer/Editor

Ellen Chappelle serves as SHF’s resident wordsmith. A seasoned writer and editor, she’s enthusiastic about ensuring that our content is clear, concise, and inspiring.

Ellen is most energized by working on projects that transform lives. A truth seeker as well as a journalist, she’s disturbed by the lack of accuracy in today’s media and determined to help share fact rather than fiction. And having found greater healing with alternative approaches, she’s also passionate about preserving our freedom to make informed health choices.

Past projects include serving as regional editor of a dog magazine, color and trend specialist for a small cosmetics company, arts columnist, newspaper reporter, ghostwriter, and creator of website content for artists and small businesses.

With a degree in journalism and theatre, Ellen is also a performer. She enjoyed singing and dancing on a cruise ship and traveling with a national musical theatre tour, as well as recording industrial videos, television commercials, and radio voiceovers. She also creates handcrafted jewelry in wire, chain maille, and fused glass.

“Despite what some would have us believe, the fact remains that this nation was founded on biblical principles by people who wanted freedom to worship God and live their lives without government involvement. It’s never been more critical to fight for those rights.”

LEAH WILSON

Executive Director and Co-founder

An attorney with a background in complex litigation and advocacy, Leah Wilson is passionate about children’s health and has researched and worked on child welfare issues for more than a decade.

The overmedication of children in foster care as a form of behavior management is what compelled Leah to become an advocate and foster parent. During her time as a court-appointed special advocate for abused and neglected children, Leah witnessed the rampant use of psychiatric drugs among foster kids. She also discovered that, in addition to many extensive requirements, the state had a policy that all foster children and foster families be fully vaccinated, without exception. Through her involvement in law, health and the foster care system, it became abundantly clear to Leah that the single most important issue affecting child welfare in the United States is the practice of one-size-fits-all medicine via medical mandates. This motivated Leah to expand her advocacy beyond foster care to all children nationwide and to start Stand for Health Freedom (SHF) in 2019.

A graduate of the Saint Louis University School of Law, Leah holds dual bachelor degrees in political science and Spanish from Indiana University. In addition to her advocacy work with SHF, Leah is the owner and former operations director of MaxLiving Indy, one of the largest natural health centers in the Midwest. She is also an educator on holistic health as well as a sought-after speaker on issues ranging from religious rights to greening your home.

“Parental rights and religious freedom are God-given natural rights that cannot arbitrarily be taken away by government authorities. Parents are the single most important factor in a child’s success; I stand in full support of this sacred relationship.”

Sayer JI

Director and Co-founder

Sayer Ji is a widely recognized researcher, author, lecturer, activist, and educator on natural health modalities. Among his many roles, he is an advisor to Stand for Health Freedom, a reviewer and editor of the International Journal of Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine, an advisory board member of the National Health Federation, a steering committee member of the Global GMO Free Coalition, and the co-founder and CEO of Systome Biomed Inc., a revolutionary scientific validation framework.

Most notably, Sayer is the founder of Greenmedinfo.com, the world’s most widely referenced, evidence-based natural health resource of its kind. He founded the platform in 2008 to provide an open access, evidence-based resource supporting natural and integrative modalities. Today, Greenmedinfo.com has more than a million visits per month, serving as a trusted resource on myriad health and wellness topics to physicians, healthcare practitioners, clinicians, researchers and consumers worldwide.

Sayer attended Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, where he studied under the notable American philosopher Dr. Bruce W. Wilshire. He received a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy in 1995, with a focus on the philosophy of science. His new book, Regenerate: Unlocking Your Body’s Radical Resilience through the New Biology, was released in March 2020 and is an Amazon bestseller.

“I truly believe that education will be our greatest shield against accelerating the erosion of civil liberties, including the right to bodily sovereignty, as well as the greatest catalyst for positive change on this planet moving forward.”

Bailey Kuykendoll

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Designer and visual marketer Bailey Kuykendoll began advocating for health and religious freedom and parental rights in 2014 after learning she was pregnant. A self-described skeptic, she’s not afraid to ask questions and do copious amounts of research to reach her own conclusions.

She’s also not afraid of hard work. As SHF’s Associate Director, Bailey truly keeps the organizational boat afloat. Working closely with our State Directors in each state, she ensures that SHF has calls-to-action for health-freedom bills and petitions on our website and across social media, spreading the word to encourage people to contact their legislators. She builds campaigns, graphics, website pages, and relationships.

