The former director of the Texas Medical Board is fighting to regain his job. He is accusing Republicans of forcing him out over allegations that he moonlighted as an abortionist for Planned Parenthood while overseeing it for the state.
Dr. Robert Bredt told the state licensing agency on Friday that Gov. Greg Abbott and state lawmakers ignored the fact that his part-time job overseeing Planned Parenthood South Texas Laboratory in San Antonio “never involved abortions or handling aborted specimens” when they pressured him to resign in January.
He said he offered only fertility testing, checks for sexually transmitted infections and basic health services for low-income women.
“I know that I did a good job for the board, I followed all of the rules, and that I had approval of the work that I was doing, helping others,” Dr. Bredt told the board at Friday’s hearing.
He and his attorney, Robert Schmidt, have asked the governor’s office and the Texas Medical Board to reinstate him. They said they are considering legal action.
The governor appoints the Texas Medical Board’s members, but Dr. Bredt was a state employee. The board hired him as its medical director in 2012 to help address complaints about providers.
Mr. Abbott’s office referred questions about Friday’s hearing to the board.
“At this time, the Board does not have anything further to add regarding Dr. Bredt or the hearing last week,” said Spencer Miller-Payne, a spokesman for the Texas Medical Board, in an email.
According to Dr. Bredt, the board was fully aware that he started working for Planned Parenthood in 2011. He told the board on Friday that he had “written and verbal approval” of his independent contract work from Mary Robinson, a previous executive director.
That contradicted the testimony of board officials, who said during a state House committee hearing in February that they were unaware of the particulars of his contract.
At the committee hearing, board officials said they learned about Dr. Bredt’s work for Planned Parenthood from social media backlash over its inclusion in a Dec. 23 court filing.
In that filing, the board’s legal team sought to include Dr. Bredt as an expert witness against a doctor accused of prescribing ivermectin to COVID-19 patients and defying vaccine mandates.
Planned Parenthood South Texas didn’t respond to emails seeking comment.
Following state restrictions enacted in 2021 and 2022, Planned Parenthood no longer terminates pregnancies in Texas.
The organization says its Texas clinics now offer birth control, pregnancy testing, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, and gender-affirming health care for transgender patients.
• Sean Salai can be reached at ssalai@washingtontimes.com.
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