Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
As HHS Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. will serve as the chief policy officer and general manager, administering and overseeing the Department, its programs, and activities. He will oversee all policy coming out of HHS and will administer major federal programs and agencies, including Medicaid, the largest public payer of family planning and maternal health care, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates medication abortion, and the Title X program, the only federal program solely dedicated to family planning and related health services.
Top Red Flags
- Expresses inconsistent and, at times, contradictory views on abortion.
- Wants to “minimize the number of abortions that happen every year.” From Catholic News Agency Interview.
- Has major ties to the anti-science community and founded the leading vaccine disinformation organization.
Statements
Used false and inflammatory rhetoric on abortion, such as:
- “Sometimes women abort healthy, viable, late-term fetuses. These cases of purely elective late-term abortions are very upsetting. Once the [fetus] is viable outside the womb, it should have rights and it deserves society’s protection.” From X.
- “I’ve seen pictures of third term abortions and I’m appalled by them, and will do everything I can to end those.” From Catholic News Agency.
- “I think there’s a compelling argument that the state has an interest in protecting a fully formed fetus. I absolutely think that argument is very convincing.” From CNN.
- “Some data then indicated that actually there are … thousands, of births each year that are elective abortions in the final month of abortion. In my view, those should not happen. I’ve seen the pictures that are very gruesome as I’m sure you have, so I changed my position.” From Megyn Kelly Show Interview.
- “Abortion should be legal up until a certain number of weeks, and restricted thereafter.” From X
Abortion has been a notoriously divisive issue in America, but actually I see an emerging consensus: that abortion should be legal up until a certain number of weeks, and restricted thereafter. Even in the reddest of red states, voters reject total abortion bans. And in blue… pic.twitter.com/lZKzXvxHXp
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) June 14, 2024
Publications
On May 23, 2024, Kennedy wrote a Newsweek op-ed—titled “Liberate the Debate”—which mentions abortion. Kennedy wrote, “[l]ittle political will remains to address the problems that are crushing our nation. Issues such as $34 trillion in public debt, the chronic disease epidemic, decaying infrastructure, addiction to war, corporate-government corruption, and the affordability crisis occupy precious little bandwidth compared to abortion, guns, and trans rights.”
Extremist Connections
Kennedy founded the leading anti-vaccine group, Children’s Health Defense. Despite overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary, this organization touts the false narrative that vaccines cause autism.
RFK Jr. Advocates for National Abortion Ban
NBC News: “RFK Jr. says he’d sign a federal abortion ban at 3 months of pregnancy, then reverses course.”