The following statement can be attributed to Cynthia A. Pearson, Executive Director of the National Women’s Health Network.

Washington D.C. -- Today, the Trump Administration announced the nomination of Dr. Stephen Hahn to become the next US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner. The National Women’s Health Network calls on Dr. Hahn to publicly commit to fighting political pressure from the Trump White House and to ensuring that FDA decisions are based on medical science, not ideology.

The NWHN is gravely concerned that the Trump Administration has named Brett Giroir as the interim FDA com­mis­sion­er. As Assistant Secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services, Giroir has overseen massive cuts to HHS’ Office of Population Affairs, which administers the Title X program for family planning and reproductive health funding, and anti-abortion attacks on medical research. As an FDA watchdog, the NWHN believes that the FDA should always make decisions grounded in science. We do not want to see the FDA entangled in the politics around reproductive health and women’s health. And make no mistake, under Giroir's leadership women's reproductive health is at stake. The FDA should not be politicized.

As true today as when our members petitioned the administration in 2017: “We rely on the FDA to make evidence-based decisions about the food, drug, and medical products we use every day. We don’t want drugs and devices rushed to market that have never been proven safe or effective. And we don’t want an FDA led by a commissioner who puts industry profits above women’s health.” We need an FDA commissioner who will maintain the FDA’s high evidentiary standards for medical device and drug safety and efficacy.

“The next FDA commissioner needs to be committed to the strongest standards of science with a proven track record of standing up for women’s health” said Cynthia Pearson, Executive Director of the National Women’s Health Network.

Should the Trump Administration and Dr. Stephen Hahn prioritize profits and politics over science, the NWHN will be there to shine a spotlight on what this agenda means for women.

The National Women’s Health Network is supported by our members and by choice we do not accept financial support from drug companies or medical device manufacturers. We bring the voices, concerns, and needs of women consumers to policy and regulatory tables.

Cindy Pearson was the NWHN’s Executive Director from 1996 to 2021. One of the nation's leading advocates for women's health, Cindy often testified before Congress,  NIH and the FDA and was frequently featured in the news as a consumer expert on women’s health issues. When she retired, Cindy received a Congressional Resolution in honor of her outstanding contributions to the health of women and girls.

Read more from Cindy Pearson.