{"id":2381959,"date":"2024-12-19T13:48:01","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T18:48:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rfk-jr-pledges-to-reinstate-trump-era-pro-life-protections\/"},"modified":"2024-12-19T13:49:11","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T18:49:11","slug":"rfk-jr-pledges-to-reinstate-trump-era-pro-life-protections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rfk-jr-pledges-to-reinstate-trump-era-pro-life-protections\/","title":{"rendered":"RFK Jr. Pledges To Reinstate Trump-Era Pro-Life Protections"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frfk-jr-pledges-to-reinstate-trump-era-pro-life-protections%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2381959&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominated for Secretary of\u2063 Health and\u2064 Human Services, has committed to reinstating pro-life\u2063 policies\u2064 reminiscent of those enacted during Donald Trump\u2019s \u200cfirst term, should he be confirmed. During discussions with Republican senators, kennedy promised to restore popular Trump-era protections that include prohibiting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/majority-of-states-taking-on-house-democrats-equality-act\/\" title=\"Majority of states taking on House Democrats\u2019 Equality Act\">taxpayer-funded abortions<\/a> domestically and internationally, and also enforcing a gag \u2064rule\u2063 for Title X funding where \u2064institutions must separate medical care from \u200babortion services. He has also indicated that all his deputies at HHS would be pro-life.<\/p>\n<p>Despite past concerns from pro-life organizations about Kennedy&#8217;s evolving stance on abortion,\u200d he has assured supporters that he will prioritize pro-life\u200d actions in his role. His\u2064 previous support for abortions up to viability outside the \u200cwomb seemed contradictory, yet he has since moderated \u2063his position. Republican skeptics remain cautious, as \u200bKennedy&#8217;s personal beliefs\u200c about abortion may not entirely align with broader public sentiment.<\/p>\n<p>Kennedy&#8217;s assurances and his commitment to action\u200d over personal\u200b beliefs echo the lessons learned from previous administrations, emphasizing that effective leadership can focus on executing policy rather than aligning strictly with personal ideologies. However, to\u200b gain GOP confidence and ensure confirmation, Kennedy must adhere to his promises and take significant steps against\u200c the current administration&#8217;s health policies, notably regarding abortion.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=bO0qzGdIziY\">Joe Polish\/YouTube<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/19\/hhs-nominee-rfk-jr-pledges-to-reinstate-pro-life-protections-that-defined-trumps-first-term\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=HHS%20Nominee%20RFK%20Jr.%20Pledges%20To%20Reinstate%20Pro-Life%20Protections%20That%20Defined%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20First%20Term&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/19\/hhs-nominee-rfk-jr-pledges-to-reinstate-pro-life-protections-that-defined-trumps-first-term\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=HHS%20Nominee%20RFK%20Jr.%20Pledges%20To%20Reinstate%20Pro-Life%20Protections%20That%20Defined%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20First%20Term&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/19\/hhs-nominee-rfk-jr-pledges-to-reinstate-pro-life-protections-that-defined-trumps-first-term\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/19\/hhs-nominee-rfk-jr-pledges-to-reinstate-pro-life-protections-that-defined-trumps-first-term\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=HHS%20Nominee%20RFK%20Jr.%20Pledges%20To%20Reinstate%20Pro-Life%20Protections%20That%20Defined%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20First%20Term&amp;body=Kennedy%E2%80%99s%20personal%20feelings%20about%20abortion%20don%E2%80%99t%20necessarily%20need%20to%20align%20with%20the%20fight%20to%20protect%20life;%20only%20his%20actions%20do.%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/19\/hhs-nominee-rfk-jr-pledges-to-reinstate-pro-life-protections-that-defined-trumps-first-term\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>Secretary of Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledged to <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenatorTimScott\/status\/1868808686292111717\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">several<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenMullin\/status\/1869045190834725039\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Republican<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/HowardMortman\/status\/1869121018947936728\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">senators<\/a> this week to reinstate and uphold the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">pro-life policies enacted<\/a> by President Donald Trump&rsquo;s first administration if he is confirmed.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/HawleyMO\/status\/1869135783820738748\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sen. Josh Hawley<\/a>, Kennedy plans to facilitate the return of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/corner\/marist-poll-60-percent-of-americans-oppose-taxpayer-funding-of-abortion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">popular Trump-era protections<\/a> like a prohibition on taxpayer-funded abortions at home and abroad and a gag rule <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2018\/05\/21\/heres-take-planned-parenthood-now-trump-landed-punch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">requiring<\/a> institutions that receive Title X funding, like Planned Parenthood, to separate their medical care from their abortion activities. Kennedy also reportedly promised that the conscience protections the Biden administration <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/policy\/healthcare\/4397912-biden-administration-rescinds-much-of-trump-conscience-rule-for-health-workers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">worked overtime to undo<\/a> would be restored. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-657732231\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Perhaps the most important commitment Kennedy made to Hawley is that &ldquo;all of his deputies at HHS would be prolife.&rdquo; As Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins noted in the pages of The Federalist <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/05\/getting-the-feds-out-of-abortion-requires-pro-lifers-at-hhs-with-rfk-jr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">earlier this month<\/a>, &ldquo;appointing pro-life personnel [to HHS] is critical&rdquo; to Trump&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/04\/08\/trumps-mixed-messaging-on-abortion-and-ivf-plays-right-into-democrats-electoral-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&ldquo;up to the states&rdquo; agenda<\/a> because it is the only way to ensure &ldquo;Trump&rsquo;s goal of less federal government engagement with abortion&rdquo; isn&rsquo;t stonewalled by pro-abortion bureaucrats.