Hawley Secures Commitments from HHS Nominee RFK on Crucial Social Issues

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Thursday, January 30, 2025
Today in a hearing with Department of Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.)secured commitmentson four crucial social issues: so-called “gender affirming care,” fetal tissue research, Title X funding for abortions, and the chemical abortion drug mifepristone.Senator Hawley asked Kennedy if he would rescind the Biden Administration’s mandate that every doctor in America who receives federal funding–including pediatricians–must prescribe puberty blockers and perform gender “transition” surgeries on children, regardless of their conscience.
“This rule purported to preempt all state law,”Senator Hawley said.“So in states like mine and many others, where the voters have said we don’t want gender transition procedures performed on minors, the Biden Administration attempted to use federal money and force pediatricians to do it anyway. So I’m glad to hear you say you’ll rescind that rule.”
The Senator also received assurances from Kennedy that he would reinstate a Trump policy ensuring that “no federal tax dollars” would be used to fund National Institutes of Health (NIH) research using human fetal tissue from elective abortions.
Watch the full exchangehere, or click on the video above.
Finally, Senator Hawley secured Kennedy’s commitment to reestablish a Trump rule that blocked Title X taxpayer dollars from flowing to entities like Planned Parenthood that perform abortions or refer people to abortions. Kennedy also promised to implement President Trump’s policies on protecting unborn life, including mifepristone, a chemical abortion drug the Biden Administration required to be mailed upon request to women in every state, including those with laws protecting life.
Senator Hawley has been a staunch supporter of protecting minors from gender mutilation and defending the unborn. This week, he introduced theJamie Reed Protecting Our Kids from Child Abuse Actto allow those harmed by gender-transition procedures as minors to bring lawsuits against the participating individuals and entities.
Earlier this month, he also introduced theEnd Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Providers Act, which would defund Planned Parenthood and abortion providers across the nation, as well as theDefense of Conscience in Healthcare Actwhich would safeguard the conscience rights of healthcare providers.

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