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Rebekah Masters

Conscience and Religious Freedom Analyst, Office for Civil Rights

Rebekah “Bekah” DeMordaunt Masters comes to the Departmenf of Health and Human Services (HHS) from Capitol Hill, where she worked for anti-abortion Rep. Raul R. Labrador (R-ID) for five years. Her portfolio with Labrador included foreign relations, health care and education policy.

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HOW THEIR ROLE AFFECTS ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the Departmenf of Health and Human Services (HHS) is charged with enforcing anti-discrimination laws, health privacy laws, and conscience laws. The Washington Post reported that the Office for Civil Rights under Trump “has been greatly strengthening and expanding protections for health care providers who have religious- or conscience-based objections to procedures such as abortion.” It went on to say that “the makeover appears radical, one that critics worry will jeopardize the care of pregnant women and transgender individuals, as well as others who could be denied certain procedures.”

PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT OF NOTE

Rep. Raul R. Labrador, U.S. House of Representatives

  • Senior Legislative Assistant; 
  • District Representative;
  • