EXCLUSIVE: Mike Pence Org Urges Senators To Oppose RFK Jr. Confirmation

Former Vice President Mike Pence’s organization, Advancing American Freedom, is urging senators to vote against confirming Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his stance on abortion.

In a letter first obtained by The Daily Wire, Advancing American Freedom lays out five detailed questions for Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). It points out that Kennedy formerly said that a woman should have the right to abort her unborn baby, and the government shouldn’t be involved, “even if [the baby] is full term.” Such a position is “completely out of step with the strong, pro-life record of the first Trump Administration,” wrote AAF President Tim Chapman and Chairman of the Board Marc Short.

“While RFK Jr. has made certain overtures to pro-life leaders that he would be mindful of their concerns at HHS, there is little reason for confidence at this time,” they continued. “There are hundreds of decisions made every day at HHS that either lead our nation toward a respect for life or away from it—decisions about federal funding for Planned Parenthood, regulations on the abortion pill (currently accounting for three out of every five abortions), insurance coverage of abortion, and more.”

A number of pro-life leaders and lawmakers who spoke with The Daily Wire before Christmas had also expressed concerns about Kennedy’s record on abortion, but Kennedy allayed many of their fears when he spoke with Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri on December 17.  Hawley shared that Kennedy promised to reinstate Trump’s pro-life policies at HHS, including reinstating the Mexico City Policy, which blocks federal funds from going to NGOs that promote abortion; ending taxpayer funding for abortions domestically; and reinstating the bar on Title X funds going to organizations that promote abortion.

Kennedy also reportedly promised Hawley that “all of his deputies at HHS would be pro-life” and that he would “reinstate conscience protections for healthcare providers”— two major points of concern for pro-lifers who spoke with The Daily Wire.

“He told me he believes there are far too many abortions in the U.S. and that we cannot be the moral leader of the free world with abortion rates so high,” Hawley said.

AAF still has concerns, however.

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“Whatever the merits of RFK Jr’s Make America Healthy Again initiative—indeed, whatever other qualities a nominee might possess—an HHS Secretary must have a firm commitment to protect unborn children, or else bend under the pressure and pushback surrounding these daily, critical decisions,” their letter continued. “We strongly encourage you to reject the nomination of any pro-abortion nominees to serve at HHS. RFK Jr., as well as any other nominated HHS Secretary, must be able to provide satisfactory answers to the list of important pro-life questions attached to this letter. The pro-life movement has a strong bench of courageous pro-life leaders who are willing to serve the American people as the head of HHS.”

Pence’s organization wants Kennedy to answer a number of questions clarifying his views on abortion. The first of these is: “When do you believe that life should be protected?” AAF would also like Kennedy to state at what gestational age or level of development he thinks unborn children should be protected by the federal government, and whether there are any extenuating circumstances in which he believes that unborn children should not be protected.

AAF also wants Kennedy to address his stances on abortion pills, responsible for dozens of deaths of mothers across the United States, asking Kennedy to commit to reinstating the safeguards on abortion drugs put in place by former President Bill Clinton.

The letter also requests that he commit to “taking every step possible” to stop taxpayer funding of abortions via Title X, Medicaid reimbursements, and other grants and contracts, as well as protecting the conscience rights of Americans under the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division within HHS’ Office for Civil Rights— two promises Kennedy appears to have already made to Hawley.

AAF also pushes for Kennedy to commit to requiring states to collect and report abortion data, given that many states don’t report abortion data, allowing for late-term abortions or even born alive abortions to go undetected.

In June 2024, after a variety of statements on the unborn, Kennedy shared that he saw “emerging consensus” on abortion, arguing “that abortion should be legal up until a certain number of weeks, and restricted thereafter,” and pointing out that most Americans agree that there should be restrictions on abortions at some point. He also said that “every abortion is a tragedy,” and highlighted his ‘More Choices, More Life‘ policy.

And in meetings with senators before Christmas, he repeatedly said that he would abide by Trump’s pro-life policies.

“I said, ‘Where’s your position? I just gotta know, because you’ve been all over the map on it,’” Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma shared with The Daily Wire in December as he discussed his meeting with Kennedy.

