Acting Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Kyle Diamantas is committed to advancing a pro-life, pro-family agenda at the agency, a Health and Human Services (HHS) official told EWTN News, as Diamantas seeks to reassure pro-life leaders after concerns over his past legal work for a Planned Parenthood affiliate.
Diamantas, who previously served as the FDA’s deputy commissioner for human foods, became acting commissioner after Marty Makary’s departure May 12.
As Zeale News previously reported, President Donald Trump announced the leadership change, which comes amid continued pro-life criticism of Biden-era FDA policies that have allowed the abortion drug mifepristone to be prescribed by telehealth and mailed directly to patients. CatholicVote Director of Government Affairs Tom McClusky, however, argued that Makary’s ouster had “zero to do with the pro-life cause.”
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Andrew Nixon, deputy assistant secretary for media relations at HHS, told EWTN News that Diamantas “is personally committed to delivering on President Trump’s pro-life and pro-family agenda at the FDA” and has reached out to several pro-life organizations to reassure them about his priorities.
Live Action founder Lila Rose said in a May 13 X post that she spoke with Diamantas by phone, and he expressed regret over work he performed as an attorney for Planned Parenthood in Planned Parenthood of Greater Orland v. MMB Properties.
Today I spoke directly with Acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas.
— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) May 13, 2026
He told me he regrets work he performed as an outside attorney for Planned Parenthood in Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando v. MMB Properties. He shared that he was assigned to the case by his law firm,…
Some pro-life leaders had raised concerns about Diamantas after court records showed he served as legal counsel for a Planned Parenthood affiliate in a property dispute, Zeale News reported.
Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz said May 12 that Diamantas was “a junior associate initially assigned to the case” and “later removed himself from the case because of his personal beliefs.”
Lila, respectfully, you’re omitting important context. Kyle was a junior associate initially assigned to the case, but he later removed himself from the case because of his personal beliefs.
— Alex Bruesewitz 🇺🇸 (@alexbruesewitz) May 12, 2026
Kyle is a good man, is pro life, and he is focused on delivering on President Trump’s… https://t.co/40HDyn33YI
Rose said Diamantas told her his law firm assigned him to the case, he performed work on it, and he “ultimately regretted his involvement because of his moral opposition to abortion.”
“He then asked his superiors to remove him from the case,” she said. “He said that he is pro-life and cares deeply about the pro-life cause.”
Rose also said she raised concerns about mifepristone, noting that nearly 11% of women who take mifepristone experience serious adverse events. She said “millions of babies” in the U.S. have been killed by the pill.
“Diamantas told me that reviewing the abortion pill is a top priority for him and the administration,” she said. “We and millions of Americans across the nation who value the right to life expect the FDA to take serious action to protect mothers and their preborn children.”
The FDA said in 2025 it was conducting a safety review of mifepristone, but the agency has not reinstated tighter restrictions on the drug. In September 2025, the agency quietly approved a generic version of the drug, drawing further criticism from pro-lifers.
The Trump administration also indicated in a January court filing that the safety review could take a year or more to complete. Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser has insisted that the FDA could easily change the Biden-era policies.
March for Life President Jennie Bradley Lichter also told “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly” host Abigail Galván that Diamantas had reached out to her, calling the move “a really encouraging sign of where his priorities are going to be.”
Lichter said she believes “we’re going to see real movement” on the safety review under Diamantas’ leadership.
“I feel really comfortable that he is bringing in strong pro-life commitments and a commitment to transparency and to moving with all deliberate speed to take a close look at mifepristone and then take decisive action based on what that study shows,” Lichter remarked.
Still, some pro-life leaders remain skeptical. Mark Harrington, president of Created Equal, told EWTN News Diamantas had not contacted him and said the acting commissioner’s outreach “could just be viewed as nothing more than damage control.”
“Talk is cheap,” Harrington said. “But personnel is policy, and the fact that Diamantas represented Planned Parenthood makes me skeptical that he will advocate for the full mifepristone safety study. We will trust but verify. Action needs to be taken now on the abortion drug.”