The Center for Reproductive Rights opposes the nomination of Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). His record on making decisions on crucial women's health issues suggests that he would sacrifice women's health to his political agenda of opposing abortion.

As Governor, Thompson not only signed, but actively championed, Wisconsin ban's on so-called ‘partial-birth abortion', which was the harshest in the nation, imposing a possible penalty of life imprisonment against doctors deemed to violate its prohibitions.

"The Secretary of Health and Human Services is the chief adviser to the president on issues of abortion, contraceptives, new reproductive technologies and other issues pertaining to women's health. How can a man who would sign a bill as governor which so threatens women's health, be entrusted with the health of all the women of this country?" asked Janet Benshoof, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, a legal advocacy organization.

Chief Judge Richard Posner of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit dissented from the court's decision to uphold the Wisconsin ban, writing, "Wisconsin is taking chances of unknown magnitude with the health of pregnant women. This the Supreme Court's decisions do not permit." The Wisconsin abortion ban was rendered void by Stenberg v. Carhart, the Supreme Court's decision last summer finding a similar ban from Nebraska unconstitutional. The Center for Reproductive Rights represented the parties challenging the bans in both of these cases.

Among other responsibilities, the head of the Department of Health and Human Services has direct oversight of the Title X family planning program, which provides reproductive health services to millions of American women. While Thompson has provided some support to family planning programs as governor, the Center for Reproductive Rights is concerned that the anti-abortion Bush Administration will try to re-impose restrictions on counseling provided by Title X clinics that existed during previous Republican administrations. The Secretary of HHS also oversees the head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), who could severely restrict the use and availability of the new early option abortion pill, mifepristone, and reject efforts to make emergency contraception more easily available.