Antiabortion-Rights Groups Lobby Against Sebelius Nomination Ahead Of Confirmation Hearings

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 01 Apr 2009 - 5:00 PDT

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A coalition of antiabortion-rights groups on Monday sent a letter to each member of the Senate voicing opposition to President Obama's nomination of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) as HHS secretary, The Hill reports. The groups -- which include the Family Research Council, Concerned Women for America and Focus on the Family, among others -- said they were sending the letters "[o]n behalf of the millions of families represented by our organizations" in opposition to Sebelius, a Roman Catholic who supports abortion rights.

The Senate confirmation process is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, when Sebelius will appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. On Thursday, she is scheduled to appear before the Senate Finance Committee, which has the sole authority to recommend her confirmation by the full Senate. The Hill reports that HHS nominees often face opposition from abortion-rights opponents because the agency presides over a number of programs related to reproductive health. Sebelius could be questioned this week on the recent federal court decision requiring FDA to reconsider its decisions regarding the Plan B switch to over-the-counter use and to permit Plan B's availability to 17-year olds without a prescription within 30 days (Young, The Hill, 3/30).

According to the AP/Yahoo! News, Sebelius is "expected to get a friendly reception" from the HELP committee. Finance Committee member Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said that although he does not "see any show-stopper issue on the horizon," he expects Sebelius to face questioning regarding her views on abortion rights. Wyden said, "My sense is she has strong personal views but has worked hard to make abortion as rare as possible," while governor of Kansas (Werner, AP/Yahoo! News, 3/31).

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