Former Vice President Mike Pence, who didn’t endorse or assist President-elect Donald Trump through the 2024 election cycle, stated Friday that he opposes Trump’s selection of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of the Division of Well being and Human Companies due to Kennedy’s assist for abortion entry.
Pence stated in a press release that selecting Kennedy is a departure from what he framed because the Trump-Pence administration’s basic opposition to abortion entry.
“I consider the nomination of RFK Jr. to function Secretary of HHS is an abrupt departure from the pro-life report of our administration and needs to be deeply regarding to tens of millions of Professional-Life Individuals who’ve supported the Republican Occasion and our nominees for many years,” Pence wrote.
Mike Pence attends on the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Corridor, Could 16, 2024.
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Name, Inc by way of Getty Photographs
Pence claimed that Kennedy, for many of his profession, has supported positions akin to “abortion on demand throughout all 9 months of being pregnant” and restoring Roe v. Wade.
“The professional-life motion has all the time appeared to the Republican celebration to face for all times, to affirm an unborn baby has a basic proper to life which can’t be infringed,” Pence wrote.
“On behalf of tens of tens of millions of pro-life Individuals, I respectfully urge Senate Republicans to reject this nomination and provides the American individuals a frontrunner who will respect the sanctity of life as secretary of Well being and Human Companies,” he added.
Throughout his 2024 run, Trump stated legal guidelines surrounding abortion entry needs to be left as much as particular person states to resolve.
Kennedy’s personal place on abortion had lacked some readability all through his impartial presidential marketing campaign, which he suspended in August as he endorsed Trump.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., speaks earlier than Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a marketing campaign occasion Nov. 1, 2024, in Milwaukee.
Morry Gash/AP
He stated at one level that he opposed the Supreme Courtroom’s determination to overrule Roe v. Wade, and in a single interview he argued that “now we have to go away it to the ladies moderately than the state.”
In 2023, he informed NBC Information he would signal a federal ban on the process after three months, however his marketing campaign later walked again the feedback, saying he “misunderstood” the query. In Could 2024, he stated he advocates a lady’s proper to decide on an abortion at any level throughout her being pregnant.
He later wrote in a submit on X, after some blowback, that he “would enable acceptable restrictions on abortion within the remaining months of being pregnant, simply as Roe v. Wade did.” And in June, he wrote on social media, “Abortion has been a notoriously divisive concern in America, however really I see an rising consensus: that abortion needs to be authorized up till a sure variety of weeks, and restricted thereafter.”
Some teams that oppose abortion entry have additionally criticized Trump’s determination to choose Kennedy.
President-elect Donald Trump speaks throughout an America First Coverage Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago property, Nov. 14, 2024, in Palm Seashore, Fla.
Carlos Barria/Reuters
In a press release to ABC Information, Susan B. Anthony Professional-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser stated her group has “issues” about Kennedy main HHS.
“There is no query that we’d like a pro-life HHS secretary, and naturally, now we have issues about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,” Dannenfelser wrote. “I consider that irrespective of who’s HHS secretary, baseline insurance policies set by President Trump throughout his first time period will probably be re-established.”
Teams that assist abortion entry have additionally criticized Trump’s collection of Kennedy.
Mini Timmaraju, CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All, wrote in a press release Thursday, “Trump ran on a promise to not ban abortion nationwide, however his cupboard nominees are Mission 2025 come to life. RFK Jr. is an unfit, unqualified extremist who can’t be trusted to guard the well being, security, and reproductive freedom of American households.”
ABC Information reached out to Kennedy for remark.
ABC Information’ Olivia Rubin, Ben Siegel, and Will McDuffie contributed to this report.
