NEW: 160+ Patients, Physicians, & Advocates from 33 States Urge the Senate to Reject Extremist Nominee for FDA Commissioner
Free & Just leads letter calling for Senators to VOTE NO to Dr. Heidi Overton.
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, more than 160+ storytellers from 33 states across the country sent a letter to Congress urging members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee to VOTE NO on advancing Dr. Heidi Overton’s nomination to be Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner. Storytellers include: patients, physicians, doulas, advocates, and experts who are committed to defending reproductive freedom. If Overton is confirmed to this role, she will be positioned to push a ban on medication abortion impacting nearly 64.5 million people nationwide — even in states where abortion is legal and protected.
The letter spotlights Overton’s anti-abortion record and the threat she poses to abortion access for millions of patients. In the letter, storytellers and advocates write:
“On behalf of Americans who are suffering in the wake of abortion bans nationwide, we write to express our deep concerns about the nomination of Dr. Heidi Overton to lead the FDA. Dr. Overton’s anti-abortion record showcases her commitment to banning medication abortion. She celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade as "a huge victory for life," dismissed federal legislation protecting abortion rights as "radicalism," and has promoted false claims about the safety of medication abortion that contradict more than two decades of evidence. Her nomination to this role is one of the greatest threats to abortion access and reproductive care since the Dobbs decision and would satisfy anti-abortion extremists who are working relentlessly to ban abortion nationwide — no matter the cost.”
Read the full letter here.
Storytellers from across the country signed the letter including physicians like Dr. David Hackney, an Ohio Maternal Fetal Medicine physician:
“Dr. Overton’s nomination comes at a fraught moment for the FDA. The agency needs a leader who can restore confidence, stand up to political pressures in the public’s interest, and has the experience necessary to captain thousands of employees,” said Dr. Hackney. “Overton is dangerously out of step with the general public, medicine and science regarding medication abortion with mifepristone — which sits atop an enormous bedrock of research and clinical trials expounding its safety and efficacy. My hope is that Ohio Senator Jon Hudsted understands that the lives and health of all Americans depend upon the FDA, so its director needs to be the best, most qualified person obtainable. Dr. Overton, unfortunately, is not fit for the role.”
Patient storytellers who have benefitted from medication abortion also joined in signing the letter including Sandee Booth, a mom of four from Lacombe, Louisiana who received abortion care while living in Florida:
“You never imagine you'll need access to abortion until you do. In 2016, I needed medication abortion to help me with serious complications during a miscarriage. It was prescribed by my doctor, and if I didn’t receive the care that I needed my life would have been in jeopardy,” said Booth. “I am counting on Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana to prioritize the wellbeing of his constituents, not what will satisfy Trump and anti-abortion extremists. Too much is at stake — you must reject Overton’s nomination.”
Right now, attacks on abortion care from anti-abortion extremists are escalating at the local and federal level with the sole goal of banning abortion nationwide. Just this month in Louisiana, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit heard oral arguments in Louisiana v. FDA, a case that could restrict access to the medication abortion across the country –– even in states where it is legally protected. The lawsuit, seeks to block patients from accessing medication abortion via mail, is motivated by politics and anti-abortion extremism, not science, and represents one of the greatest threats to abortion access in the US since the Dobbs decision in 2022.
Abortion medication is safe, effective, and has been FDA approved for over twenty years. It is currently used in nearly two-thirds of abortions across the country. Reinstating an in-person requirement for mifepristone would severely limit patients’ access to this medication abortion — especially Americans in marginalized and rural communities.
If you are interested in connecting with patients, providers, or advocates who signed on to the letter, please contact Malachi White (malachi@freeandjust.us).
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Free & Just is fighting to stop attacks on reproductive freedom and rights. We’re working with people across the country to share real stories to show the devastating consequences of attacks on our reproductive freedom. We all deserve the right to control our bodies and lives. That’s why we’re sharing our stories, raising our voices, and fighting for our future.