<\/p>\n<p>When Trump nominated Kennedy to head the federal health authority, several <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/pro-life-groups-cautious-rfk-jr-nomination-after-evolving-abortion-views\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pro-life<\/a> organizations signaled hesitation. As a 2024 presidential candidate, Kennedy <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/05\/10\/robert-f-kennedy-jr-endorses-democrats-unpopular-abortion-until-birth-agenda\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">expressed support<\/a> for abortion through all nine months of pregnancy.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Ultimately, I don&rsquo;t trust government to have jurisdiction over people&rsquo;s bodies,&rdquo; Kennedy said. &ldquo;I think we need to leave it to the woman, her pastor, and to, you know, her spiritual advisors or advisor or physician, whatever, to make those decisions.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>After learning that women selectively &ldquo;abort healthy, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rfk-jr-walks-back-stance-on-full-term-abortion\/\" title=\"RFK Jr. revises position on late-term abortion\">viable late-term fetuses<\/a>,&rdquo; Kennedy later <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RobertKennedyJr\/status\/1789121919951704481\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">walked back<\/a> his position to endorsing abortion until &ldquo;the baby is viable outside the womb,&rdquo; around 22 weeks gestation.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans are right to be wary of how Kennedy&rsquo;s personal beliefs on baby-killing could square with his potential duties as health secretary &mdash; especially since those beliefs are still at odds with Americans&rsquo;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/06\/16\/poll-majority-of-americans-still-reject-democrats-unlimited-abortion-agenda\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">opposition to butchering babies beyond 15 weeks<\/a>. After all, the department Kennedy could be confirmed to lead is the top federal authority when it comes to abortion.<\/p>\n<p>But if Trump&rsquo;s example taught Americans anything, it&rsquo;s that administration leaders&rsquo; personal feelings about abortion don&rsquo;t necessarily need to align with the fight to protect life; only their actions do.<\/p>\n<p>For Kennedy to make good on the GOP&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/12\/18\/republican-senators-robert-f-kennedy-jr-00195034\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">confidence that he will be confirmed<\/a>, he must stick to his guns on reimplementing the Mexico City policy (a ban on funneling <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/politics\/planned-parenthood-received-millions-of-dollars-after-lobbying-state-department-parterning-with-clinton-foundation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">millions<\/a>&nbsp;of American taxpayers&rsquo; dollars to organizations that perform or encourage abortions) and every other promise he made in his rounds on Capitol Hill. If he is wise and truly believes Americans should be freed from the clutches of Big Pharma, as he&rsquo;s proclaimed so many times in recent months, RFK Jr. will also take steps to limit the largely deregulated distribution of <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/16\/republicans-serious-about-protecting-life-should-follow-texas-in-prosecuting-abortion-pill-outlaws\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dangerous abortion pills<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s first-term overhaul of HHS abortion policy was <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2020\/12\/16\/hhs-office-of-civil-rights-delivers-religious-freedom-pro-life-wins-in-three-cases\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wildly successful<\/a>, earning him the title of the &ldquo;most pro-life president.&rdquo; The incoming president&rsquo;s second-term success when it comes to health care policy hinges on Kennedy making good on his promises to protect life.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Jordan Boyd is a staff writer at The Federalist and producer of The Federalist Radio Hour. Her work has also been featured in The Daily Wire, Fox News, and RealClearPolitics. Jordan graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow her on X @jordanboydtx.<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Jordan Boyd<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jordanboydtx\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@jordanboydtx<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/jordandavidson\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/abortion\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Abortion<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/confirmation\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">confirmation<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/department-of-health-and-human-services\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Department of Health and Human Services<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/health-and-human-services\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Health and Human Services<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/hhs\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">HHS<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/josh-hawley\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Josh Hawley<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/rfk-jr-2\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">RFK Jr<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/rfk-jr\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">RFK Jr.<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/robert-f-kennedy-jr-3\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Robert F. Kennedy Jr<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/taxpayer-funded-abortion\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">taxpayer-funded abortion<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Trump Administration<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promised Republican senators to restore pro-life policies from Trump&#8217;s administration if confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":490,"featured_media":2381960,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-19-at-9.15.48%E2%80%AFAM-e1734621442997.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[47127,8347,36292,32458,4494],"class_list":["post-2381959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-political-promises","tag-pro-life","tag-reproductive-rights","tag-rfk-jr","tag-trump-era"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-19-at-9.15.48%E2%80%AFAM-e1734621442997.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2381959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/490"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2381959"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2381959\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2381963,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2381959\/revisions\/2381963"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2381960"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2381959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2381959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2381959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}