New Ohio health director backs out hours after Gov. Mike DeWine announces appointment

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In an embarrassing turn, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine remains without a state health department director after a South Carolina public health official withdrew her name from consideration on Thursday night, hours after DeWine had announced she’d gotten the job.

On Thursday afternoon, DeWine announced he’d hired Dr. Joan Duwve, currently director of public health for South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control, as the new director of the Ohio Department of Health. She was to have started around Oct. 1, DeWine said, becoming Ohio’s first permanent health director since Dr. Amy Acton resigned in June amid a mix of growing public pressure, criticism and harassment.

Dan Tierney, a DeWine spokesman, said Thursday he didn’t have additional information to provide. But after news of Duwve’s withdrawal broke, socially conservative activists shared an online résumé that showed she worked for Planned Parenthood as a volunteer coordinator for eight months in the early 1980s. DeWine, a Republican, opposes abortion and was elected to office in 2018 with support from anti-abortion advocacy groups.

“Seriously. How did this happen?" Aaron Baer, president of Citizens for Community Values, wrote on Twitter. “How did a former “Planned Parenthood, Volunteer Coordinator” get serious consideration as our health director.”

https://www.cleveland.com/open/2020/09/new-ohio-health-director-backs-hours-out-after-gov-mike-dewine-announces-appointment.html

***** seriously?? These anti choice extremists just boggle my mind!