AAF: Reject Pro-Abortion Nominees at HHS

January 14, 2025 Dear Republican Senators, We are grateful for your work to quickly confirm President Trump’s cabinet nominees. However, we are deeply concerned with the nomination of Robert F. Kenndy Jr. to serve as the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). As a presidential candidate, RFK Jr. expressed support for abortion on-demand up until birth, a position completely out of step with the strong, pro-life record of the first Trump Administration. While RFK Jr. has made certain overtures to pro-life leaders that he would be mindful of their concerns at HHS, there is little reason for confidence at this time. There are hundreds of decisions made every day at HHS that either lead our nation toward a respect for life or away from it—decisions about federal funding for Planned Parenthood, regulations on the abortion pill (currently accounting for three out of every five abortions), insurance coverage of abortion, and more. Whatever the merits of RFK Jr’s Make America Healthy Again initiative— indeed, whatever other qualities a nominee might possess—an HHS Secretary must have a firm commitment to protect unborn children, or else bend under the pressure and pushback surrounding these daily, critical decisions. We strongly encourage you to reject the nomination of any pro-abortion nominees to serve at HHS. RFK Jr., as well as any other nominated HHS Secretary, must be able to provide satisfactory answers to the list of important pro-life questions attached to this letter. The pro-life movement has a strong bench of courageous pro-life leaders who are willing to serve the American people as the head of HHS. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Tim Chapman Marc Short President Chairman of the Board Advancing American Freedom Advancing American Freedom

Questions for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to be Secretary of Health and Human Services 1. When do you believe that life should be protected?

a. Is there a certain gestational age or level of development (such as when the heart

begins to beat, or the child develops the ability to feel pain) at which point you believe that unborn children deserve the protection of the federal government? b. Conversely, are there any extenuating circumstances in which you believe that unborn

children should not be protected? 2. The abortion pill is connected to dozens of deaths across the country. Will you commit to

reinstating all of the historic safeguards on chemical abortions put in place more than twenty years ago by President Bill Clinton, including reporting on all adverse events connected to the abortion pill?

a. Will you commit to providing pro-life groups, who are suing HHS over failure to

provide documents under the Freedom of Information Act, with the requested mifepristone documents? 3. Will you commit to taking every step possible to stop the flow of taxpayer funding via Title

X, Medicaid reimbursements, and other grants and contracts to organizations that either perform or refer for abortions, or are co-located with organizations that do? 4. The Biden Administration eliminated the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division within

HHS’ Office for Civil Rights. Will you protect the conscience rights of Americans who are forced by their employers to perform abortions against their will? 5. Not all states share their abortion data with the federal government, giving HHS an

incomplete picture of the demographics of women obtaining abortions, the gestational age at which abortions are performed, the types of procedures used, and adverse events connected to them. Do you believe that more states should collect and report their abortion data? What steps, if any, will you take to increase abortion data reporting?