The Return of Personal Responsibility in Public Health Discourse

For many years, the medical field has worked tirelessly to eliminate stigma surrounding various health conditions. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., however, seems to be reviving the conversation about personal responsibility.

During a CBS News interview last year, Kennedy, then serving as the health secretary, shared his views on American health. “If you want to eat doughnuts all day or drink sodas, that’s your choice,” he stated. He then questioned, “Should you then expect society to care for you when you predictably get very sick?”

Kennedy’s comments weren’t isolated incidents. At an event in West Virginia in March, he openly mocked the governor’s weight. He even suggested the governor participate in a monthly “public weigh-in” until losing 30 pounds. Kennedy believes the obesity epidemic can be addressed with three good meals a day. He criticized evidence-based solutions like GLP-1 medications and accused companies behind drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy of exploiting Americans’ perceived weaknesses.

“We’re seeing an impressive resurgence of some of the stigmas that we felt perhaps we were doing better about,” stated Allan Brandt, historian at Harvard Medical School.

Kennedy’s approach recalls an era when obesity was seen more as a lapse in willpower rather than a chronic disease. The concepts of body positivity and “health at every size” have been overshadowed by themes of blame and discipline in his rhetoric.

Supporters view Kennedy’s stance not as cruelty, but as a form of moral clarity. Yet, many public health officials see it as an outdated and harmful perspective. Over recent decades, public health initiatives moved away from virtue-based messaging toward reducing stigmatization. Kennedy’s leadership appears to have sparked backlash against destigmatization, with some believing compassion has shifted toward coddling, and structural issues like food deserts have overshadowed personal accountability.