MAHA moms test their influence in US glyphosate fight

MAHA activists see legislative wins, White House disappointments and question marks for the midterms as they seek to shape policy.

On April 27, a few hundred protesters gathered in front of the United States Supreme Court in Washington, DC, holding signs with slogans like “How much cancer is acceptable?” and “Monsanto knew”.

Inside, the court was hearing oral arguments in the case Monsanto Company v Durnell, which could make it harder to sue Monsanto’s parent company, Bayer, over allegations that the nation’s most widely used herbicide, glyphosate, causes cancer.

Glyphosate was, until recently, the key ingredient in the Bayer product Roundup. The company has, to date, settled almost 100,000 such cases, paying about $11bn to plaintiffs. Tens of thousands of unsettled cases remain, and cases continue to be filed.

Headlining this “People vs Poison” rally were a handful of newly prominent “MAHA moms” – influencers and grassroots organisers who rallied behind Robert F Kennedy Jr’s presidential run. When US President Donald Trump promised to bring Kennedy on as health secretary to help “Make America Healthy Again”, he got a boost from that base.

But much to their dismay, the Trump administration backed Bayer at the Supreme Court.

“A government that shields corporations from the people does not serve the public. It is captured. And Americans see this capture!” said Kelly Ryerson, known on Instagram as “Glyphosate Girl”.

Since the election, these activists and influencers have supported Kennedy’s agenda while testing their political muscle more broadly, seeking to influence decisions in Congress, at the White House, in the courts and at the ballot box ahead of the midterms on issues of health, including chemicals used in foods.

In addition to Ryerson, speakers at the April rally included a number of other “MAHA moms”, including Zen Honeycutt, who runs a group called Moms Across America; Vani Hari, who goes by “Food Babe” on social media and also runs a supplement company; and Turning Point USA contributor Alex Clark, who is not yet a parent, but who connected with MAHA activists after the election and now promotes MAHA causes to listeners of her Culture Apothecary podcast, where she discusses conservative views on politics, health, relationships and family life for her “Cuteservative” fans.

While about 40 percent of Americans say they support the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, according to a recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the women who spoke at the rally represent a narrower demographic.

Most are white, wealthy and well-educated.