Dr. Heidi Overton’s nomination for Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration

OUR STATEMENT

Today, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held a hearing on Dr. Heidi Overton’s nomination for Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Ghazaleh Moayedi, Board Chair of Physicians for Reproductive Health and OBGYN in Texas, responds:  

“As the Board Chair of a physician organization and a public health professional, I view the nomination of Dr. Heidi Overton as Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be nothing short of insulting to a public institution entrusted with the health and safety of our nation. As physicians, we take an oath to do no harm, yet Dr. Overton’s behavior consistently harms the autonomy, dignity, and safety of those we took an oath to serve.   

“While positioning herself as a public health professional, Dr. Overton continues to undermine public health and politicize neutral federal agencies that regulate our food, medications, and evidence-based medical protocols. For years, Dr. Overton has perpetuated harmful rhetoric regarding standard abortion care: falsely claiming that the abortion pill mifepristone is a harmful or dangerous drug. As mifepristone is under scrutiny at the state and federal levels, Dr. Overton leverages her status as a physician to deceive the public about medications we know are safe. True public health professionals overwhelmingly recognize that access to safe abortion methods, like abortion pills, are an essential component of quality reproductive healthcare globally.   

“Additionally, Dr. Overton pushed for stronger restrictions on abortion care and celebrated the Dobbs decision. As a result of Dobbs four years ago, thousands of people have experienced health complications, forced pregnancies, and even death. Neither the Dobbs decision nor Dr. Overton’s FDA nomination are celebrations; they are failures of our public institutions to safeguard the health and wellness of our communities. As FDA Commissioner, Dr. Overton will oversee the regulation of medication abortion, contraception, fertility drugs, labor and delivery medications, and treatment for sexually transmitted infections. Given that Dr. Overton’s leadership prioritizes anti-abortion ideology over evidence-based medicine, I am deeply concerned about the future of our sexual and reproductive health care landscape.   

“Concern does not mean defeat. Physicians for Reproductive Health has over 600 physician advocates who embody the oath we took to care for patients every day. We are staunch in sharing evidence-based resources that help patients make informed decisions about their bodies, families, and futures. We need courageous leadership in our federal agencies now more than ever, not Trump loyalists dedicated to compromising the well-being of our communities. Dr. Overton’s grift will not stop us from advocating for our patients with the truth. Especially since we know the Trump Administration has a revolving door of appointees. We are not going anywhere…but she might.”