Kennedy responded, according to Mullin, “I think there’s too many abortions in the world, let’s just start there. It’s not that I don’t value life, I value life, I just look at it a little bit different in certain circumstances, what we’ve been through as a family.”

“Where does that put you when it comes to pro-life?” Mullin questioned Kennedy, adding of the Trump nominee: “He goes: ‘I’m serving at the will of the President of the United States, and it’s his policies that I will put forth. And so we may not agree on every single issue, but we agree 100%, we shouldn’t even be having abortions in this world anyways. But my policies are not what I’m pushing forward, it’s the president’s, and I think the country knows where the president is on that, and so therefore, that’s my position.”

“I’m good with that,” Mullin told The Daily Wire. “If he’s willing to say that, I have no problems with him becoming Secretary of HHS. And I will support him completely, even as passionate and as pro-life as my wife and my family and I are, I believe Bobby is still the right person for this position.”

Trump previously headed the most pro-life administration in United States history, and is the president responsible for overturning Roe v. Wade. Though he largely avoided discussing abortion throughout the 2024 campaign season, articulating clearly that he viewed the topic as politically toxic, advocates are hopeful that Trump will continue to promote pro-life policy throughout his next administration.

While some on the Right continue to be fearful of Kennedy as head of HHS, a position that could have a massive influence on the protection of the unborn in the United States (or lack thereof), conservatives like Brian Burch, the head of Catholic Vote and Trump’s new choice for Ambassador to the Holy See, believe Kennedy is slowly finding his way on abortion. Burch told The Daily Wire in December that Kennedy is working through the question of abortion, “and how to reconcile that with his other beliefs around the ways in which the human person has been commoditized by Big Pharma, Big Government, and Big Tech.”

“He’s publicly now said that he opposes late term abortion, he recognizes there is not a public consensus around how and where to regulate abortion, and he would like to work in innovative ways to reduce the number of abortions and helping women to choose life,” Burch said at the time. “He’s said that publicly, he’s said that to me personally … I’m confident that pro-life advocates can help him to understand that this indeed is something that does rise to the level of requiring the state to protect life and women.”

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Former Vice President Mike Pence’s organization, Advancing American Freedom, is urging senators to vote against confirming Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his stance on abortion.

In a letter first obtained by The Daily Wire, Advancing American Freedom lays out five detailed questions for Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). It points out that Kennedy formerly said that a woman should have the right to abort her unborn baby, and the government shouldn’t be involved, “even if [the baby] is full term.” Such a position is “completely out of step with the strong, pro-life record of the first Trump Administration,” wrote AAF President Tim Chapman and Chairman of the Board Marc Short.

“While RFK Jr. has made certain overtures to pro-life leaders that he would be mindful of their concerns at HHS, there is little reason for confidence at this time,” they continued. “There are hundreds of decisions made every day at HHS that either lead our nation toward a respect for life or away from it—decisions about federal funding for Planned Parenthood, regulations on the abortion pill (currently accounting for three out of every five abortions), insurance coverage of abortion, and more.”

A number of pro-life leaders and lawmakers who spoke with The Daily Wire before Christmas had also expressed concerns about Kennedy’s record on abortion, but Kennedy allayed many of their fears when he spoke with Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri on December 17.  Hawley shared that Kennedy promised to reinstate Trump’s pro-life policies at HHS, including reinstating the Mexico City Policy, which blocks federal funds from going to NGOs that promote abortion; ending taxpayer funding for abortions domestically; and reinstating the bar on Title X funds going to organizations that promote abortion.

Kennedy also reportedly promised Hawley that “all of his deputies at HHS would be pro-life” and that he would “reinstate conscience protections for healthcare providers”— two major points of concern for pro-lifers who spoke with The Daily Wire.

“He told me he believes there are far too many abortions in the U.S. and that we cannot be the moral leader of the free world with abortion rates so high,” Hawley said.

