The confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) is an affront to public health and a grave threat to reproductive freedom. Kennedy is wholly unqualified for this role and has made clear that he will use his position to advance an extreme anti-abortion agenda—placing millions of people’s health and autonomy at risk.
For states and communities fighting to expand and protect reproductive freedom, Kennedy’s confirmation creates new barriers and direct threats to their work. HHS is responsible for overseeing public health programs, including Medicaid and Title X, that many states rely on for pregnancy care and contraception. With a dangerous anti-science ideologue at the helm, we can expect policies designed to choke off these vital resources, strip health care providers of funding, and make it even more difficult for state and local leaders to implement protections for their communities.
Christian LoBue, President of the National Institute for Reproductive Health Action Fund, released the following statement following the vote:
“Robert Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly signaled his opposition to abortion rights, hired anti-abortion activists to shape his policies, and aligned himself with extremist groups working to ban abortion nationwide. Now, he is positioned to use HHS to systematically undermine reproductive health care by gutting federal protections for emergency abortion care, slashing funding for contraception and family planning, and attempting to ban medication abortion altogether. His leadership will make it even harder for people—especially those in marginalized communities—to access the care they need.
Kennedy was not chosen for his expertise—he was chosen for his willingness to carry out Trump’s dangerous agenda. NIRH Action Fund remains committed to working with state and local leaders to defend and expand access, challenge harmful policies, and ensure that no administration can strip people of their right to make their own health care decisions.”