OPINION:
President Trump has called himself the “most pro-life president” in U.S. history, and there is no doubt that he has done much to advance the cause of life. His appointment of three Supreme Court justices led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, a generational victory for the pro-life movement, and he has consistently stood for religious liberty and the sanctity of life.
That’s why the appointment of Dr. Vinay Prasad to lead the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research sparked such deep concern within the pro-life community. It’s also why news of his abrupt departure was welcomed as a necessary course correction.
Unfortunately, that course correction has now been reversed.
Reports confirm that Dr. Prasad has been reinstated to lead the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, just two weeks after his removal, placing him right back in a position of extraordinary influence over drug approvals, biologics and regulatory policy. This decision was spearheaded by FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, who has referred to Dr. Prasad as a “genius” who made “tremendous” policy changes at the agency. It undermines the very progress Dr. Prasad’s departure signaled and reopens the questions about whether the FDA is committed to a pro-life ethic in its leadership.
Make no mistake: Dr. Prasad’s record speaks for itself. He has described himself as a “Sanders/Warren liberal,” voted against Mr. Trump in both 2016 and 2020, openly praised Anthony Fauci and referred to the president as “perhaps the worst in the history of the republic.” He has also supported abortion on demand, single-payer health care and drug legalization.
More to the point, he sees abortion not as the destruction of innocent human life but rather as routine health care. He has publicly stated that abortion should be “safe, legal and rare” and supported Roe v. Wade as a foundational framework. On his podcast, he said plainly: “I stand on the side that sees abortion as health care,” underscoring just how closely his views appear to align with those of Planned Parenthood.
That worldview is incompatible with a pro-life administration, and it’s especially alarming in the context of the FDA’s current posture on chemical abortion.
As this piece is being written, the FDA is considering three citizen petitions related to mifepristone, the abortion drug now responsible for more than 63% of abortions in the United States. Among those petitions is a request by GenBioPro to preserve and potentially expand the Biden-era policy that allows mifepristone to be dispensed by mail without any in-person medical oversight. This mail-order abortion regime has eliminated critical safety safeguards such as ultrasounds, putting women at risk for complications from ectopic pregnancies and other life-threatening conditions.
With someone like Dr. Prasad in a key scientific and regulatory role, pro-life Americans have every reason to fear how these petitions will be handled. He has already made clear that he is concerned by judicial efforts to curb abortion pill use. When a federal judge tried to suspend the FDA’s approval of mifepristone last year, Dr. Prasad questioned the ruling and the extent to which the courts should be able to rein in the agency. It does not bode well that a man who appears to consider abortion a matter of “health care” would now acknowledge newly released research pointing to the drug’s dangers.
That’s why Mr. Trump must act quickly to reverse this reinstatement. Dr. Prasad should not return to any position of power at the FDA. Not now, not quietly later, not under any title. The direction of federal health policy matters, and so do the people entrusted to lead it. Dr. Prasad’s deeply held belief that abortion is health care and his public opposition to pro-life jurisprudence make him the wrong person to shape regulatory decisions at the FDA.
Mr. Trump has always shown a willingness to course-correct when necessary. He has fired generals, Cabinet secretaries and bureaucrats who veered off mission. According to reports, it was the White House that intervened to secure Dr. Prasad’s departure. That was the right decision. Now, it’s time to affirm it publicly and permanently.
The pro-life movement has fought too hard and come too far to leave this kind of ambiguity unchallenged. If the goal is to restore a culture of life at the FDA and throughout government, then personnel decisions must reflect that goal.
The reinstatement of Dr. Prasad is a mistake. It should not stand.
• Gary Marx is the former executive director of the Faith and Freedom Coalition.
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