Dr. Erica Schwartz, who was confirmed as the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday, indicated that enhanced surveillance of abortion data will be a key priority for the agency. During her confirmation hearings, Schwartz addressed concerns raised by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) regarding the collection of abortion statistics.
Schwartz stated that "abortion surveillance is absolutely a critical component of what the CDC is currently doing." She also expressed a need to ensure that data is accurate and that "certain states are not conflating emergency services and hiding abortions in that emergency services case definition." She emphasized the importance of clear case definitions for abortions to maintain data accuracy.
There is no evidence to suggest that states are deliberately misclassifying abortion care when reporting statistics to the CDC. Some critics have voiced concern that Schwartz's focus on abortion surveillance, coupled with her perceived alignment with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s views on vaccines, signals an anti-abortion agenda that could undermine patient privacy and public health efforts.
"Erica Schwartz is the latest in a long line of extremists stacked in this administration to undermine abortion access and patients’ privacy," said Mini Timmaraju, president and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All. "Her confirmation cements an anti-abortion agenda at the center of the CDC’s work, rather than containing outbreaks and keeping the public safe."
The Senate confirmed Schwartz with a 51-44 vote, largely along party lines. She becomes the first permanent director of the CDC in a year and is the first Black woman to hold the position. Schwartz previously served as deputy surgeon general during Donald Trump's first term. She assumes leadership of the agency during a period of instability, following staff reductions and resignations under the previous administration.