RFK Jr.'s nomination for a pro-choice position sparks concern among pro-life groups.

Some abortion opponents are concerned about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s past statements expressing a liberal position on reproductive rights, as he has been nominated to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Kennedy, a former Democrat who ran for president as an independent before backing Trump, has stated in various interviews that although he is personally pro-life, he believes it is not the government's role to interfere with a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy. Recently, he said that a woman should have the right to have an abortion when she is full term, although he later retracted that statement and announced support for some restrictions on abortion.

Pro-life groups that spoke to Planet Chronicle Digital expressed optimism about Trump's election win, noting his previous administration's strong support for their cause. However, they are seeking clarification from Kennedy on how he would use the sweeping powers at HHS to shape regulations on abortion pills and control funding to abortion providers like Planned Parenthood.

"Shawn Carney, co-founder and CEO of 40 Days for Life, stated that Robert F. Kennedy's desire to ban Fruity Pebbles and Cool Ranch Doritos due to their unhealthiness is inconsistent with his stance on abortion. According to Carney, if RFK wants to take away these popular snacks, he cannot also deny healthcare to a baby girl who survives an abortion or support abortion at 40 weeks."

Mike Pence, a former vice president, opposed Kennedy's nomination and did not receive a response from him regarding this story.

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.

Kennedy's pro-choice statements were cited by him as a departure from the pro-life record of our administration.

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.

Healthcare attorney Harry Nelson, founder and managing partner at Nelson Hardiman, LLP, stated that the Department of Health and Human Services has a "significant influence on abortion access."

The Food and Drug Administration, a sub-agency of HHS, has the authority to control the availability of Mifepristone, an abortion pill. This drug, known as Mifeprex, is taken in combination with misoprostol in a two-drug regimen that first deprives an unborn baby of the hormones necessary for its survival and then causes cramps and contractions to expel the dead fetus from its mother's womb.

The Biden administration has made Mifepristone available via telemedicine nationally, but pro-life groups have fought in court to have the deregulation overturned.

Their efforts earlier this year were unsuccessful at the Supreme Court, but having sympathetic leadership atop the FDA would greatly impact this country's biggest abortion issue, according to Nelson.

The HHS oversees grant funding for abortion providers like Planned Parenthood through programs such as Title X. Pro-life activists have urged the incoming Trump administration to defund these providers. Additionally, HHS enforces federal law that requires emergency care to stabilize patients, including women with health risks from pregnancy. The Biden administration has sought to use this law, called EMTALA, to require states to permit doctors to administer emergency abortions when the life of the mother is at risk.

"It will be intriguing to observe RFK's influence and how the Trump administration around him alters things," Nelson stated. "I believe this is not an issue that RFK will be deeply committed to personally. The pro-life hardliners will be targeting Mifepristone, and that will be the main conflict to monitor."

Kennedy stated that his stance on the issue has changed after discovering the frequency of elective late-term abortions.

In May, during an interview with Shane Gillis and Matt McCusker, Kennedy stated that his stance on abortion was that it should always be a woman's decision until the very end.

"Carrying a child for nine months and then aborting it two days before birth is considered killing a child, right? I assumed that no woman would intentionally carry a child for nine months and then abort it. Who would do that?"

He stated that he had altered his perspective on late-term abortions after reviewing data and discovering that they occur more frequently than he previously thought.

"He stated during the interview that he initially believed there were few elective abortions at that time, but later learned that there were actually many. He also mentioned that at the time, he believed the state had an interest in protecting a wholly formed, viable child."

Some pro-lifers are giving Kennedy the benefit of the doubt because they trust Trump's judgment. In his first term, Trump kept his campaign promise to nominate pro-life judges to the U.S. Supreme Court, which overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 after nearly a half-century of anti-abortion activism.

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life President Marjorie Dannenfelser stated that there is no doubt that we require a pro-life HHS secretary, and we have reservations about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. However, she believes that regardless of who becomes HHS secretary, the baseline policies set by President Trump during his first term will be reinstated.

Kennedy cannot be easily categorized, according to Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote.

Burch admitted his mistake on unlimited abortion and stated that abortion is a tragedy. He also emphasized the importance of helping women who want to keep their children, as he told Planet Chronicle Digital.

Kennedy joined forces with CatholicVote just days before Election Day in a TV ad promoting Trump to Catholics in swing state Pennsylvania. Burch revealed to Semafor that the partnership was the result of a months-long conversation between Kennedy and the group, during which they agreed to allocate an equal amount of funds towards helping women make pro-life choices as they did towards supporting abortion access.

Burch commended Kennedy's opposition to "Big Pharma, Big Food, and Big Government," stating that these are areas where the pro-life movement can collaborate with the Trump administration if Kennedy is approved by the Senate.

Burch stated that RFK is not a typical pro-life advocate, and as a result, they will strongly oppose any HHS initiatives to expand or promote abortion or abortion funding. However, they are optimistic that the changes he is proposing will lead to a reevaluation of the entire food, medical, and drug industry, which contributes to our current abortion-oriented culture.

Kennedy was the only presidential candidate who acknowledged his mistake on abortion in the US and altered his stance.

We will want to discuss with anyone at HHS how HHS has been used to discriminate against pro-life individuals and institutions, including hospitals, and to promote more abortions, according to Hawkins.

Still, others remain skeptical.

"According to Carney, it is unlikely that RFK would reverse some of Biden's abortion policies, as he has not demonstrated any public support for abortion beyond 40 weeks. Many people may view this as his only weakness."

Planet Chronicle Digital's Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this report.