Pence states that he is against RFK Jr.'s appointment as HHS secretary due to his views on abortion.

Earlier this year, Kennedy stated his support for full-term abortion, but later retracted his statement.

Pence states that he is against RFK Jr.'s appointment as HHS secretary due to his views on abortion.
Pence states that he is against RFK Jr.'s appointment as HHS secretary due to his views on abortion.

On Friday, former Vice President Mike Pence clearly stated his opposition to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s nomination to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

During our four years in office, the Trump-Pence administration was unwaveringly pro-life. HHS made hundreds of decisions daily that either moved our country towards respect for life or away from it, and under our administration, HHS always stood for life. Pence made this statement on the website for his Advancing American Freedom nonprofit on Friday.

"The nomination of RFK Jr. to serve as Secretary of HHS is a sudden shift from our administration's pro-life stance, which should be a cause for concern among millions of Pro-Life Americans who have supported the Republican Party and our candidates for years."

Pence stated that Kennedy has defended abortion rights throughout his career, advocating for overturning the Dobbs decision and codifying Roe v. Wade.

Split of Pence and RFK Jr
Former Vice President Mike Pence said he opposes Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.  (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images; Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Pence wrote that if RFK Jr. were confirmed as the HHS secretary, he would be the most pro-abortion Republican to hold the position in recent history.

Trump announced on Thursday that he was nominating Kennedy to lead the agency, as he had promised to do during the campaign.

Trump announced Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the new Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), stating that Americans have been oppressed by the food and drug industries for too long, who have spread false information and misled the public about public health.

RFK Jr. and Trump
President-elect Trump nominated Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to lead HHS this week.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

In the last few months of the campaign, Trump frequently saw Kennedy after he abandoned his independent presidential bid and backed the Republican candidate.

Trump's former vice president, Pence, did not run with him in 2024 and declined to endorse him.

Kennedy has changed his stance on abortion. In May, he stated that a woman should have the right to an abortion at full term, but later reversed his position, saying that there should be restrictions during pregnancy. Additionally, last year he expressed support for a 15-week ban on abortion, which his campaign later clarified was a mistake.

Trump and Pence
Pence served as President-elect Trump's vice president during Trump's first term.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

According to The Hill, he stated on his campaign website that he would back legislation to reverse the Dobbs decision.

Trump stated last month that he would oppose any effort to enact a nationwide abortion ban, asserting that it's a matter for the individual states to decide.

Kennedy's controversial stances on vaccines, fluoride in water, and other issues have raised concerns among liberals regarding his nomination.

Planet Chronicle Digital has reached out to Kennedy for comment.

by Brie Stimson

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