As you know, I’m a pediatrician who decided three years ago to run for Congress. Then, I decided to start a Political Action Committee for kids. Why? Because believe it or not — a pro-child PAC had yet to exist….

In America, we have PACs for tacos, credit cards, chicken farmers and practically every medical specialty BESIDES pediatrics. Our lack of political engagement on behalf of kids has had dire consequences, including the infiltration of BAD politics into the practice of pediatrics.

Read my recent letter in JAMA Pediatrics below:

My Letter:

I must begin this letter by expressing my deep admiration for the authors of the editorial published this month in JAMA Pediatrics entitled “Promoting Child Health by Protecting the Patient-Clinician Relationship from Politics.” They are some of the greats of our field.

In their editorial, the authors outline many of the ways in which politics has infiltrated our exam rooms. From access to reproductive healthcare to gun safety to bans on gender-affirming care to disinformation about masking and vaccines that has led to a rise in preventable infectious disease. I share their concern. This unprecedented political intrusion into the sanctity of science, healthcare, and the patient-clinician relationship cannot be ignored. Of course, our instinct is to defend children. I couldn't agree more. But where I disagree is in the proposed call to action.

About 3 years ago, after working as a pediatrician for over ten years, I took a hard pivot into politics and ran for Congress. I ran for my kids and the sick and injured kids I care for. I was tired of watching politicians use our kids in their political games. I saw the same concerning trends the authors outlined, and I decided to do something about it.

And even though I lost, I learned a critically important lesson that I am determined to get my pediatrician colleagues to understand.

We can’t protect children from politics with more research, policy papers, and earnest scientific explanations. That is a prescription from a half century ago. And it’s not working. We must lean in, we must move outside of our comfort zone, and we must engage in politics FOR kids.

And this isn’t just the right thing to do, voters favor candidates who support pro-child policies. The problem is, voters don’t hear about candidates’ pro-child positions because there is no political money being spent on child-centered messaging. The American Academy of Pediatrics is one of the only professional medical organizations that hasn’t built a political arm, a political action committee (PAC). In the 2020 election cycle the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ PAC spent $4.3M. The American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons’ PAC spent $2.2M. The American College of Emergency Physicians’ PAC spent $1.6M. The American Academy of Pediatrics’ PAC…doesn’t exist.

You can’t fight back against nefarious political forces without engaging in politics. And it is long past time we accepted that and got in the fight for kids.

Until the kids are alright,

Dr. Annie Andrews