President Joe Biden announced in July that he would nominate Dr. Gawande for the global health position.
Now, Mr. Rubio, R-Fla., is calling on President Biden to withdraw Dr. Gawande’s nomination because of the nominee’s views on abortion. Mr. Rubio specifically cites a 1998 Slate op-ed in which Dr. Gawande writes, “Whether the fetus is in the womb or out, big or small, does not matter, either.”
Mr. Rubio said Dr. Gawande’s “defense of infanticide is disqualifying.”
Equity Forward, which describes itself an organization that researches domestic and global human rights and sexual reproductive health, says Dr. Gawande has signaled support for abortion rights.
According to Equity Forward, “Dr. Gawande has a complicated record regarding reproductive health, rights and justice, having authored controversial articles in the past that came across as especially problematic when evaluated through a modern lens. However, in recent years, he has signaled support for abortion rights, finding particular issue with anti-abortion tactics and medical malpractice.”
Dr. Gawande, a surgeon, writer and public health leader, is the Cyndy and John Fish Distinguished Professor of Surgery at Boston-based Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
If confirmed by the Senate, Dr. Gawande would serve at a bureau comprising nine offices that support USAID’s global health efforts.
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