Reproductive rights groups condemn Trump's nominee for health secretary

Selection of congressman Tom Price poses threat to abortion rights
and contraceptive coverage for millions of women, activists say

Molly Redden in New York
Tuesday 29 November 2016 20.49 GMT

Donald Trump’s decision to nominate one of Congress’s staunchest opponents of abortion as health secretary has drawn immediate condemnation from reproductive rights and public health groups.

The groups warned that the selection of Tom Price – a six-term congressman from Atlanta’s suburbs who is best-known for laying plans to repeal and replace Obamacare, and for attempting last year to defund Planned Parenthood through a budget maneuver – would have dire consequences for abortion rights and contraceptive coverage for millions of US women.

“Trump is sending a clear signal that he intends to punish women who seek abortion care,” said Sasha Bruce, the senior vice-president of Naral Pro-Choice America. “Tom Price is someone who has made clear throughout his career that he does not trust women to make our own decisions about our healthcare … As chair of the budget committee, he has been on the frontlines of the efforts to dismantle the lifesaving Affordable Care Act, as well as the dangerous attempts to defund Planned Parenthood.”

Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of the Susan B Anthony List, an anti-abortion political action committee, called Price “an excellent choice”.

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