For several weeks, some in the pro-life community have been quiet on President Trump’s appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Health and Human Services (HHS) agency.
But that may change. One of the loudest voices in the pro-life movement community, Susan B Anthony (SBA) Pro-Life America, says they are encouraged to hear Kennedy’s promise to back Trump’s directives to end certain abortion practices.
When Kennedy was first nominated, we immediately voiced concern and the need for assurances given his previous positions on abortion. It is important that President Trump, Kennedy, and the GOP Senate took these concerns seriously and that public commitments were made,” said Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser.
Kennedy told Republican senators what they wanted to hear. “I agree with President Trump that every abortion is a tragedy. I agree with him that we cannot be a moral nation if we have 1.2 million abortions a year. I agree with him that the states should control abortion,” Kennedy said at his confirmation hearing.
But not too long ago, Kennedy’s views on abortion were very far left. He said abortion shouldn’t be left to the states. He supported abortion access until fetal viability. He said there should be no restrictions on abortion.
So why the change? “It’s a conversion of convivence,” said conservative radio talk show host Erick Erickson.
Erickson said he was surprised why pro-life groups were silent and didn’t mount an aggressive effort opposing Trump’s pick to head HHS.
But Kennedy’s recent comments on abortion did please the Susan B. Anthony group as they put out a press release on his statements.
“Most specifically, he pledged to carry out President Trump’s directives to end taxpayer funding of abortion at home and abroad,” the This means reimplementing the Protect Life Rule, which stops taxpayer funding of abortion businesses such as Planned Parenthood under Title X.
“Kennedy also pledged the federal government will no longer turn a blind eye to the well-documented complications women face from taking dangerous abortion drugs. He thinks it is wrong not to have adverse event reporting and committed to study the safety of the drugs….We agree with Kennedy’s broad remarks on abortion including the fact that ‘every abortion is a tragedy’ and ‘we cannot be a moral nation if we have 1.2 million abortions a year.’ He also said President Trump told him he wants to end late-term abortion, and he indicated he is actively hiring pro-life staff..Kennedy also said he will reinstate President Trump’s policies stopping government-supported experiments using body parts harvested from aborted babies. Kennedy is absolutely correct that these grisly experiments do not advance sound science or produce cures.”
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