HHS Sec. Nominee Sebelius Says She Does Not Foresee Changes To Abortion Policy

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) during recent Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearings said that she does not expect to issue new abortion regulations if confirmed as HHS secretary, the Kansas City Star reports. Sebelius, responding to a question from Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), said that she is "personally opposed to abortion" and that her Roman Catholic faith "teaches me that all life is sacred." However, she added that she would "implement and uphold the law" if Congress or the courts change current abortion laws, prompting new federal abortion regulations. Sebelius also said that as governor of Kansas, she has tried to "reduce unwanted pregnancies and thus curtail the need for abortion." She said she vetoed abortion-related legislation because of privacy concerns or a threat to "constitutional rights."

Sebelius was answering written questions submitted by members of the committee, and her responses were the first time she has publicly spoken with committee members about abortion during her confirmation process. According to the Star, many antiabortion groups have criticized Sebelius' nomination. The Senate is expected to continue the nominations process when it returns from the spring recess (Helling, Kansas City Star, 4/11).

Sebelius To Correct Oversight in Stated Campaign Contributions

In related news, Sebelius' campaign finance documents show that the amount of campaign contributions she received from Kansas abortion provider George Tiller differ from the amounts she stated in her responses to written questions from the Senate Finance Committee, the AP/Google reports. According to the AP/Google, Sebelius told the committee that she received $12,450 between 1994 and 2001 from Tiller. The antiabortion-rights groups Operation Rescue -- which is opposed to Sebelius' nomination -- circulated documents showing that Tiller contributed $23,000 between 2000 and 2002 to a political action committee Sebelius established while serving as Kansas insurance commissioner. The AP/Google reports that the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission confirmed the accuracy of the documents. HHS spokesperson Nick Papas said, "There was an oversight in the initial answer provided to the committee. Obviously donations to the PAC are a matter of public record." He added, "The governor is updating the answer to this question and will resubmit it to the committee" (Werner, AP/Google, 4/14).














HHS Chief of Staff Appointment Announced

HHS senior adviser Laura Petrou will move into the post of HHS chief of staff, an administration official said Monday, Politico reports. Petrou, who worked for former HHS secretary nominee Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) for 20 years, will replace Mark Childress, who has held the post since January. The replacement is "not unexpected," as Daschle appointed Childress among "a handful of top aides" at HHS before withdrawing his nomination in February, according to Politico (Budoff Brown, Politico, 4/13).


Future of Kansas Abortion Bill Uncertain in Face of Sebelius Confirmation

Both supporters and opponents of a Kansas bill (S.B. 218) -- which would require doctors who perform abortion later in pregnancy to provide more detailed medical explanations to the state before performing the procedure -- are concerned about its future as they await the possible confirmation of Sebelius as HHS secretary, the AP/KSN News reports. The bill received legislative approval on April 3 -- with some bipartisan support but not a veto-proof majority. Kansas law gives the Legislature 10 days to deliver the bill to the governor's desk, after which he or she has another 10 days to decide how to proceed. As of last week, the bill had not been delivered to the governor's desk. It was expected to arrive yesterday, which would give her until April 23 to act. However, the AP/KSN News reports that Sebelius could be confirmed as head of HHS prior to the deadline for acting on the bill, and many wonder if she will address it.

In addition, advocates on both sides of the issue are speculating how Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson (D) would differ from Sebelius on abortion-related issues, the AP/KSN News reports. His previous voting record suggests that Parkinson, a former Republican Party chair who switched to the Democratic Party in 2006 to run with Sebelius, is willing to accept more limitations on abortion. However, his last vote occurred in 1996, and his presence on Sebelius' ticket also suggests that he supports abortion rights, the AP/KSN News reports. Mary Kay Culp, executive director of Kansans for Life, said that Parkinson is "moderately radical" in his support for abortion rights.

According to the AP/KSN News, the "only clue" about how Parkinson might act on the abortion bill stems from a 1996 Senate vote on a bill that required obtaining informed patient consent 24 hours prior to an abortion. Parkinson voted against the bill, but it passed and was ultimately vetoed by former Gov. Bill Graves (D). Peter Brownlie, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, said, "It would only be speculation at this point, what he would do with this bill." Beth Martino, a spokesperson for Sebelius, said that the state "only has one governor at a time" when asked how Parkinson might act on the bill (Hanna, AP/KSN News, 4/12).


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