Anti-science bills hit statehouses, stripping public health protections

By MICHELLE R. SMITH and LAURA UNGAR, Associated Press

More than 420 anti-science bills attacking longstanding public health protections — vaccines , milk safety and fluoride — have been introduced in statehouses across the U.S. this year, part of an organized, politically savvy campaign to enshrine a conspiracy theory-driven agenda into law.

An Associated Press investigation found that the wave of legislation has cropped up in most states, pushed by people with close ties to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The effort would strip away protections that have been built over a century and are integral to American lives and society. Around 30 bills have been enacted or adopted in 12 states.

Trump administration officials are directing activists to push