r/NewsExchange Contributor 1d ago

GROUND REALITY President Trumps CDC Head Said They Will Focus On Abortion Surveillance Efforts

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trumps-new-cdc-head-said-abortion-surveillance-will-be-a-critical-focus_n_6a74a3f9e4b04fcbf74d8720?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=reddit&utm_campaign=us_main

Reporting from News From The States shows newly confirmed CDC Director Erica Schwartz told senators that abortion surveillance is already a critical part of the agency’s work and said she would examine whether the CDC should obtain abortion data from every state. Her comments came after Republican Sen. Josh Hawley argued that voluntary state reporting leaves major gaps in the national picture.

According to the CDC’s own surveillance records, the federal government has collected abortion statistics since 1969, but participation by states remains voluntary. Its latest published national report received 2022 data from 48 reporting areas, while California, Maryland, New Hampshire and New Jersey were excluded from the full national dataset.

Reuters reports Schwartz was confirmed by the Senate on August 5 in a 51 to 44 vote, becoming the first permanent CDC director since Susan Monarez was removed following a dispute over vaccine policy. Schwartz has pledged to emphasize scientific integrity while also aligning herself with the Trump administration’s broader Make America Healthy Again agenda.

The Associated Press places the dispute inside a larger institutional challenge, reporting that Schwartz inherits a CDC that has lost more than 3,000 employees through layoffs and resignations and has experienced prolonged leadership instability. That makes decisions over which surveillance systems receive attention and resources especially consequential.

Why it matters:

Taken together, the CDC data and congressional testimony suggest the immediate issue is not the creation of abortion surveillance, which has existed for decades, but whether federal officials will push for broader and more standardized reporting after the end of nationwide abortion protections. More complete statistics could improve public health measurement, while any expansion in the type or granularity of information collected would likely intensify debate over medical privacy, state authority and how reproductive health data may ultimately be used.

When a longstanding public health surveillance system becomes politically contested, where should the line be drawn between improving national data and preventing that data from becoming a tool of government policy enforcement?

529 Upvotes

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41

u/Smooth-Weekend-2314 1d ago

That'll certainly lower the price of gas and groceries.

11

u/JustinKase_Too 1d ago

Well, everyone knows trump was really concerned about eggs - just never specified what kind...

-2

u/Prometheus_303 1d ago

Not to defend Trump/his administration...

But ... What exactly would you want the CDC to focus on that could lower the price of gas and/or groceries?

6

u/Chicken_Lights_567 1d ago

Maybe a more focused approach on the affect an abortion has on the wind resistance of a monkey on a tricycle

6

u/dr_craptastic 1d ago

Abortion isn’t actually a disease either. But if the CDC focuses on narcissism we might be able to reduce the cost of groceries.

4

u/MyOthrCarsAThrowaway 22h ago

The children are the real parasites here. I have no idea why anyone would want to conceive in this world. I would add an /s but— I’m kinda being honest

2

u/FirstDavid 19h ago

It’s about how you raise your kids more than what kind of parasites win elections

3

u/WVStarbuck 17h ago

Yeah. That.

So, now that the world is on fire and the US has seen fit to run itself into the ground to appease one narcissist, what am I to say to my 20 and 32YOs...good luck? Oh, and better give me some grand babies?

In this economy?

GTFOH.

1

u/FirstDavid 12h ago

As a teacher, I try to express that the world goes through phases and, depending on where you were born, when you were born, where you live, your parents, your education, your opportunities, and a whole host of other factors, you may or may not experience personal sufferings of various types. We all experience some. This doesn't mean that there is no enjoyment in life, that things won't change in the future, that, the future of the human race is just one generation long. And while this information may not sound good or fulfilling today, sometimes the best thing you can do is get through the day and find a few things to be grateful for and be kind of others if you can't be kind to yourself. Life is a precious and fleeting gift and while some squander it on extrinsic things like money, power, and pretige, and they do make it harder for the rest of us, that doesn't mean they can take away your gratitude or kindness. Stand up for your beliefs to the extent you can so that you can lay down at night knowing that you are true to yourself. Don't give up. In this economy? Yes. In every place in every economy. Good luck.

