The Center for Reproductive Rights is previewing the Senate confirmation hearings for Trump nominees who pose a threat to reproductive rights. Research, legislative records, public statements, and more can be found at Repro Red Flags: Agency Watch.
Confirmation Hearings This Week: 3/3 - 3/9
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March 6: Food and Drug Administration Commissioner - Dr. Martin Makary
In This Role He Could:
- Make it much harder to access abortion pills nationwide by reinstating old restrictions on mifepristone (including effectively banning telehealth for abortion services), or rescinding approval for the drug altogether.
- Rescind or restrict over-the-counter access to birth control, including Plan B, potentially removing these medications from pharmacy shelves.
- Restrict the ability of hospital staff to access misoprostol, a medication used to stop pregnant people from hemorrhaging and also used in abortions.
- Politicize the FDA approval process, which importantly is distinguished by its apolitical, independent, science-based rigor, and assist HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in carrying out Trump’s anti-abortion agenda.
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Red Flags:
- He has fear mongered about abortion on national television, spreading misinformation and stigma about people who have abortions.
- His nomination was celebrated by well-known anti-abortion organizations including CatholicVote and Focus on the Family, the former stating that "the appointment of a pro-life doctor to head the FDA comes as pro-lifers continue efforts to reverse the FDA's approval of the mail-in abortion pill mifepristone."
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At Last Week's Hearings:
- Dan Bishop (Office of Management and Budget Deputy Director nominee) agreed to help implement President Trump's anti-abortion agenda, including by enforcing the Weldon Amendment—a policy that gives health care workers free rein to refuse any medical care they personally disagree with—and funding fake clinics that deter patients from having abortions. Bishop's second hearing is scheduled for March 5 in the Senate Budget Committee.
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