HHS Secretary designate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sought to appease concerns from the pro-life community Wednesday, telling senators at his confirmation hearing he will abide by Trump administration policy on the issue of life and believes “every abortion is a tragedy.”
“I serve at the pleasure of the president,” he said.
Kennedy said as well that President Donald Trump has asked him to study the safety of abortion drug mifepristone.
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Trump’s choice for secretary of Health and Human Services appeared before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and fielded questions on a wide range of topics, including issues central to the pro-life movement.
Republican senators, while more cordial than their Democratic counterparts, still pressed Kennedy with tough questions. Kennedy has been long known for his strong support for abortion, including during the 2024 presidential race when he himself was a candidate.
“We have some disagreements, you and I, on the issue of life, and when life begins,” U.S. Sen. James Lankford (R.-OK) told Kennedy.
Lankford asked Kennedy how he would handle Title X and federal abortion funding, noting that during the first Trump administration, the program was interpreted to prevent federal funds from supporting any activities that promote abortion.
“I’m going to support President Trump’s policies on Title X,” Kennedy answered. “I agree with President Trump that every abortion is a tragedy. I agree with him that we cannot be a moral nation if we have 1.2 million abortions a year. I agree with him that the states should control abortion. President Trump has told me that he wants to end late-term abortions, and he wants to protect conscious exemptions, and that he wants to end federal funding for abortions here and abroad. That's Title X. I serve at the pleasure of the president. I'm going to implement his policies.”
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Lankford further asked Kennedy if he would protect the conscience rights of medical professionals, noting that the Biden administration, through then-HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, weakened such protections by rolling back Trump-era rules. Kennedy affirmed that he would uphold and safeguard the conscience rights of medical professionals.
Although Lankford was not specific, the issue of conscience rights impacts such issues as abortion, contraception, and gender transition surgeries.
“I came from a family that was split on life and choice,” Kennedy said. “I have cousins today who believe that abortion at any stage is equivalent to homicide. There are other people who believe the opposite, but the good thing in my family that I really loved is that we were able to have those conversations and respect each other, and I wish that we could do that nationally.”
Forcing a doctor to “participate in a medical procedure as a provider that they believe is murder does not make any sense to me,” Kennedy said.
“We need to welcome diversity in this country,” Kennedy said. “We need to respect diversity, and we need to respect each other when we have different opinions and not force our opinions on other people.”
Lankford and other senators also asked Kennedy about the abortion drug mifepristone, pointing out that the Biden administration relaxed regulations to make it more accessible.
Chemical abortion accounts for well over half of all abortions in the U.S. and mifepristone is controversial for safety concerns and the FDA under Joe Biden and Barack Obama loosening its safety standards.
“They changed the position and said, ‘Don't tell us if there's a side effect in this drug unless she dies,’” Lankford said.
Kennedy committed to transparency about mifepristone.
“President Trump has asked me to study the safety of mifepristone,” Kennedy said. “He has not yet taken a stand on how to regulate it. Whatever he does, I will implement those policies.”