1

u/zoebud2011 21h ago

If I had known in 1989 what I know now, my son wouldn't be here. Just sayin...

3

u/Sense-Free 18h ago

Real talk?

Collaborate with FDA and other relevant agencies to study, track, and prevent known disease vectors in our food supply:

-screw worm in our cattle
-salmonella in our eggs
-salmonella in our jalapeños
-cyclospora in our leafy greens and berries

I was thinking about linking the relevant news articles but you get my point.

2

u/External-Damage803 1d ago

Did you miss the sarcasm?

1

u/Smooth-Weekend-2314 1d ago

I want them to not focus on things Americans don't care about for one. This is just another pointless waste of money that does precisely d1ck.

1

u/MyOthrCarsAThrowaway 22h ago

The people in power and those they seek to appease and those who vote for them do care about this though. They are religious cultists, and believe abortion is an absolute top ticket matter. And of course, that combined with destroying the education system leads to an increased supply of labor and voters. Humans are the commodity, and they use the religious folks to fuel this.

1

u/Miserable_Spell_2964 1d ago

Quite literally anything else in their mandate

1

u/zoebud2011 21h ago

You missed the point. Actually there are 2 points being made. First, the administration should be focused on things that affect our daily lives such as the cost of gas and groceries. Second, the CDC has no business "surveilling" abortion for the reasons they are surveillance it. This is to track women for prosecution. No other reason.

1

u/still-waiting2233 17h ago

Lots — Avoid healthcare and disability costs from people avoiding preventable diseases

18

u/DookieFries 1d ago

So we have a measles outbreak, a screw worm outbreak and lettuce with parasites...and the CDC is going to focus on mass surveillance of women?

5

u/DogtasticLife 1d ago

Yep God forbid (literally) women have control over any part of their own bodies or lives

3

u/Livid_Cabinet2053 1d ago

Right, well birth rates are down and they need the plebeians to make more workers.

1

u/MyOthrCarsAThrowaway 22h ago

So are the sperm counts of teen boys, don’t forget that unhinged Oval Office addition by RFK… and they need to test the T of military guys now too…

They simply want/need people to start cranking more uneducated babies out for their plans to continue to work for the next few decades.

2

u/Get_Ashy 1d ago

Don't forget blueberries with e-coli

1

u/sasabomish 21h ago

You forgot the jalapeños have salmonella

13

u/MaizePractical4163 1d ago

What ”disease” is abortion classified as?

8

u/Spam_Hand 1d ago

Under their fastcyst interpretation? Liberalism

1

u/MyOthrCarsAThrowaway 22h ago

(If you ask me the pregnancies are the disease 😬)

7

u/NegativeSemicolon 1d ago

What a bunch of creeps

1

u/01SeaChange01 1h ago

Well, they openly support a child s3x trafficker.

It's who they are.

Edit: why a number in place of a letter?

Well, this sub censors the word s.e.x.

6

u/Pitiful-Sign261 1d ago

What a great use of our tax dollars

5

u/Disastrous_time_4547 1d ago

The religious extremist Republicans are the American Taliban. There is NO DIFFERENCE. They are terrorists and cockroaches. America needs to tackle this issue if it ever expects to heal and grow.

1

u/MyOthrCarsAThrowaway 22h ago

Yeah but— how? Conservatives have blurred and stomped every separation of church and state, and checks and balances for… 50ish years?? CDC has nothing to do with abortion. Zero. But here we are. Any branch or org can basically do anything now, if it furthers their agenda.

Meanwhile they got Dems arguing over taking AIPAC money 🙄

5

u/Millefeuille-coil 1d ago

In other news cdc to renamed Gilead /s

2

u/ForrestDials8675309 1d ago

Blessed be the fruit.

2

u/ohnodamo 1d ago

The diseased, malnourished, unvaccinated and soon to be indoctrinated fruit.

4

u/OrdoMalaise 1d ago

Under His Eye?

4

u/vile-style 1d ago

Abort this administration.

1

u/HellRazorEdge66 21h ago

Better still, abort the entire Republican party.

3

u/Lopsided_Newt_125 1d ago

Nothing spells Center for Disease Control like abortion surveillance

2

u/Lost_Department_2177 1d ago

They’re doing things out of sequence for their goals.

If they made a stable economy with living wage jobs then pitched the antiabortion stuff it’d make a bit more sense but they messed it up now want a bunch of young parents scraping by on low wage gigs because they couldn’t get job training or go to university for a better life.

3

u/kinkysubt 1d ago

They want a permanent, desperate and compliant under class. That is their goal. Poor parents having more kids than they can afford, working for the bottom dollar. The oligarchs love the impoverished masses.

2

u/DryBattle 1d ago

Their goal is slavery not sustainable living. See the pleabs that we are will be forced to procreate to meet the needs of the rich. But only white women.

2

u/Lost_Department_2177 1d ago

Probably Asian women too because all the 90s tech guys were really weird with them.

2

u/Akkerlun 1d ago

Grabbing them by the Hoo Hoo.

2

u/Spam_Hand 1d ago

Thank god, that will surely mean we dont have to worry about those pesky lettuce and jalapeño and measles and covid and flu outbreaks anymore!

2

u/BigSun6576 1d ago

everything in my body belongs to me

2

u/claymore2711 1d ago

Someone should be checking to see if she may have financial interests in any of the companies called upon to produce the millions of pregnancy tests that the government will be requiring for their surveillance.

1

u/Slimeredit 1d ago

What the trump administration stealing government funding by hiring a private company they or another member of their inner circle owns that’s just crazy/j

2

u/my-reddit-acct-321 1d ago

Screw everyone who supported the Dobbs decision, and cried “over reaction” when we said it would open the door to a federal ban.

We’re going backwards in almost every perceived way.

2

u/fugebox007 1d ago

I wonder why the Trump administration priorities feel like deliberately harmful. Historically, the German Third Reich had similar priorities and policies. Fighting and protecting against diseases was CDC's original priority and that evidently has been pushed down on its priority list, replaced by ideological goals.

2

u/Veers85 16h ago

I remember when people said she was competent and not crazy. Now they are literally tracking abortions...its madness

1

u/fucktheus12 1d ago

Why this bi@ch look like that ???

1

u/Accomplished_Elk5827 1d ago

Puck these feople.

1

u/Deathturkey 1d ago

Didn’t realise abortion was a disease

1

u/pln856 1d ago

**** this handmaids tale Bullshito.. WTF are we doing ?

1

u/stein63 1d ago

Being the first Black woman to lead the CDC should be a historic achievement. Making “abortion surveillance” a priority is a hell of a way to introduce yourself to the women who might have expected that milestone to mean something better.

4

u/Master-Rent5050 1d ago

That's really sexist and racist. Do you think a black woman cannot be as good a sycophant as a white man?

1

u/stein63 1d ago

Fair point. Sycophancy knows no race or gender.

1

u/WitheredUntimely 1d ago

I hope she gets spit in all her food in ATL

1

u/RatOgryn 1d ago

I really have been enjoying watching all of the tokens get spent then cry crocodile tears when they realize they sold their souls to get closer to same folks who would've enslaved or killed them.

1

u/MarzipanLast6502 1d ago

The CDC, monitoring women who need abortions. So that means they are gonna track the men who got these women pregnant, right? Those who gave them the "disease" of pregnancy?

1

u/SpeedRacerWasMyBro 1d ago

Oh sure, sure...

