David Weldon: The Anti-Abortion Supervillain You’ve Probably Never Heard of

Trump’s cabinet nominees have been so aggressively bad that it makes every day feel like an episode of Punk’d, except the host never comes out with cameras. In what must be a cruel prank, Trump has nominated David Weldon—father of the discriminatory anti-abortion law known as the Weldon Amendment—to be the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  

Now you may be thinking: “Who is he?” or “I thought he was dead?” Fair question, considering that Weldon has somehow managed to slither under the radar for the past 20-plus years while simultaneously causing absolute chaos for abortion access.   

The National Women’s Law Center has been advocating against the Weldon Amendment for a while now, so it should come as no surprise that David Weldon is one of the nominees we are most concerned about. While his nomination to run our nation’s “leading science-based, data-driven, service organization that protects the public’s health” has felt like a kick to the teeth, we’ve dusted ourselves off and are ready to expose all of Weldon’s dirty deeds.

Here is everything you need to know about David Weldon, the anti-abortion supervillain you’ve probably never heard of:

  1. As the architect of the Weldon Amendment, David Weldon has already restricted abortion access for countless patients for the last 20 years. His most damaging legacy, the Weldon Amendment (yes, named after himself), allows health care providers, hospitals, and insurers to deny abortion care, referrals, and even information about these services to patients. Embedded in the federal budget since 2005, the Weldon Amendment prioritizes providers’ beliefs over patients’ needs. This dangerous law has been used by anti-abortion policymakers (including the first Trump administration) to punish states that seek to protect and expand abortion access. It has also been used to justify measures that would embolden even more refusals of care.
  2. Weldon’s anti-abortion record is long and terrifying. He proudly boasts about his “100% pro-life voting record” *gag* and has supported countless anti-abortion bills, including a harmful bill that uses medically inaccurate language and stigmatizes abortions later in pregnancy; a bill to criminalize transporting young people across state lines for abortion care; and a so-called “abortion counseling” bill that would have forced providers to read a medically inaccurate and shame-riddled script to abortion patients prior to procedures.
  3. Weldon’s confirmation could lead to a database of abortion patients subject to surveillance and criminalization, as proposed by Project 2025. If confirmed, Weldon would have access to sensitive public health data that could be used to track and criminalize abortion patients. As CDC Director, Weldon could require states to report detailed abortion data—such as where patients live and why they seek care—and threaten to withhold Medicaid funding to states that do not comply. While this state reporting is currently voluntary, Project 2025 aims to make it mandatory, increasing surveillance and putting both patients and providers at risk. This could fuel further criminalization of pregnancy and abortion, especially for Black, Brown, and low-paid women. 
  4. Weldon is an anti-science conspiracy theorist who, as a doctor, should know better. Yes, you read that right. David Weldon is an anti-vax doctor who spreads conspiracy theories like “abortion causes breast cancer” and “vaccines cause autism”! Weldon introduced the “Vaccine Safety and Public Confidence Assurance Act” in 2007, in an effort to politicize vaccine safety oversight. Anyone who went to medical school has no business making false statements like these, and they definitely should not be nominated as Director of the CDC. But here we are. 

Every person who cares about health care should be alarmed by David Weldon’s nomination to run the CDC. 

What does the CDC do?

The CDC is the U.S. government’s leading public health agency, dedicated to keeping the population safe from health threats through science-based research, education, and policy recommendations. It tracks outbreaks like COVID-19 and the flu, conducts vital health research, oversees vaccination programs, and educates the public on health-related issues. The idea of an anti-vaccine and anti-abortion super villain leading our nation’s responses to public health crises is alarming, especially in the midst of multiple public health crises,

including: the ongoing spread of contagious diseases, alarmingly high maternal mortality rates with deep racial inequities, and a nationwide abortion access crisis. 

David Weldon’s record demonstrates his willingness to put his personal beliefs above the health and safety of others. Despite his extensive anti-abortion, anti-health, and anti-science record, David Weldon has somehow managed to slip under the radar of public awareness. Personally, I don’t want an anti-abortion supervillain overseeing a nationwide abortion patient database, nor am I cool with an avid anti-vaxxer being the chief health officer in the U.S. tasked with protecting the country from the spread of infectious diseases. I am worried, and you should be too. 

If confirmed, David Weldon will have the power to make life or death decisions that would impact our collective safety and wellbeing, which is why we won’t let him slip under the radar any longer.

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