I remember the moment when Bobby Kennedy introduced me to his wife, Cheryl Hines, outside of the courtroom in San Francisco at Dwayne “Lee” Johnson’s hearing. I was almost dizzy with excitement. It was Johnson vs. Monsanto, 2018; Lee was suing for Monsanto’s failure to warn that Roundup could cause cancer. Kennedy was on the legal team and knew more about glyphosate’s harms than most Americans and scientists. The opening statements had everyone on the edge of their seats. Attorney Brent Wisner was brilliant. We all ached for justice for Lee.
As a mother, I cried when Lee won. We went to the beach to celebrate and had a picnic. I raised my fingers for V for victory for the camera in a photo with my family and shared with triumph.
We had worked for years to raise awareness about glyphosate.
I believed in justice.
Today I feel sick to my stomach.
My heart aches in a different way.
Today’s Supreme Court ruling, as recommended by the Trump Administration, to side with Monsanto (Bayer) instead of John L. Durnell, the plaintiff who got cancer from using Roundup, cuts off the legal pathway for citizens to sue.
I can imagine what Secretary Kennedy thinks, as he worked for several months on the case and for 35 years as an environmental lawyer against toxins like glyphosate.
For myself, and countless other mothers fighting to make sure our children have safe and healthy food, one word comes to mind, “betrayal.”
I think the Supreme Court’s decision to strip citizens of the right to sue chemical companies for failure to warn of harm will go down as the worst decision for human health in recorded history.
Clearly, today was a turning point. SCOTUS and this administration just showed every farmer in America that they do not care about their health or the longevity of their soil. Farmers will no longer be able to sue if they get cancer from agrochemicals.
SCOTUS and Trump just showed every citizen in America, every cancer patient, that they do not care about their suffering or loss.
If I have learned anything about betrayal, which I have experienced in the deepest possible human ways over and over again in my life, it is this: contrary to our first inclination, trusting someone is not the problem.
I did what I knew to be best at the time. In fact, I knew it was probably unwise to trust Trump and vote for him, but I also knew that more would be possible if I did. I trusted him just enough to get Kennedy into the HHS.
My vote was neither wrong nor right.
My reaction to the betrayal is all that matters.
We were not wrong to trust Trump because we are not wrong to strive for change.
We are not wrong if we still hold out hope for change.
In fact, as Margaret Mead says, “Never doubt a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.”
Most people will give up on MAHA today. Most will walk away. I am tempted to, to be honest with you.
But my commitment will never change. It doesn’t matter if you call it MAHA or not.
I will continue to create a future of health and freedom. My actions may change, but my commitment will not.
I assert that every person reading this, deep down, feels the same way.
We are never giving up on loving our families, communities, and farmers who provide us with non-toxic food. Never. No matter what the Supreme Court or the White House does.
Farmers in the end have the choice; they do not have to use glyphosate. They can leave it to sit in the warehouse. They can farm regeneratively and organically today.
I know there are millions of moms who will buy their toxin-free food. I have personally met thousands of them, and their children recover from the majority of their health issues when they do.
Together, we can create healthy communities; it has just been made crystal clear we are going to have to do it without the government.
Zen Honeycutt