Fourteen Democratic U.S. Senators have demanded that President Bush rescind his nomination of Dr. Eric Keroack to head the family-planning program at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), All American Patriots reported.
Keroack, who is pro-life, is currently a member of the Medical Advisory Council of the National Abstinence Clearinghouse and serves as the medical director for five crisis-pregnancy centers.
Bush nominated Keroack just last week as the new deputy assistant secretary. He'll offer advice on issues such as adolescent pregnancy, abstinence education and family planning.
The following Senators sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt to express their displeasure over the nomination: Patty Murray, D-Wash.; Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.; Christopher Dodd, D-Conn.; Tom Harkin, D-Iowa; Barbara Mikulski, D-Md.; Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.; Harry Reid, D-Nev.; Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.; John Kerry, D-Mass.; Barbara Boxer,D-Calif.; Russ Feingold, D-Wis.; Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J.; Barack Obama, D-Ill.; and Robert Mendez, D-N.J.
"Dr. Keroack is also a vocal supporter of abstinence-only programs to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually-transmitted disease," the letter states. "Unfortunately, this appointment is another example of the administration allowing ideology to trump science."
Raymond Ruddy, president of Gerard Health Foundation, said Keroack is a pioneer in the use of medical arguments to explain the devastation caused by abortion as well as the reasons teens should remain abstinent until marriage.
"He was one of the first doctors ever to really get involved in the medical aspect of some of these pregnancy-resource centers," he said. "For very, very little pay, he sacrificed a lot to help women do ultrasounds and do what was right in the abortion decision.
"It's pretty much what he has done all his life."
Christina Pearson, a spokeswoman for HHS, told Reuter that Keroack's expertise on teen pregnancy and his skills as a physician make him an ideal choice.
"We have confidence that he'll perform his duties effectively and in accordance with the law," she said.
