President Trump on Friday nominated Charmaine Yoest, former president and CEO of anti-abortion group Americans United For Life, as assistant secretary of public affairs for the Department of Health and Human Services.
Americans United for Life has worked to limit abortions by advocating for restrictions on the procedure, including by passing state laws that implement waiting periods or requiring parental consent.
Yoest is a senior fellow at American Values, a conservative group opposed to abortion and same-sex marriage. She worked in the White House under former President Ronald Reagan, advised Gov. Mike Huckabee’s 2008 presidential campaign and was vice president for communications at the conservative Family Research Council, which works to extend religious liberty and also opposes abortion and same-sex marriage.
A 2012 New York Times profile said Yoest does not believe there should be any exemptions to abortion, including in cases of rape, incest or when a pregnant woman’s health is at risk. She also has said she opposes IUDs, a form of long-term contraception, and said it has “life-ending properties,” and has not taken the position that abortions can be reduced by expanding access to birth control.
In her appointment to Health and Human Services, Yoest will be responsible for messaging campaigns carried out by the agency.
