The Democrat-proposed new HHS position would be charged with collecting and correcting abortion-related “misinformation.”
A new post at the executive level of HHS is being proposed by House Democrats to monitor and combat “misinformation” about reproductive and sexual health services, including abortion.
Representative Nikema Williams (D-GA) and four other Democrats have suggested creating a new position within HHS to focus on “reproductive and sexual health.” This individual’s duties would include monitoring and correcting abortion-related “misinformation.”
The official’s job is described in the text of the law as collecting data on and working to dispel “misinformation” on reproductive and sexual health.
When it comes to reproductive and sexual health, “reproductive and sexual health misinformation” is defined as “any information related to reproductive and sexual health that is not evidence-based or medically correct,” which includes inaccurate service delivery.
In recent years, Democrats have considered using the federal government to fight “misinformation” and “disinformation.” This year, the Department of Homeland Security proposed the development of a “Disinformation Governance Board” to combat false information before the midterm elections in 2022.
Republicans and Democrats began to doubt the board’s credibility after DHS chose Nina Jankowicz to lead it. Since Jankowicz, a DHS employee, questioned the authenticity of statements about Hunter Biden’s laptop in the run-up to the 2020 election, Republicans perceived her as a partisan who would use her position to support the Democrats’ agenda.
DHS decided to dissolve the Disinformation Governance Board as criticism from both the left and the right increased.
More than merely countering “misinformation” about abortion, the proposed HHS official for reproductive and sexual health would push for abortion access from within one of the federal government’s primary agencies.
The official’s duties include “educating the public” about abortion and other reproductive health care services by providing access to “medically correct instructional materials,” assessing data on the accessibility of abortion, referring people to sources of abortion financing, and providing information about “medication abortions are done outside of established medical settings.”
Before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, Democrats were looking at ways to help route people to abortion facilities in states with fewer restrictions on the practice. Last week, a group of House Democrats advocating for increased access to abortion services pushed for the allocation of $100 million to be distributed over five years by the Department of Health and Human Services.
It is hoped that this House bill would help doctors and other healthcare providers “navigate the legal terrain” of abortion regulations, which varies widely from state to state. Its other purpose is to inform the public about the “negative health implications on communities when access to abortion and other reproductive health care services is limited or prohibited.”