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Defending Access to Vaccines in Pregnancy

Access to vaccines at every stage of life is critical, including during pregnancy. Despite overwhelming evidence on safety and efficacy, access to vaccines are at risk - and so are your patients. See below for resources on vaccination during pregnancy, including information on recent SMFM advocacy.

On July 7, 2025, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine joined the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American College of Physicians (ACP), American Public Health Association (APHA), Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), Massachusetts Public Health Alliance (MPHA), and a pregnant physician in a lawsuit to defend vaccine access for pregnant patients and to advocate for vaccine policy that is based on science and evidence-based medicine.

Filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, our suit in American Academy of Pediatrics v. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. challenges HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s recent directive withdrawing the COVID-19 vaccine recommendation for pregnant people and children.

You can read our joint news release here.

“Secretary Kennedy’s changes to vaccine recommendations have frustrated our members’ ability to effectively counsel patients regarding the COVID-19 vaccine and compromised the standard of care. Every second the Secretary’s dangerous and unsupported decisions regarding the COVID-19 vaccines stay in effect, the Directive is putting up barriers for our members’ high-risk pregnant patients to access the COVID-19 vaccine, which is increasing the risk of serious infection and illness and eroding patient trust in all recommended vaccinations.”

Sindhu K. Srinivas, MD, MSCE, President 2025-2026, SMFM

On November 5, 2025, SMFM and our fellow plaintiffs filed an amended complaint in this lawsuit. In addition to defending vaccine access for pregnant patients, the complaint calls for the newly appointed Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to be disbanded and their decisions overturned, and for ACIP to be reconstituted under court supervision.

On March 16, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction to stay Secretary Kennedy's appointments to ACIP, as the appointments were likely made in violation of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). Judge Brian Murphy also stayed all votes taken by the now-stayed ACIP. 

Additionally, the ruling stayed the revised vaccine schedule issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on January 5, overturned the May 2025 Secretarial Directive on COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, and reversed the downgraded Hepatitis B vaccine recommendations made at the December 2025 ACIP meeting. 

You can read our joint news release here.

"We welcome today's court decision, which blocks ACIP and the CDC from making further non–evidence-based changes to established vaccine recommendations and restores the recommendations in place prior to January 5, 2026. As maternal-fetal medicine specialists caring for high-risk pregnancies, our highest priority is protecting pregnant patients, their infants, and families from vaccine-preventable illness and death—guided by rigorous science, transparent evidence, and clinical best practices." 

Sindhu K. Srinivas, MD, MSCE, Immediate Past President 2026-2027, SMFM

For questions about SMFM’s work on vaccine access, contact smfm@smfm.org.

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