Trump Pick Confronted at Hearing For Trashing Contraception as ‘Disrespectful to Life’

SENATOR PATTY MURRAY (D-WA): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for being here, Dr. Means. Let me start with this. You said birth control pills, and I’ll quote “disrespect for life”.

And you said Americans “use birth control pills like candy.”

You’ve also claimed that, contrary to established science, hormonal birth control poses “terrible health risks for women.”

Here are the facts. There are 18 FDA-approved methods of birth control, both hormonal and non-hormonal, and there are decades of evidence showing that each of these birth control methods is Safe and effective.

So I want to ask you to help me understand that women should trust the FDA, which has approved all 18 birth control methods after a very rigorous review of the evidence.

Or should they trust your statement that birth control has dire health risks that contradict this evidence?

CASEY’S MEANING: Thank you Senator Murray for your question. I wonder if you are aware of what the side effects of hormonal birth control are?

SENATOR PATTY MURRAY (D-WA): I wonder if you’re from the FDA, which is reviewing all of this and scrutinizing it, or are you going to tell the truth to the American people as the Surgeon General?

CASEY’S MEANING: I firmly believe that these medications should be accessible to all women.

Additionally, all medications have risks and benefits, and in our current medical climate, with the burden on physicians, doctors simply do not have enough time for comprehensive informed consent discussions.

Some of the terrible side effects of birth control that I mentioned include the risk of blood clots and stroke in women with clotting disorders, smokers, and obesity.

SENATOR PATTY MURRAY (D-WA): In general…

CASEY’S MEANING: No, it’s nothing general. I speak, I am very careful with my words, and when I say these comments taken out of context, I am talking about specific women who may be harmed if informed consent is not obtained about their medical history, lifestyle exposures, and family history.

I want these women to be able to talk to their doctors in detail and know if they are at higher risk for side effects when prescribed, and I know you do too.

SENATOR PATTY MURRAY (D-WA): Saying that is one thing, saying what you know is another, shows that birth control pills are a disrespect for life.

CASEY’S MEANING: I think I’m passionate about women’s health and I think this is disrespectful to women.

SENATOR PATTY MURRAY (D-WA): Saying that people use birth control like candy is very different from what you just said.

CASEY’S MEANING: We prescribe large amounts of hormonal contraceptives, and because of the pressures doctors are under due to our broken healthcare system, I don’t believe most of these conversations are informed consent.

I want what’s best for women like you, and I want every woman who might be at risk.

(CROSS)

SENATOR PATTY MURRAY (D-WA): I only have 2 minutes left and I have more questions. Let me continue.