In Reply to: Wedneday news, such as it is.* posted by mh on August 19, 2026 at 12:22:26
President Donald Trump picks anti-abortion extremist Dr. Heidi Overton, the deputy director of his domestic policy council, to be the next head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to Reuters.
Before serving in Trump’s current administration, Overton was the chief policy officer at the conservative think tank America First Policy Institute when it called on the FDA to reinstate in-person dispensing requirements for abortion pills. Overton applauded the overturning of federal abortion protections as “a huge victory for life” and has called for more restrictions on abortion pills.
If confirmed by the Senate, Overton will take over the FDA after her predecessor Marty Makary stepped down amid complaints from anti-abortion advocates who claimed he wasn’t doing enough to restrict abortion access. Overton would step into the role in the middle of a highly controversial safety review of the abortion pill mifepristone — spearheaded by a junk science report created by anti-abortion extremists. Decades of evidence-based research and peer-reviewed studies have already proven mifepristone to be extremely safe and effective.