Family Planning
Official Resigns
Christopher Lee,
washingtonpost.com from the Web. March 30, 2007
The doctor in charge of the Bush
administration's family planning programs resigned yesterday after revealing
that state Medicaid officials had taken action against his private medical
practice in Massachusetts.
Eric Keroack, an obstetrician-gynecologist, became deputy assistant secretary
for population affairs in November, advising Health and Human Services Secretary
Mike Leavitt on matters such as reproductive health and adolescent pregnancy.
He oversaw $283 million in annual family planning grants designed to provide
access to contraceptive supplies, especially for low-income people.
Family planning advocates panned the pick, noting that Keroack also had served
as medical director of A Woman's Concern, a nonprofit Christian pregnancy
counseling organization in Massachusetts that on its Web site opposed the
distribution of contraceptives as "demeaning to women."
In an e-mail to colleagues yesterday, Keroack said he was resigning to focus on
appealing the action by Massachusetts Medicaid officials. HHS officials
declined to provide more details, and state Medicaid officials could not be
reached.
"It's a good day for women's health," said Cecile Richards, president of Planned
Parenthood Federation of America. "Keroack was unqualified to run the
nation's family planning program. ... The nation's family planning program
should be run by a champion for women's health and safety."
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