Last October, President Bush appointed Susan Orr to oversee federal family planning programs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Orr, who previously directed HHS child welfare programs, was touted by the administration as “highly qualified.”
But after less than a year on the job, Orr has resigned. From a statement by the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association (via RH Reality Check):
ThinkProgress spoke to HHS spokeswoman Jennifer Koentop today, who confirmed that Orr has stepped down.
We are certainly relieved that a known opponent of access to contraception like Dr. Susan Orr is resigning from her position as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs (DASPA), the position which oversees the only dedicated federal program for family planning services for low-income and uninsured people.
From the beginning, Orr was controversial, with her strongest credentials seemingly being her support for failedabstinence-only policies. Lawmakers immediately wrote to HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt and urged him to reconsider the appointment. Before joining HHS, Orr served as senior director for marriage and family care at the conservative Family Research Council (FRC) and was an adjunct professor at Pat Robertson’s Regent University. A look at her past record: