The conservative group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence is calling on senators to vote against confirming Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary because of his previous support for abortion.
“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,” Advancing American Freedom President Tim Chapman and Board Chairman Marc Short wrote in a letter to senators.
“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,” they wrote.
This is the second formal attempt from Pence and his organization to derail Kennedy’s confirmation. Shortly after Trump announced Kennedy’s nomination, Pence in a statement urged senators to reject him because of his previous support for abortion.
Kennedy, who initially launched his presidential campaign as a Democrat, endorsed a ban on abortion after the first trimester but then quickly backtracked. He also suggested he opposed banning abortion before fetal viability, generally around 24 weeks into a pregnancy.
On his campaign website, Kennedy said he is “a firm supporter of the principles laid out 50 years ago in Roe v. Wade” and that “if the courts do not overturn Dobbs v. Jackson and restore abortion rights, he will support legislation to accomplish the same.”
But his past statements don’t seem to worry GOP senators, most of whom have enthusiastically endorsed Kennedy after meeting with him.
Kennedy has been trying to reassure Republicans by saying his personal views don’t matter, and he will implement all of the anti-abortion policies from the first Trump administration.
President-elect Trump has repeatedly said abortion access should be determined by individual states and during the campaign tried to run as a moderate on the issue.
But Pence, a staunch religious conservative, has become an occasional critic of his former boss on policy positions, especially abortion. Pence previously said Trump’s stance was a “slap in the face” to abortion opponents.
