Trump Taps Anti-Choice Physician To Lead FDA

August 24, 2026:

Trump Taps Anti-Choice Physician To Lead FDA

Plus, Texas intervenes in surrogacy legal fight and parts of Idaho’s abortion laws are declared unconstitutional.

Photograph of protesters outside of the U.S. Supreme Court. One sign reads "Abortion is a personal, not a legal debate."

Each week, Rewire News Group editors scour headlines nationwide—from lawsuits over abortion access to LGBTQ+ rights—to bring you the most urgent news in reproductive justice. Here’s what you need to know from the past week’s biggest stories.

Heidi Overton, a doctor who cheered Roe‘s fall

Last week, President Donald Trump nominated anti-choice physician Heidi Overton to lead the FDA. Overton has long attacked abortion. In 2022, she lauded the overturn of Roe v. Wade as an opportunity to “choose life through a democratic process.” She also called abortion medication “dangerous to women,” despite scientific consensus that the pills are safe and effective. If confirmed, Overton would oversee the agency’s highly-criticized “review” of mifepristone’s safety that began in June under ex-FDA chief Marty Makary.

Texas surrogacy legal battle heats up

All eyes are on a multi-state legal battle between a surrogate and the biological parents of a baby, born Aug. 12 with a rare heart defect. The biological parents wanted the surrogate to have an abortion when the condition was detected during pregnancy. She refused, then fled from California to Texas, which has a near-total abortion ban. A judge ordered the baby receive life-saving treatment at birth. It’s unclear what happens next, but a judge barred the surrogate from making further medical decisions.

Judges rebuke state anti-abortion laws

A federal judge found parts of Idaho’s abortion ban unconstitutional last week, saying people must be able to end a pregnancy that risks their health or life, and that providers who help them may not be prosecuted. “A pregnant woman’s health is not a state resource to be allocated at the legislature’s whim,” wrote District Judge B. Lynn Winmill, a Clinton appointee. Two Idaho laws—the “Defense of Life Act” and “Fetal Heartbeat Act”—bar abortion almost entirely. In November, Idaho voters will decide if these laws need loosening.

And, in Chicago, a Seventh Circuit appeals court permanently blocked Indiana from penalizing Planned Parenthood for directing pregnant minors to out-of-state abortion services. The three-court panel ruled that providing factual information about abortion, including referrals, is protected by the First Amendment.

This news roundup is adapted from our newsletter, Rewire Weekly. Sign up here to get the latest reproductive rights news, expert analysis, and a peek into the RNG newsroom—fresh to your inbox.

Source

Source link

tags

Abkhazia Afghanistan Africa Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Fiji Finland France French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guam Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Northern Cyprus Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Transnistria Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu Uganda UK Ukraine United Arab Emirates Uruguay USA Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe