The Biden administration has announced its plans to finally end the emergency declaration for &#8230; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/monkeypox" target="_blank" rel="noopener">monkeypox</a>.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Friday that it would not renew the emergency declaration for the monkeypox epidemic when it expires on January 31. HHS cited a continuing declining trend in total case counts as the reason it was not renewing the emergency. The news comes even as the Biden administration reportedly has no plans to lift the COVID emergency declaration.
&#8220;From the outset of the mpox outbreak, the Administration pulled every lever to stop the spread of this virus,&#8221; HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2022/12/02/statement-from-hhs-secretary-becerra-on-mpox.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> Friday announcing the decision. &#8220;In August, the Department of Health and Human Services declared a Public Health Emergency that further strengthened and accelerated the response to produce results. Given the low number of cases today, HHS does not expect that it needs to renew the emergency declaration when it ends on January 31, 2023.&#8221; Becerra said that public health officials would continue to work with state and local officials to monitor trends, and encouraged at-risk individuals to get vaccinated.
Case counts of monkeypox have steadily trended downward since the peak of the outbreak in August, according to <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/response/2022/mpx-trends.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). So far this week, a total of 31 new cases were reported, with a seven-day rolling average of just seven. Just a single new case was reported on Sunday; 13 cases were reported on Monday; just five on Tuesday; and 16 on Wednesday.
At the height of the epidemic in July and August, several hundred new cases were being reported every day, at an average of about 450 per day. The highest single-day number of new cases reported was 638 on August 1. HHS declared an <a href="https://aspr.hhs.gov/legal/PHE/Pages/monkeypox-4Aug22.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">emergency</a> on August 4. The declaration was <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/3715547-hhs-renews-public-health-emergency-for-monkeypox-outbreak/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">renewed</a> earlier this month.
Just days ago, the White House backed the World Health Organization&#8217;s move to rename the virus from monkeypox to &#8220;mpox&#8221; in order to remove racist &#8220;stigma&#8221; against Africans, since the virus is endemic to Africa.
&#8220;We welcome the change by the World Health Organization,&#8221; Becerra said in a <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2022/11/28/biden-harris-administration-supports-the-world-health-organization-renaming-of-monkeypox-to-mpox.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a> Monday. &#8220;We must do all we can to break down barriers to public health, and reducing stigma associated with disease is one critical step in our work to end mpox.&#8221;
In response to the name change, all federal public health agencies would adopt the &#8220;mpox&#8221; name in their correspondence with medical professionals and the public. HHS said that changing the name of the virus would &#8220;help enhance the U.S. response to mpox by using a term that does not conjure bias or stigma,&#8221; and &#8220;aid efforts to reach the most impacted communities with a term for the disease that doesn’t act to marginalize individuals from accessing the care, resources, and support they need to protect themselves and others.&#8221;
Meanwhile, the Biden administration has no plans to revoke the COVID emergency declaration. According to a report from <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/3735058-u-s-to-continue-covid-public-health-emergency-through-january/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Hill</a>, HHS is supposed to inform stakeholders 60 days beforehand that the administration will not renew the emergency declaration. That deadline passed on November 14. The latest declaration will last until January 11.

Monkeypox virus cells outbreak medical banner.

Biden Administration Finally Announces End Of Emergency Declaration For … Monkeypox

Biden Administration

COVID-19

Executive

Health

Monkeypox

Xavier Becerra

A federal appeals court blocked the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/biden-administration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biden administration&#8217;s</a> rule that would have required <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/christianity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Christian</a> medical facilities to provide <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/transgender" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gender transition</a> surgeries and abortions.
The three-judge panel in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit released the unanimous <a href="https://becketnewsite.s3.amazonaws.com/20220826232626/Franciscan-Alliance-Order.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decision</a> on Friday in the case of Franciscan Alliance, Inc. et al. v. Xavier Becerra, upholding the lower court’s permanent injunction against the mandate from the Department of Health and Human Services.
“Just months ago HHS issued the 2022 Notice, which warned covered entities like Franciscan Alliance that refusing to offer gender-reassignment surgeries violates Section 1557,” Circuit Judge Don Willett wrote.
“HHS has also repeatedly refused to disavow enforcement against Franciscan Alliance. In its brief on appeal, HHS simply says it ‘has not to date evaluated’ whether it will enforce Section 1557 against Franciscan Alliance — in other words, it concedes that it may,” he added.
Becket, the legal firm representing the case, celebrated the victory in a <a href="https://www.becketlaw.org/media/federal-court-strikes-down-transgender-mandate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> released on Friday.
“This ruling is a major victory for conscience rights and compassionate medical care in America,” Joseph Davis, counsel at Becket, shared.
 “Doctors cannot do their jobs and comply with the Hippocratic Oath if the government requires them to perform harmful, irreversible procedures against their conscience and medical expertise,” he added.
Franciscan Alliance, the Catholic healthcare network in Indiana and Illinois involved in the case, along with the Christian Medical &amp; Dental Associations and their 19,000 members, served as the plaintiffs to stop the Biden administration&#8217;s HHS effort.
“For years, our clients have provided excellent medical care to all patients who need it,” Davis added. “Today’s ruling ensures that these doctors and hospitals may continue to do this critical work in accordance with their conscience and professional medical judgment.” 
The HHS issued new <a href="https://perma.cc/LX26-59QR" target="_blank" rel="noopener">guidance</a> in March that declared &#8220;federally-funded covered entities restricting an individual’s ability to receive medically necessary care, including gender-affirming care, from their health care provider solely on the basis of their sex assigned at birth or gender identity likely violates Section 1557” of the Affordable Care Act. An appeals court sided with the plaintiffs who expressed concern over the mandate&#8217;s conflict with religious liberty. 
The ruling in the Fifth Circuit Court only applies to the plaintiffs in the case. The win is considered a nationwide win, however, in the battle for faith protections against those who hold religious objections to gender transition surgery or abortion procedures.
Dr. Mike Chupp, chief executive of the Christian Medical &amp; Dental Associations, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-texas-wichita-falls-us-department-of-and-human-services-66a40d091f4ddd79aea623a23327986b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> The Associated Press that the victory in the Texas court would allow for judgments based on sound medical advice.
“This victory in Texas against government coercion means healthcare professionals can continue to exercise medical judgment and ethical care based upon sound medical evidence and Hippocratic standards of patient care instead of any ideology,” he said.

‘A Major Victory’: Federal Appeals Court Blocks Biden Effort To Force Doctors To Perform Gender Transition Surgeries, Abortions

Federal Appeals Court Blocks Biden Effort To Force Doctors To Perform Gender Transition Surgeries, Abortions

Abortion

Religious Freedom

Transgender

President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> signed an executive order Wednesday calling on Health and Human Services Secretary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/xavier-becerra">Xavier Becerra</a> to aid women crossing state lines to obtain <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/abortion">abortions</a>.
“[Republicans] don’t have a clue about the power of American women,” the president said on Wednesday before he signed the order. “Last night in Kansas they found out.”
Biden&#8217;s order, a response to leftist panic following the overturn of Roe v. Wade, includes a provision that asks Becerra to invite states who are treating patients who have crossed state lines for abortions to apply for Medicaid waivers.
&#8220;In furtherance of the policy set forth in section 1 of this order, the Secretary of HHS shall consider actions to advance access to reproductive healthcare services, including, to the extent permitted by Federal law, through Medicaid for patients traveling across State lines for medical care,&#8221; the order said.
Medicaid is taxpayer funded, and the Hyde Amendment prohibits the use of taxpayer funds for abortions. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Wire on this point.
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The order also notes that Becerra &#8220;shall evaluate the adequacy of research, data collection, and data analysis and interpretation efforts at the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other relevant HHS components in accurately measuring the effect of access to reproductive healthcare on maternal health outcomes and other health outcomes,&#8221; before taking &#8220;appropriate actions to improve those efforts.&#8221;
</div>

Screen Shot 2022-08-03 at 3.45.29 PM

Biden Signs Executive Order To Aid Women Crossing State Lines For Abortions

Health and Human Services

Joe Biden

President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration is warning retail pharmacies that refusing to supply patients with abortion pills would violate anti-discrimination laws. Pro-life leaders insist that forcing pharmacists to dispense abortion drugs would violate their conscience rights.
New guidelines <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2022/07/13/hhs-issues-guidance-nations-retail-pharmacies-clarifying-their-obligations-ensure-access-comprehensive-reproductive-health-care-services.html">issued</a> by the Department of Health and Human Services&#8217; Office of Civil Rights emphasize to <a href="https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2021/aug/competition-consolidation-evolution-pharmacy-market#:~:text=Of%20the%20roughly%2060%2C000%20retail,percent%20of%20retail%20prescription%20revenues.">roughly</a> 60,000 pharmacies in the United States that refusing to fill prescriptions for abortion drugs is pregnancy discrimination.
&#8220;The guidance makes clear that as recipients of federal financial assistance, including Medicare and Medicaid payments, pharmacies are prohibited under law from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, and disability in their programs and activities,&#8221; HHS said in a release.
The department added: &#8220;This includes supplying prescribed medications; making determinations regarding the suitability of prescribed medications for a patient; and advising a patient about prescribed medications and how to take them.&#8221;
The health department framed the move as its latest step in response to the overturn of Roe v. Wade — Secretary Xavier Becerra promised that HHS is &#8220;committed to ensuring that everyone can access healthcare, free of discrimination.&#8221;
&#8220;This includes access to prescription medication,&#8221; Becerra said, &#8220;including birth control, miscarriage management, and medication abortion from their pharmacy.”
Pro-life and conservative leaders told The Daily Wire that such an order violates the conscience rights of pharmacists nationwide.
&#8220;This move signals that the Biden administration is more concerned with their own political agenda over the health and religious liberties of the American people,&#8221; Heritage Action Executive Director Jessica Anderson said Monday.
&#8220;With abortion medication responsible for over half of abortions in the nation, these guidelines are both hypocritical and completely misaligned with the values and priorities of the American people,&#8221; she added.
Jeanne Mancini, the head of the annual March for Life, accused the Biden administration of maliciously seeking to &#8220;conflate&#8221; healthcare with abortion.
&#8220;Deliberately ending a human life is the diametric opposite of healthcare,&#8221; Mancini said. &#8220;It is outrageous that the administration is taking the further step of forcing Americans to fall in line with this misguided and deadly agenda.&#8221;
&#8220;Pharmacists, like all medical professionals, have the right to honor their consciences and mission to preserve and protect life, without government interference,&#8221; she added.
And Catholic Vote&#8217;s Brian Burch warned that not only would the Biden administration be &#8220;superseding state laws that protect women and children from these dangerous drugs&#8221; through such a move — it also would be directly contradicting the Biden administration&#8217;s policies adopted toward opioid prescriptions.
Biden&#8217;s plan to curb the opioid crisis <a href="https://www.law360.com/articles/1323869/biden-opioid-plan-puts-pharmacies-on-notice">reminds</a> small companies and distributors that they too can be held accountable, calling for federal investigations into distributors of opioids.
The president&#8217;s <a href="https://joebiden.com/opioidcrisis/">plan also calls</a> for banning drug manufacturers from paying or incentivizing physicians and other prescribers.
&#8220;Pharmaceutical companies work hard to persuade doctors and other medical personnel to prescribe their products,&#8221; the president&#8217;s plan states. &#8220;These companies <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190122084356.htm">essentially pay</a> providers to prescribe opioids and other drugs by, for example, paying providers to speak at or attend conferences, or consult for their companies. By banning these practices, Biden will ensure that patients’ lives do not take a <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180514132441.htm">backseat to doctors’ bottom line</a>s.&#8221;
&#8220;Tellingly, when it comes to opioids, the administration has pressured and even investigated pharmacists who rely solely on physicians who prescribe opioids – despite the fact that opioids can be prescribed for valid health conditions including disabilities,&#8221; Burch said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The fun times don&#39;t stop… ON THE SAME DAY that <a href="https://twitter.com/TheJusticeDept?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheJusticeDept</a> announced the new warning to pharmacies surrounding abortion&#8230;.they settled one of their cases against pharmacies for NOT second guessing prescriptions &#8230;<a href="https://t.co/YsL8mGHK3r">https://t.co/YsL8mGHK3r</a>
&mdash; Alliance For Consumers (@for_consumers) <a href="https://twitter.com/for_consumers/status/1548001621354823681?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;The double standard is indicative of the extreme position the administration has staked out for itself, namely, a blind allegiance to the most radical demands of the abortion industry by any means necessary, at any cost,&#8221; he added.
Neither the White House nor HHS has responded to requests for comment from The Daily Wire regarding such concerns.

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Biden Administration Looks To Force Pharmacies to Fill Abortion Pill Prescriptions

Biden Admin Will Violate Conscience Rights Of Pharmacists By Forcing Them To Fill Abortion Drug Prescriptions, Leaders Warn

March For Life

Texas sued the Biden administration Thursday over guidance issued earlier this week, claiming that federal law preempts state abortion bans in some instances, giving doctors greater latitude to perform the procedure.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who served as California’s chief prosecutor before being tapped to lead U.S. health policy, issued guidance on Monday asserting that the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) may preempt state abortion bans in some situations.
Becerra’s guidance came as a result of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned its 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade that created a constitutional right to abortion. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton challenged Becerra in court, accusing the Biden administration of attempting to supplant state authority to regulate abortion.
“This administration has a hard time following the law, and now they are trying to have their appointed bureaucrats mandate that hospitals and emergency medicine physicians perform abortions,” Paxton said in a <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/paxton-sues-biden-admin-over-its-efforts-force-abortions-texas">statement</a>. “I will ensure that President Biden will be forced to comply with the Supreme Court’s important decision concerning abortion and I will not allow him to undermine and distort existing laws to fit his administration’s unlawful agenda.”
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to the lawsuit in a statement: “This is yet another example of an extreme and radical Republican elected official. It is unthinkable that this public official would sue to block women from receiving life-saving care in emergency rooms, a right protected under U.S. law.”
Becerra issued a <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22083581-hhs_71122_secretary-letter'">letter</a> along with Monday’s guidance saying health providers are protected under federal law to conduct abortions in the case of medical emergencies as defined by the EMTALA.
“It is critical that providers know that a physician or other qualified medical personnel’s professional and legal duty to provide stabilizing medical treatment to a patient who presents to the emergency department and is found to have an emergency medical condition preempts any directly conflicting state law or mandate that might otherwise prohibit such treatment,” Becerra said in the letter.
“Any state laws or mandates that employ a more restrictive definition of an emergency medical condition are preempted by the EMTALA statute,” he added.
The Texas <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/executive-management/20220714_1-0_Original%20Complaint%20Biden%20Admin.pdf">lawsuit</a> characterizes the federal health guidance as an “attempt to use federal law to transform every emergency room in the country into a walk-in abortion clinic.” The lawsuit points out that Texas’ law banning abortion already has an exemption if the life of the mother is at risk.
The state law “does not apply if the woman on whom the abortion is performed ‘has a life-threatening physical condition’ arising from a pregnancy that places her ‘at risk of death or poses a serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function unless the abortion is performed,’” the lawsuit says.

Ken Paxton

Texas Sues Biden Administration Over Attempt To ‘Undermine And Distort’ State Abortion Law

Department of Health and Human Services

Texas

As Americans across the nation move past the pandemic, President Joe Biden&#8217;s top health official sounded the alarm on Monday that existing or new variants of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/covid-19">COVID</a> may resurge toward the end of the year.
&#8220;Come the fall and winter,”  Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), told a reporter. “Most everyone who is an expert on pandemics and these viruses will tell you that there&#8217;s a strong chance we will see a resurgence of the virus — whether it&#8217;s the variants that we have now or the new variants.&#8221;
&#8220;We gotta be ready,&#8221; he added.
Becerra, who listed ending the pandemic as his top priority when appointed the position, <a href="https://aspr.hhs.gov/legal/PHE/Pages/COVID19-12Apr2022.aspx">renewed</a> the Public Health Emergency Orders on April 12 for another 90 days with an expiration date of July 15.
However, Bloomberg News <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-11/white-house-to-extend-covid-public-health-emergency#:~:text=The%20Biden%20administration%20has%20said,public%20health%20emergency%20in%20May.">reported</a> on Monday the Biden Administration would push the COVID emergency health orders back since HHS did not issue a 60 days notice to states since the last renewal, which the department pledged to do if it decided to terminate the orders.
Since he took his position shortly after Biden assumed office last year, Becerra has extended the public health emergency orders five times.
The Republican National Committee <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1546533263476461573">shared</a> Becerra&#8217;s latest comment adding the Biden Administration promised to shut down the virus.
&#8220;But it was all a lie,&#8221; the committee said.
Twitter users flooded the tweet with comments saying the so-called resurgence would rise from the &#8220;midterm variant,&#8221; as Becerra hinted the spike could happen around the 2022 Midterm elections in November.
Becerra&#8217;s COVID concerns emerged the same day legacy media circulated reports of scientists warning Americans of a new coronavirus mutant spreading in India and other countries — including the United States.
The Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-india-united-states-e461b0c0db39707aab884378c24292ae">reports</a> that scientists said the new variant, BA.2.75, may stand against immunity, previous infections, and vaccines. However, the effects of the mutation remain unclear.
&#8220;It&#8217;s still really early for us to draw too many conclusions,&#8221; Matthew Binnicker, director of clinical virology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, told The Associated Press. &#8220;But it does look like, especially in India, the rates of transmission are showing kind of that exponential increase.&#8221;
Shishi Luo, head of infectious diseases for Helix, which provides the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with viral sequencing information, told The Associated Press since many countries worldwide have detected BA.2.75, it&#8217;s &#8220;an early indication it is spreading.&#8221;
But despite the ongoing spread of the coronavirus, a recent Senate Opportunity Fund survey suggests only 21 percent of Americans consider COVID a top concern.

HHS Secretary Becerra Holds News Conference On Supreme Court Dobbs V. Jackson Decision

Biden Top Health Official Warns Of A ‘Resurgence’ Of COVID Variants Starting This Fall

Biden Top Health Official Warns Of A 'Resurgence' Of COVID Variants Around 2022 Midterms

2022 Midterms

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra, who in June 2021 grinned and refused to use the word “mother” when asked about the Biden administration using the term “birthing people,” called the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade “despicable” on Tuesday.
Over the weekend, Becerra indicated that HHS might help transport women across state lines in order to get an abortion.
On Tuesday, Becerra sneered, “On Friday, June 24, five Americans decided to use the vast power bestowed upon them by our democracy and our Constitution to unconscionably put at risk the life and health of millions of our fellow Americans. They chose to unconscionably limit Americans’ established freedom and autonomy to control their own body. Decision usually made in consultation with their doctor, not a politician. And they chose to unconscionably strip away the fundamental health care protections that every American of child-bearing age has known all their lives.”
“Friday’s Supreme Court decision was despicable, but it was not unpredictable. HHS has been preparing for this for some time,” he sniped.
In June 2021, speaking before the Senate Finance Committee hearing about the Biden administration&#8217;s fiscal year 2022 HHS budget request, Becerra was confronted by Oklahoma GOP Senator James Lankford about the removal of the word “mother” and the insertion of the term “birthing people.”
Lankford cornered Becerra about the elision of the word “mother,” asserting, “I also notice you changed a term in your budget where you shifted in places from using the term ‘mother’ to ‘birthing people’ rather than ‘mother.’ Can you help me get a good definition of ‘birthing people?’”
Becerra deflected, “Well, I’ll check on the language there, but I think if we’re talking about those who give birth I think we’re talking about —” Unable to bring himself to say “mother,” Becerra grinned, “I don’t know how else to explain it to you other than &#8230;” as his voice petered out.
Lankford pressed, “I was a little taken aback when I just read it and saw it that the term ‘mother’ was gone and it was replaced with ‘birthing people” and I didn’t know if this was a direction you were going, if there were shifts, if there were regulatory changes that are happening related to that or what the purpose of that is.”
Becerra dodged, “I think it’s probably — and again I’d have to go back and take a look at the language that was used in the budget, but I think it simply reflects the work that is being done.”
“I definitely get that; I would only say the language is important always; we don’t want to offend in our language; I get that,” Lankford said. “But would you at least admit calling a mom a ‘birthing person’ could be offensive to some moms? They don’t want to get like a ‘Happy Birthing Person’ card in May. Can you at least admit that term itself could be offensive to some moms?”
Becerra still wouldn’t admit Lankford’s argument, instead laughing, “Senator, I’ll go back and take a look at the terminology that was used and I can get back to you, but again, if we’re trying to be precise in the language that’s used.”
Lankford fired, “Mom’s a pretty good word. That’s worked for a while and I think that’s pretty precise as well.”
Becerra refusing to say “mother”:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Lankford Slams HHS Secretary on Changing &quot;Mother&quot; to &quot;Birthing Person&quot; in President&#039;s Budget Request" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BsYcj1hQKgQ?start=60&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen title="Lankford Slams HHS Secretary on Changing "Mother" to "Birthing Person" in President's Budget Request"></iframe>
Becerra calling SCOTUS decision “despicable”:
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Key Speakers At CEO Summit Of The Americas

Biden HHS Secretary, Who Grinned, Refused To Say ‘Mother,’ Calls SCOTUS Roe Decision ‘Despicable’

Xavier Becerra, who has refused to use the term "mother," calls SCOTUS Roe decision "despicable."

James Lankford

Mothers

Roe v. Wade's Long And Brutal Legacy

Supreme Court

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra promised Tuesday that his department plans to &#8220;move as aggressively&#8221; as it can to ensure that women can get abortions while &#8220;complying with the law.&#8221;
The secretary&#8217;s admittedly careful remarks came during a Tuesday press conference that HHS promised would include an announcement of &#8220;action&#8221; in response to the historic overturn of Roe v. Wade. He repeatedly told reporters that &#8220;every option is on the table&#8221; but declined to specify whether he supported suggestions to open abortion clinics on federal lands.
HHS is &#8220;aware of a number of ideas and proposals, many of which we have been considering internally,&#8221; he said, but the department has not made any decisions yet.
One reporter who questioned the secretary pointed out that much of his remarks contained information already stated by the Biden administration in previous months.
&#8220;When can we expect more concrete steps?&#8221; she asked. &#8220;Are your hands tied?&#8221;
Becerra responded by telling the reporter that overturning Roe v. Wade upended &#8220;50 years of precedent.&#8221;
&#8220;You want to make sure that what you do is within the confines of the law,&#8221; he insisted. &#8220;We are not interested in going rogue and doing things just because. We want to make sure what we tell Americans is accurate.&#8221;
&#8220;Friday’s Supreme Court decision was despicable, but it was also predictable,&#8221; Becerra said in prepared remarks. &#8220;HHS has been preparing for this for some time.&#8221;
The secretary announced the launch of the HHS Reproductive Access Task Force to &#8220;plan for every action necessary to protect women’s access to reproductive health care.&#8221;
&#8220;There is no magic bullet,&#8221; he added. &#8220;But if there is something we can do, we will find it and we will do it at HHS. Indeed, that was the instruction I received from the President of the United States.&#8221;
Becerra promised that the department would take steps to ease access to abortion drugs, claiming that &#8220;federal law requires our programs to provide medication abortion in limited circumstances, including life of the mother, rape, or incest. &#8221;
&#8220;Now more than ever it is imperative that all federally-supported programs and services are complying and providing this under the law,&#8221; he added.
Becerra also said that he is directing the Office for Civil Rights to &#8220;ensure patient privacy and nondiscrimination&#8221; for both patients seeking or providers performing abortions.

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HHS Secretary Promises Action On Abortion: ‘If There Is Something We Can Do…We Will Do It’

Health And Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra On Overturn Of Roe: 'If There Is Something We Can Do...We Will Do It'

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/biden-administration">Biden administration</a> is considering using taxpayer funds to pay for women in states where <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/abortion">abortion</a> may be outlawed to travel to obtain them, a move sure to raise legal questions in the wake of Friday&#8217;s decision striking down <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/roe-v-wade">Roe v. Wade</a>.
The possibility was first floated by Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/xavier-becerra">Xavier Becerra</a> on Sunday and then by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kamala-harris">Vice President Kamala Harris</a> in a CNN interview. Both said the details are still being worked out.
&#8220;This is something that we are looking at,&#8221; <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/tv/kamala-harris-says-administration-looking-at-possible-travel-vouchers-for-women-to-receive-abortions/">Harris told CNN&#8217;s Dana Bash</a>. “I think you’re asking a very important point, making a very important point, which is what are the details that are going to go into ensuring the women have the ability to actually travel without impairment and we know that on this issue, women who have access to resources will probably be far less impacted by this decision than women who don’t have resources.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/health-and-human-services">Becerra</a> first suggested the strategy in a Sunday interview with NBC correspondent Kate Snow at the Aspen Institute. Snow asked Becerra what the administration is doing in response to Friday’s Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade and ending the federal right to abortion.
“We are working with supporters on the ground to make sure that we are providing services to women where we can,” Becerra said. “We are looking into everything including assisting in transportation, something that HHS doesn’t typically do.”
“Can you do that, legally?” asked Snow.
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Biden HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra says his agency is &quot;looking at&quot; using taxpayer dollars to fund transportation to other states for abortions.
&quot;Can you do that legally?&quot;
*laughs* <a href="https://t.co/SeYroVxuUZ">pic.twitter.com/SeYroVxuUZ</a>
&mdash; RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1541478209430102018?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
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“Talk to me later,” Becerra said with a smile as the audience laughed. “I always tell my team at HHS if you’ve done your homework then we have no right to do mild, and so we’re going to be aggressive and go all the way, and, I would tell you – you’re recording, so I won’t tell you.”
When Snow told him it was on the record, Becerra replied, “We are looking at every option, and that includes transportation.”
While the high court’s decision did not outlaw abortion, and simply left it to states to regulate, several states are poised to ban the practice or roll back the gestational timeline in which they are permissible. Governors who support abortion, including one in California, New York, and Illinois have vowed to help women from other states obtain abortions in their states.
Several <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/here-are-the-woke-businesses-vowing-to-cover-travel-costs-for-employees-abortion-tourism">major companies</a> have said they will pay for employees to travel for abortions if they live and work in states that do not permit them.

Biden Wants Taxpayers To Pay Travel Tab For Women Seeking Abortions

Biden Seeks To Pay For Women To Travel For Abortions In Wake Of SCOTUS Roe Ruling

President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> will sign a &#8220;historic&#8221; executive order Wednesday ordering the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/health-and-human-services">Department of Health and Human Services</a> to expand efforts to increase the ability of Americans (including children) who identify as transgender to obtain sex-change surgeries.
&#8220;President Biden believes that no one should face discrimination because of who they are or whom they love. Since President Biden took office, he has championed the rights of LGBTQI+ Americans and people around the world, accelerating the march towards full equality,&#8221; the Biden administration <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/06/15/fact-sheet-president-biden-to-sign-historic-executive-order-advancing-lgbtqi-equality-during-pride-month/">said in a fact sheet issued June 15</a>.
The executive order will address the slew of Republican legislation banning transgender surgeries for minors and biological males from girls&#8217; spaces — legislation dubbed by the Biden administration as &#8220;legislative attacks against LGBTQI+ children and families.&#8221;
It will also &#8220;crack down&#8221; on conversion therapy, which the Biden administration describes as &#8220;a discredited and dangerous practice that seeks to suppress or change the sexual orientation or gender identity of LGBTQI+ people,&#8221; ordering HHS to &#8220;explore guidance to clarify that federally-funded programs cannot offer so-called &#8216;conversion therapy.&#8217;”
&#8220;Over 300 anti-LGBTQI+ laws have been introduced in state legislatures over the past year, and many of them specifically target transgender children and their parents by banning access to medical care and support at school,&#8221; the Biden administration fact sheet said. &#8220;President Biden is addressing these harmful, hateful, and discriminatory attacks head-on – not only by speaking up for America’s families, but taking action to stand up to the bullies targeting LGBTQI+ people. &#8221;
&#8220;To help support impacted families, President Biden is charging the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with protecting LGBTQI+ children and families from attacks on their access to health care, and has instructed HHS to release new sample policies for states on how to expand access to comprehensive health care for LGBTQI+ patients,&#8221; the message continued.
&#8220;The President is also directing the Department of Education with addressing the impacts of state laws that target LGBTQI+ students, and has charged the department with releasing a sample school policy for achieving full inclusion for LGBTQI+ students.&#8221;
Notably, the order will specifically charge HHS to &#8220;work with states to promote expanded access to gender-affirming care.&#8221; This is included under the section &#8220;safeguarding healthcare and preventing LGGTQI+ Youth Suicide.&#8221;
Gender affirming care is <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2021/06/14/walt-heyer-lgbtq-transgender/">a phrase</a> used by transgender activists and media that includes the more grisly sounding transgender top and bottom surgeries, such as removing a biological women’s breasts, removing a biological man’s genitals, sculpting a fake penis on a biological woman, facial feminization or facial masculinization, and more.
Social affirmation, puberty blockers, and hormones <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-early-trans-surgeries-hormones-are-crucial-for-kids-teens-who-identify-as-trans">also fall under</a> the “gender-affirming care” umbrella.
Commentators, lawmakers, people <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2022/01/24/transsexual-slams-planned-parenthood-aclu-womens-sports/">who identify as transgender</a>, and people who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/detransitioners-flood-social-media-with-testimony-photos-the-darkest-time-in-my-life">formerly attempted transitions</a> have expressed grave concerns about encouraging children or young people to explore transitions of any kind.
A new analysis released Monday by the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/heritage-foundation">Heritage Foundation</a> calls into question the widespread claim that giving puberty blockers and hormones to children who reject their biological sex prevents suicides – and grimly suggests the opposite may be true.
In a <a href="https://www.heritage.org/gender/report/puberty-blockers-cross-sex-hormones-and-youth-suicide">report</a> titled “Puberty Blockers, Cross-Sex Hormones, and Youth Suicide,” the conservative think tank determined that causal conclusions being drawn between medical interventions and suicide among young people are not supported by data. The Washington-based foundation is hoping states use its findings to pursue policies strengthening parental involvement in such pivotal decisions for their children.
“The claim that puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones prevent suicides is being used by the Biden administration and state policymakers to ease access to those drugs,” Jay Greene, a senior research fellow in the Center for Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation, told <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/">The Daily Wire</a>. “As it turns out, the science behind that claim is extremely weak and when the evidence is examined properly, it shows that making cross-sex treatments more widely available risks raising youth suicide rates rather than reducing them.”
The findings, which have not yet gone through peer review, are particularly significant in light of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden">Biden</a> administration’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-early-trans-surgeries-hormones-are-crucial-for-kids-teens-who-identify-as-trans">claim</a> that “early” interventions are “crucial” for the health of kids and teens who identify as transgender and nonbinary.  In making those claims, the Biden administration is also <a href="https://www.aclu.org/news/lgbtq-rights/doctors-agree-gender-affirming-care-is-life-saving-care">echoing</a> groups like the ACLU and LGBTQ organizations like the Trevor Project.

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Biden Directs HHS To Expand Access To Trans Sex Change Surgeries, Including For Children

Biden To Sign Executive Order Promoting Sex Change Surgeries For Trans Adults, Children 

LGBTQ

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra has once again tested positive for COVID-19, just 25 days since he last announced he had the virus, according to a news release from the department.
The release said Becerra, who last tested positive on May 18 while traveling in Europe, was experiencing mild symptoms.
“This morning in Sacramento, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra tested positive for COVID-19 after taking an antigen test,” the release said. “He is fully vaccinated and boosted, and is experiencing mild symptoms. He will continue to perform his duties, working in isolation.&#8221;
The news follows the announcement that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has contracted the virus for the second time. &#8220;I’ve tested positive for COVID-19. I’ll be following public health guidelines and isolating. I feel okay, but that’s because I got my shots. So, if you haven’t, get vaccinated &#8211; and if you can, get boosted. Let’s protect our healthcare system, each other, and ourselves,&#8221; Trudeau tweeted on Monday.
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I’ve tested positive for COVID-19. I’ll be following public health guidelines and isolating. I feel okay, but that’s because I got my shots. So, if you haven’t, get vaccinated &#8211; and if you can, get boosted. Let’s protect our healthcare system, each other, and ourselves.
&mdash; Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) <a href="https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau/status/1536365897358745600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Trudeau&#8217;s announcement came just days after he met with President Joe Biden and several foreign leaders at the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles.
&#8220;Trudeau met with several other U.S. officials during the trip, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), as well as the leaders of Argentina, Jamaica, Barbados and the Dominican Republic. Chilean President Gabriel Boric met with Trudeau in Ottawa on June 6,&#8221; The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/06/13/canada-trudeau-covid-biden-summit-americas/">said</a>. The paper then added, &#8220;White House spokesman Kevin Munoz said Biden is not a close contact of Trudeau as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.&#8221; The announcements came as COVID cases are back up and the World Health Organization (WHO) issued new warnings.
The COVID-19 pandemic is “most certainly not over,” WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned late last month, <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/05/1118752">according</a> to U.N. News.
The WHO head said, “We lower our guard at our peril.”
“So, is COVID-19 over? No, it’s most certainly not over. I know that’s not the message you want to hear, and it’s definitely not the message I want to deliver,” he said.
Ghebreyesus told officials gathered in Geneva for the opening of the WHO’s annual meeting that declining testing and sequencing means “we are blinding ourselves to the evolution of the virus.” In addition, he said that while billions are vaccinated against the virus, nearly one billion people in lower-income countries still are not.
While some 60% of the world’s population is vaccinated, he said, “it’s not over anywhere until it’s over everywhere.”
Ghebreyesus mentioned, “reported cases are increasing in almost 70 countries in all regions,” the UN reported.
“ … And this in a world in which testing rates have plummeted,” the WHO head added.
He noted that the virus is spreading rapidly in Africa, where the vaccination rate is the lowest worldwide. And he said that while there appears to be ample supply of the vaccine, there is “insufficient political commitment to roll out vaccines” in some countries, while there remain gaps in “operational or financial capacity” in other nations.
“In all, we see vaccine hesitancy driven by misinformation and disinformation,” Ghebreyesus said. “The pandemic will not magically disappear. But we can end it. We have the knowledge. We have the tools. Science has given us the upper hand,” he said, calling on countries to work together to reach 70% of vaccination coverage.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as a White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.

New year 2022 written in 3D with Coronavirus omicron variant instead of zero.

U.S. Health Secretary Contracts COVID-19 For Second Time In 25 Days

U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra Contracts COVID-19 For Second Time In 25 Days

COVID-19 Vaccine

World Health Organization

President Joe Biden&#8217;s Department of Health and Human Services recently created &#8220;The Office of Environmental Justice,&#8221; but critics are slamming the office for wasting taxpayer dollars and pushing &#8220;a woke political agenda&#8221; rather than focusing on more pressing issues.
On Monday, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra announced that the Biden administration established the office because &#8220;many communities across our nation – particularly low-income communities and communities of color – continue to bear the brunt of pollution from industrial development, poor land use decisions, transportation, and trade corridors.&#8221; Yet, Jack Kalavritinos, a former senior HHS official, told The Daily Wire that the office is a bit redundant.
&#8220;How is it a good idea to transfer staff from other key divisions into a yet unfunded office?&#8221; Kalavritinos told The Daily Wire. &#8220;Especially when there are so many core missions that need addressing such as the youth mental health and substance abuse crises exacerbated by the draconian Covid shutdowns.&#8221;
There is data backing up Kalavritinos&#8217; concern for mental health.
In April 2022, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/has-the-cdc-been-truthful-about-the-mental-health-impact-of-lockdowns">reported</a> that &#8220;one batch of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/as-many-schools-remain-closed-suicide-related-er-visits-rise-by-51-among-teenage-girls">data</a> released from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — the main federal entity that charted America’s approach to lockdowns — revealed that the number of emergency room visits for suspected suicide attempts rose by 51% from February 21-March 21, 2021 among girls age 12-17 compared to the same stretch of time in 2019.&#8221;
&#8220;This increase came in the aftermath of strict lockdowns and an overall increase in the number of emergency room visits connected to mental health reasons in 2020,&#8221; The Daily Wire noted.
&#8220;Sounds like a woke political agenda versus smart evidence/based public health,&#8221; Kalavritinos added.
Kalavritinos also pointed out that there are &#8220;plenty of offices that address public health for the underserved at HHS.&#8221;
Those are offices like Public Health Service, Office of the Assitant Secretary of Health, The Office of Minority Affairs, The Indian Health Services, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
&#8220;No need to create another office by shifting staff from other offices in order to get a positive reaction from the extreme environmental activists,&#8221; Kalavritinos added.
Similarly, The Department of Justice also recently created an &#8220;Office of Environmental Justice.&#8221; That office will &#8220;serve as a &#8216;central hub&#8217; for the department&#8217;s efforts to advance its &#8216;comprehensive environmental justice enforcement strategy,'&#8221; Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/doj-unveils-new-office-environmental-justice">noted</a>.
&#8220;Although violations of our environmental laws can happen anywhere, communities of color, indigenous communities, and low-income communities often bear the brunt of the harm caused by environmental crime, pollution, and climate change,&#8221; Attorney General Merrick Garland said at the time. &#8220;For far too long, these communities have faced barriers to accessing the justice they deserve. The Office of Environmental Justice will serve as the central hub for our efforts to advance our comprehensive environmental justice enforcement strategy. We will prioritize the cases that will have the greatest impact on the communities most overburdened by environmental harm.&#8221;
Kalavritinos was not alone in his concern that Biden&#8217;s HHS is focusing on the wrong priorities.
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) also slammed the administration for not paying more attention to the brewing baby formula shortage crisis while they were building the new environmental justice office.
&#8220;It&#8217;s no coincidence that Biden&#8217;s HHS caused a national formula shortage as it was developing an &#8216;Environmental Justice&#8217; office,&#8221; Cotton tweeted. &#8220;When HHS spends its resources pursuing extreme leftist policies, it fails to achieve the mission of enhancing the health and well-being of Americans.&#8221;
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It&#8217;s no coincidence that Biden&#8217;s HHS caused a national formula shortage as it was developing an &#8220;Environmental Justice&#8221; office.
When HHS spends its resources pursuing extreme leftist policies, it fails to achieve the mission of enhancing the health and well-being of Americans. <a href="https://t.co/mwE7Lg1IWz">https://t.co/mwE7Lg1IWz</a>
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomCottonAR/status/1531797365761445892?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2022</a></blockquote>

‘Sounds Like A Woke Political Agenda’: Biden’s New ‘Office Of Environmental Justice’  Blasted For Wasting Taxpayer Money

President Joe Biden's Health And Human Services Department Creates New 'Office Of Environmental Justice‘

Environmentalism

Tom Cotton

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