‘An enemy of life’: Pro-life groups denounce Biden’s HHS secretary pick
Pro-life activists and groups have spoken out against President-elect Joe Biden choosing California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as his secretary of health and human services due to his history of abortion advocacy.
The former vice president is reportedly planning to appoint Becerra, who has often fought legal battles with the Trump administration over federal policies, according to multiple news sources.
Among his efforts, Becerra defended state laws requiring pro-life pregnancy centers to promote abortion, a state law that was eventually struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.
He also filed criminal charges against members of the pro-life group the Center for Medical Progress for its undercover activism against Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers.
Additionally, Becerra supported a California law requiring health insurance providers to cover abortion, even if the entity providing coverage was morally opposed to the procedure.
Because of this history, American Life League President Judie Brown said in a statement Monday that she considered Becerra “an enemy of life.”
“Becerra will treat aborting a child as a health practice, and he will consider human services as anything that eliminates the lives of people found to be unwanted or burdensome to others,” stated Brown.
“America will rue the day Becerra’s appointment is confirmed, and so we will work tirelessly to make sure he never becomes the DHHS secretary.”
Lila Rose, head of the pro-life group Live Action, took to Twitter to state that Biden picking Becerra shows “that not only will [Biden] force taxpayers to fund the slaughter of preborn children at the will of their parents (repeal of [Hyde Amendment]), but he supports the prosecution of Americans who dare to expose the unprecedented evils of Planned Parenthood.”
Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser stated on Sunday that the Becerra pick was “unacceptable” and contrary to Biden’s claim that he wanted to unite the country.
“Far from ‘uniting’ the country, Biden has proven yet again he is an extremist on abortion,” she said. “Becerra is aggressively pro-abortion and a foe of free speech.”
“As attorney general of California, he continued what his predecessor Kamala Harris started by persecuting citizen journalists who exposed Planned Parenthood’s role in baby parts trafficking.”
Dannenfelser went on to state that she believes the Becerra pick “underscores the importance of winning in Georgia to prevent pro-abortion forces from taking control of the U.S. Senate.”
Georgia is holding two runoffs next month that will determine which party controls the U.S. Senate.