Trump FDA pick tests Collins on abortion

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Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is in the middle of a fight over a Trump health nominee, presenting a key test of her commitment to being an abortion-rights Republican.  

Dr. Heidi Overton, President Trump’s nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), will testify Thursday in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee.  

Overton, a physician, is a top White House domestic policy adviser on health issues. If confirmed, she would take over an agency roiled by an exodus of top staff and viewed by many in the healthcare industry as less trustworthy and more politicized than it has been in any previous administration. 

Collins is likely to clash with Overton’s firm anti-abortion stance and her criticism of FDA regulation of mifepristone.  

Overton is an outspoken opponent of abortion and has called for more restrictions on prescribing mifepristone, one of two drugs taken for medication abortion.  

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Overton celebrated the ruling, saying it “will allow Americans to reevaluate the value of the potential of every baby in the womb and choose life through a democratic process.” 

Overton has also called on policymakers to halt efforts to allow “abortion on demand” through telehealth prescribing of mifepristone.  

Collins has stayed relatively quiet about any potential concerns she may have with Overton.  

In a brief interview Wednesday, Collins told The Hill she raised the issue of abortion during a private half-hour meeting with Overton.  

“That’s one issue, but another is vaccines and third is the slow pace that FDA approves treatments and........

© The Hill