Bailey earned a design degree from Harrington Institute of Design in 2008. She then served as a production assistant on several shows for HGTV, followed by working behind the scenes on the X Factor, small indie films, music videos, and documentaries. Bailey joined Health Freedom Florida after moving to the East Coast, becoming co-president of the grassroots organization in 2019. While at Health Freedom Florida, she successfully filed a state bill designed to stop discrimination based on your health status. She joined SHF in the fall of 2020.

“God placed a calling on my heart back in 2008 to be a part of something bigger for Him. Twelve years later, the opportunity came knocking to help others lean into their natural-born rights and take a stand for themselves and their families. I knew this is where I was called to be, and I have never looked back.”

Valerie Borek

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR + POLICY ANALYST

Valerie Borek is a passionate advocate for health rights and family privacy. A mother of two with degrees in law and biochemistry, she is perfectly positioned to lead SHF advocates through complex health-rights policy. Her work is guided by a love for American values, uncovering truth, and a passion for empowering others. Valerie has served as SHF’s policy analyst since 2021.

Valerie’s understanding of the value of freedom to make one’s own health care choices is not just academic. Health freedom has kept her boys alive and thriving. Her choice to have home births jump-started her advocacy for health privacy. Her eldest son survived a rare and deadly cancer because her family was able to navigate medical care while holding onto values that were sometimes at odds with recommendations.

Before joining SHF, Valerie specialized in health and parenting rights at her boutique law firm, especially surrounding birth and vaccine rights. She advocated for informed consent in health care and transparent food labeling in her state. She helped found the Birth Rights Bar Association and was honored to present their argument to the Delaware Supreme Court that midwifery is not the practice of medicine, in support of a trailblazing midwife.

“Health is the foundation of how we show up in this world to love, serve, and create. Americans are blessed to live in a country that gets stronger the more we protect fundamental rights, like informed consent and privacy, so individuals and families can thrive.”

Mary Katherine LaCroix

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT AND NONPROFIT ADMINISTRATION

Mary Katherine LaCroix became involved with SHF as a volunteer in 2019 when the religious exemption for childhood vaccines was at risk in her home state of New Jersey. She believes strongly that parents have the responsibility for their children’s health, education, and faith formation and that only they have the right to make medical decisions and manage their care.

She has worked in fundraising for more than 25 years at various educational, cultural, human services, and political organizations. A graduate of the University of Scranton, she holds a degree in History and English Literature.

Mary Katherine is thrilled to have this opportunity to work with and help grow SHF, believing that together we can achieve even greater impact in protecting our rights and caring for our loved ones. She enjoys spending time with her husband, two children and large extended family, as well as volunteering to support the special needs community.

“Parents are taught that they must trust the experts. That’s what we did, until we learned that the experts can be wrong and don’t always know what is best for your child. Parents should instead feel empowered by their natural, God-given ability to advocate and care for their children. SHF is here to give them the tools to do just that.”

Sheila Ealey

Political Analyst

Dr. Sheila Lewis Ealey is the founder and former director of the Creative Learning Center of Louisiana, a therapeutic day school for children who are on the autism spectrum or struggling with other nonverbal intellectual disabilities. The wife of a former U.S. Coast Guard Officer, she is also the mother of four children. Her son was diagnosed with severe autism spectrum disorder at 18 months. He is now a young man and considered moderate and emerging.

Sheila and her twins were featured in the documentary “Vaxxed.” She has traveled extensively, advocating for medical freedom. She continues to educate disenfranchised parents about their fundamental rights to religious and philosophical exemptions, their ability to live sustainably on a limited budget, and the importance of nutrition and biomedical interventions for optimum health with autism. She also writes individual homeschool curriculums for parents of children with autism or intellectual disorders. Sheila is a trustee for the Autism Trust, USA, and on the board of directors of Children’s Health Defense.

Over the past 20 years, she has educated herself to use natural healing modalities for the body and brain. Her formal education includes degrees in communication, special education curriculum, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership in Special Education. Sheila serves as an assistant content advisor and political analyst for SHF.

“It is not the Constitution’s job to protect our liberties, as it is not a philosophical document but a legal one. Its purpose is to limit the powers and authority of our federal government in hopes of preventing an intrusion upon our unalienable rights. We are obliged to maintain our government within its limits.”

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