Trump’s surgeon general pick dodges questions on abortion pill during hearing
What's the endgame here?
President Donald Trump’s nominee to be surgeon general faced intense questioning on Tuesday over her stance on mifepristone, the most widely used abortion pill in the United States.
During testimony before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Dr. Casey Means declined to answer whether she believes mifepristone should only be prescribed after an in-person visit with a healthcare professional. The federal standard was in place for decades before the Food and Drug Administration moved to drop the requirement in 2021. Louisiana, Florida, and Texas are involved in active litigation aimed at reinstating in-person requirements for mifepristone.
“The question of whether it should be an in-person visit is out of the purview of the surgeon general’s office, but I do believe that every patient needs to have a very thorough conversation with their doctor before taking any medication,” Means said, in response to repeated questioning from committee chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA).
“Unfortunately, in our current healthcare system, because of how overburdened doctors are, this often doesn’t happen, whether it’s in person or online,” she continued. “I think that every medication has risks and benefits. I think that all patients need to have a thorough conversation with their doctor and have true informed consent before taking any medication.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who helps oversee the FDA, announced last year that the government is reviewing the safety of mifepristone.
“Recent studies — such as the study by the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC), which you highlighted in your letter — indicate potential dangers that may attend offering mifepristone without sufficient medical support or supervision,” Kennedy and FDA Commissioner Martin Makary wrote in response to Republican attorneys general who had expressed concern about the abortion pill. “FDA’s own data collected between 2000 to 2012 indicated 2,740 adverse events, including 416 events involving blood loss requiring transfusions. Since then, safeguards for women regarding the administration of mifepristone have been significantly reduced.”
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) engaged in a heated line of questioning with Means over contraception medication, saying that Trump’s surgeon general nominee’s beliefs go against “decades of evidence showing that every one of these birth control methods is safe and effective.”
“We prescribe a huge amount of hormonal …
What's the endgame here?
President Donald Trump’s nominee to be surgeon general faced intense questioning on Tuesday over her stance on mifepristone, the most widely used abortion pill in the United States.
During testimony before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Dr. Casey Means declined to answer whether she believes mifepristone should only be prescribed after an in-person visit with a healthcare professional. The federal standard was in place for decades before the Food and Drug Administration moved to drop the requirement in 2021. Louisiana, Florida, and Texas are involved in active litigation aimed at reinstating in-person requirements for mifepristone.
“The question of whether it should be an in-person visit is out of the purview of the surgeon general’s office, but I do believe that every patient needs to have a very thorough conversation with their doctor before taking any medication,” Means said, in response to repeated questioning from committee chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA).
“Unfortunately, in our current healthcare system, because of how overburdened doctors are, this often doesn’t happen, whether it’s in person or online,” she continued. “I think that every medication has risks and benefits. I think that all patients need to have a thorough conversation with their doctor and have true informed consent before taking any medication.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who helps oversee the FDA, announced last year that the government is reviewing the safety of mifepristone.
“Recent studies — such as the study by the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC), which you highlighted in your letter — indicate potential dangers that may attend offering mifepristone without sufficient medical support or supervision,” Kennedy and FDA Commissioner Martin Makary wrote in response to Republican attorneys general who had expressed concern about the abortion pill. “FDA’s own data collected between 2000 to 2012 indicated 2,740 adverse events, including 416 events involving blood loss requiring transfusions. Since then, safeguards for women regarding the administration of mifepristone have been significantly reduced.”
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) engaged in a heated line of questioning with Means over contraception medication, saying that Trump’s surgeon general nominee’s beliefs go against “decades of evidence showing that every one of these birth control methods is safe and effective.”
“We prescribe a huge amount of hormonal …
Trump’s surgeon general pick dodges questions on abortion pill during hearing
What's the endgame here?
President Donald Trump’s nominee to be surgeon general faced intense questioning on Tuesday over her stance on mifepristone, the most widely used abortion pill in the United States.
During testimony before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Dr. Casey Means declined to answer whether she believes mifepristone should only be prescribed after an in-person visit with a healthcare professional. The federal standard was in place for decades before the Food and Drug Administration moved to drop the requirement in 2021. Louisiana, Florida, and Texas are involved in active litigation aimed at reinstating in-person requirements for mifepristone.
“The question of whether it should be an in-person visit is out of the purview of the surgeon general’s office, but I do believe that every patient needs to have a very thorough conversation with their doctor before taking any medication,” Means said, in response to repeated questioning from committee chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA).
“Unfortunately, in our current healthcare system, because of how overburdened doctors are, this often doesn’t happen, whether it’s in person or online,” she continued. “I think that every medication has risks and benefits. I think that all patients need to have a thorough conversation with their doctor and have true informed consent before taking any medication.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who helps oversee the FDA, announced last year that the government is reviewing the safety of mifepristone.
“Recent studies — such as the study by the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC), which you highlighted in your letter — indicate potential dangers that may attend offering mifepristone without sufficient medical support or supervision,” Kennedy and FDA Commissioner Martin Makary wrote in response to Republican attorneys general who had expressed concern about the abortion pill. “FDA’s own data collected between 2000 to 2012 indicated 2,740 adverse events, including 416 events involving blood loss requiring transfusions. Since then, safeguards for women regarding the administration of mifepristone have been significantly reduced.”
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) engaged in a heated line of questioning with Means over contraception medication, saying that Trump’s surgeon general nominee’s beliefs go against “decades of evidence showing that every one of these birth control methods is safe and effective.”
“We prescribe a huge amount of hormonal …
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