AAF still has concerns, however.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT IN ’25 WITH 25% OFF DAILYWIRE+ ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS WITH CODE DW25

“Whatever the merits of RFK Jr’s Make America Healthy Again initiative—indeed, whatever other qualities a nominee might possess—an HHS Secretary must have a firm commitment to protect unborn children, or else bend under the pressure and pushback surrounding these daily, critical decisions,” their letter continued. “We strongly encourage you to reject the nomination of any pro-abortion nominees to serve at HHS. RFK Jr., as well as any other nominated HHS Secretary, must be able to provide satisfactory answers to the list of important pro-life questions attached to this letter. The pro-life movement has a strong bench of courageous pro-life leaders who are willing to serve the American people as the head of HHS.”

Pence’s organization wants Kennedy to answer a number of questions clarifying his views on abortion. The first of these is: “When do you believe that life should be protected?” AAF would also like Kennedy to state at what gestational age or level of development he thinks unborn children should be protected by the federal government, and whether there are any extenuating circumstances in which he believes that unborn children should not be protected.

AAF also wants Kennedy to address his stances on abortion pills, responsible for dozens of deaths of mothers across the United States, asking Kennedy to commit to reinstating the safeguards on abortion drugs put in place by former President Bill Clinton.

The letter also requests that he commit to “taking every step possible” to stop taxpayer funding of abortions via Title X, Medicaid reimbursements, and other grants and contracts, as well as protecting the conscience rights of Americans under the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division within HHS’ Office for Civil Rights— two promises Kennedy appears to have already made to Hawley.

AAF also pushes for Kennedy to commit to requiring states to collect and report abortion data, given that many states don’t report abortion data, allowing for late-term abortions or even born alive abortions to go undetected.

In June 2024, after a variety of statements on the unborn, Kennedy shared that he saw “emerging consensus” on abortion, arguing “that abortion should be legal up until a certain number of weeks, and restricted thereafter,” and pointing out that most Americans agree that there should be restrictions on abortions at some point. He also said that “every abortion is a tragedy,” and highlighted his ‘More Choices, More Life‘ policy.

And in meetings with senators before Christmas, he repeatedly said that he would abide by Trump’s pro-life policies.

“I said, ‘Where’s your position? I just gotta know, because you’ve been all over the map on it,’” Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma shared with The Daily Wire in December as he discussed his meeting with Kennedy.

Kennedy responded, according to Mullin, “I think there’s too many abortions in the world, let’s just start there. It’s not that I don’t value life, I value life, I just look at it a little bit different in certain circumstances, what we’ve been through as a family.”

“Where does that put you when it comes to pro-life?” Mullin questioned Kennedy, adding of the Trump nominee: “He goes: ‘I’m serving at the will of the President of the United States, and it’s his policies that I will put forth. And so we may not agree on every single issue, but we agree 100%, we shouldn’t even be having abortions in this world anyways. But my policies are not what I’m pushing forward, it’s the president’s, and I think the country knows where the president is on that, and so therefore, that’s my position.”

“I’m good with that,” Mullin told The Daily Wire. “If he’s willing to say that, I have no problems with him becoming Secretary of HHS. And I will support him completely, even as passionate and as pro-life as my wife and my family and I are, I believe Bobby is still the right person for this position.”

Trump previously headed the most pro-life administration in United States history, and is the president responsible for overturning Roe v. Wade. Though he largely avoided discussing abortion throughout the 2024 campaign season, articulating clearly that he viewed the topic as politically toxic, advocates are hopeful that Trump will continue to promote pro-life policy throughout his next administration.

While some on the Right continue to be fearful of Kennedy as head of HHS, a position that could have a massive influence on the protection of the unborn in the United States (or lack thereof), conservatives like Brian Burch, the head of Catholic Vote and Trump’s new choice for Ambassador to the Holy See, believe Kennedy is slowly finding his way on abortion. Burch told The Daily Wire in December that Kennedy is working through the question of abortion, “and how to reconcile that with his other beliefs around the ways in which the human person has been commoditized by Big Pharma, Big Government, and Big Tech.”

“He’s publicly now said that he opposes late term abortion, he recognizes there is not a public consensus around how and where to regulate abortion, and he would like to work in innovative ways to reduce the number of abortions and helping women to choose life,” Burch said at the time. “He’s said that publicly, he’s said that to me personally … I’m confident that pro-life advocates can help him to understand that this indeed is something that does rise to the level of requiring the state to protect life and women.”

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