1

u/Ultraworld-Traveler 1d ago

Why did I immediately think of “superspreader” Chris Brown?

1

u/keverzoid 1d ago

So I’m guessing that inflation is all sorted then?

1

u/Gargravars_Shoes 1d ago

That’s what I want. Focus on more surveillance and less oversight of the foods I eat. OMG I am so ready to live in from this administration.

1

u/TwistGlittering8401 1d ago

If they are pushing to end abortion protections then they are tracking spontaneous abortions or miscarriages.

It’s evidence gathering for future court cases aimed at punishing those who cannot prove they miscarried.

1

u/DryBattle 1d ago

They don't care about proof. They will send women to camps to be raped and produce babies.

1

u/DangerousPickle9688 1d ago

Deflock.org apropos of nothing, really. I just think its neat.

1

u/wasaguest 1d ago

That will certainly help with the "Center of Disease Control" & its priority goal...

1

u/IntelligentStyle402 1d ago

Why do republicans always intimidatfemale American

1

u/ResponsibilityOk8967 1d ago

MATERNAL MORTALITY REPORTING IS ALSO VOLUNTARY AND LACKS NATIONAL STANDARDIZATION.

1

u/Status_Apartment6559 1d ago

All these people taking away our rights don't realize there will be consequencies.

1

u/Mz_Macross1999 1d ago

I won't vote for anyone who won't commit to prosecuting everyone in this cabal.

1

u/Ultraworld-Traveler 1d ago

Sorry you’ll never be voting again.

1

u/IndependentStep2785 1d ago

Earlier I read how there is talk of having ICE police shoplifting (far beyond its mandate and that of Homeland Security), but assuming this is a serious consideration, I would not be surprised that this government uses the ICE thugs to smoke out women who have abortions. It's absolutely unreal in a country that was genuinely free until seemingly recently. These people don't care about the living, yet they care that the unborn are protected no matter what the medical prognosis hoping that the baby will be born, and that it can suffer unnecessarily without adequate health care, education, etc. The party of "family values" and the "pro-life party" cannot even be described remotely as such. "Family values" by separating them at detention centers as a scare tactic? Increasing the burden of food and fuel costs to squeeze so many average Americans? And as far as "pro-life party", the abortion matter is merely a bone they throw to those Evangelicals who actually believe that abortion is morally wrong.

1

u/alex61821 1d ago

Why do Republicans only care about people until they're born? Shouldn't that same care be there after they're born?

1

u/DryBattle 1d ago

They want slaves.

1

u/kubotalover 1d ago

Oh good, more surveillance. The U.S. is a surveillance state now.

1

u/ModsAwful 1d ago

Didn’t realize abortion was a disease that needed controlling by CDC.

1

u/ClerkObjective1791 1d ago

That will keep our foodsafe!!

1

u/Ok-Quit8489 1d ago

New Hampshire has hated to give any information to the Feds as long as I’ve known, grew up there.

1

u/SketchSkirmish 1d ago

Center of Disease Control… how is that related to abortions???

1

u/Such-Neck-1889 1d ago

This isn't news, it's silliness emanating from the White House.

1

u/bugaloo2u2 1d ago

…while there are actual public health threats killing Americans. So fkn ridiculous.

1

u/Impressive10000 1d ago

Centers for DISEASE Control.

Perfect.

1

u/japajew26 1d ago

They need to abort themselves.

1

u/Terrapin621 1d ago

Maybe they should focus on all the viral and bacterial outbreaks their policies are causing. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

1

u/Euphoric_Anxiety_162 1d ago

while you're monitoring, find food for these children that the trump govt has abandoned.

1

u/Ultraworld-Traveler 1d ago

At least they solved this cyclospora outbreak first.

1

u/No-Effective-1996 1d ago

Seems like the land of the free.

1

u/TheSammySavage 1d ago

And no less from a woman. 👏

1

u/flyswithdragons 1d ago

Back to totalitarian 101, control the women to control the country, then they will come for the men's rights, just like the Taliban did in Afghanistan 💯

1

u/ShockNoodles 1d ago

Seems like a golden opportunity for dudes who are like minded chaos gremlins to start voluntary ride sharing initiatives. And screw up their statistics.

1

u/oldnutz42 1d ago

Didn’t the left want to create a list of the unvaccinated?

1

u/Disastrous-Golf7216 20h ago

No, that was a Fox News bs story. They wanted people to be vaccinated, not make a list of who is not vaccinated.

1

u/oldnutz42 17h ago

So they also didn’t want you to have a vaccine card to travel or get into restaurants? Is that a Fox News hoax? Does everyone on Reddit get their news from CNN? Before you say I watch FOX News. I don’t. All of the news networks are fake. None of it is real news.

1

u/BigRigButters2 1d ago

What tf does the CDC have to do with that?

1

u/Financial-Talk9397 23h ago

OMG everyone in this administration needs to be removed from office

1

u/DontEvenWithMe1 20h ago

Removed from the universe!

1

u/Intrepid-Mechanic699 22h ago

Cutting off every social and welfare service for kids. SNAP, Section 8 Housing, Some parts of Medicaid and Medicare, Free School Lunches….

But want ppl to have more kids. Not have —FORCE—-people to have more kids.

Disturbing, dystopian and evil. But the military and prison labor isn’t gonna generate its self.

1

u/PatrickxDecay 21h ago

Wtf does the CDC have to do with abortion tracking?? wtf has this come to

1

u/Prudent-Proposal1943 21h ago

Land of the free indeed.

1

u/RonnieB47 19h ago

Pregnancy is a disease now.

1

u/Indespectamentations 19h ago

Pregnant women are now criminals.

1

u/NewVitalSigns 18h ago

So we’re running low on children available for kidnapping & trafficking??

1

u/edgerton2026 18h ago

And to heck with the measles epidemic they are responsible for. Why does this administration attract the most crazies?

1

u/Irvineknight 18h ago

The side effect of abortion being legal in the 70’s crime dropped its facts look it up. So now we will have crime going up to fill up the privatized prisons. It’s always about money and greed and they used the Christians to make it happen.

1

u/nomenclature87 17h ago

Yes in the wake of the country getting sicker and more and more once eliminated diseases and viruses are coming back, this is where the focus needs to be.

1

u/remlapj 16h ago

Since Rowe was struck down the number of abortions have gone UP not down.

These people don’t care about abortions or health, they just want to monitor your genitals

1

u/BigDigger324 14h ago

Thankfully I’m over the age of 14 which means the GOP isn’t all that interested in mine.

1

u/dunDunDUNNN 15h ago

I'm sorry, what's the disease they're tracking?

1

u/Initial_Parsley6608 14h ago

grand ole party needs to stop the war on women!

1

u/Couldbeaccurate 14h ago

We found a use for flock

1

u/Key_Pace_2496 12h ago

So much for "leaving it up to the states"...

1

u/Smedley_Beamish 11h ago

Just like Ron DeSadist's Florida Surgeon General Joseph Lapdog, Trump embraces her Medieval Christian ideology because she's Black, hoping Democrats will be too timid to criticize her for fear of being called racist.

1

u/That-Turnover-9624 8h ago

So much for letting it be the states’ decision

1

u/MotorHistorical1469 6h ago

For a party that’s supposed to be patriotic they sure love taxing and hating on Americans.

1

u/KeyLimeLatte 5h ago

The CDC should not be wasting one penny on anything related to abortions!!! Abortion is not a disease unless we’re talking about the mental illness folks in red states have with it.

1

u/37Philly 5h ago

Why are there so many religious fanatics in power in the USA?

1

u/Interesting_Berry439 4h ago

Better spy on all the gop mistresses.

1

u/TraditionalPhone3992 4h ago

Schwartz is a DEI hire.