Planned Parenthood Statement on Reassignment of Scott Lloyd at HHS

Washington, DC — Planned Parenthood Federation of America released the following statement after Scott Lloyd, the Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), was reassigned at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): 

Statement from Dana Singiser, Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs at Planned Parenthood Federation of America:

“As Director of ORR, Scott Lloyd consistently put the health of young immigrants at risk in order to further his extreme anti-abortion agenda. From blocking young undocumented women — including at least one rape survivor — from accessing safe, legal abortion to separating families at the border, Lloyd has permanently tainted the Office of Refugee Resettlement. Covering up his failure by moving him elsewhere in the federal government isn’t good enough. Lloyd is a national disgrace and he has proven himself unfit to serve in the administration in any capacity.”

BACKGROUND on Scott Lloyd:

Scott Lloyd:

• Received a weekly spreadsheet containing information on every pregnant woman in ORR’s custody, tracking the fetus’ gestational age and whether the woman has asked for an abortion.
• Traveled to personally meet with young, pregnant women in ORR detention facilities to coerce them out of exercising their constitutional right to safe, legal abortion.
• Stated that even if a young, pregnant woman’s life was in danger he might not allow her to access an abortion.
• Denied at least seven young, immigrant women’s requests for abortion — even when the pregnancy resulted from rape — in violation of federal law.
• Disobeyed court orders to not tell a young woman’s parents about her decision to obtain an abortion — putting her safety at risk. 
• Ordered that all pregnant women in the department's custody be given “life-affirming options counseling.”
• Asked officials to look into “reversing” a medication abortion that was already underway — despite the fact that there is no credible evidence that abortion ‘reversal’ works or is a safe procedure and that the young woman did not want them to.

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Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With more than 600 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.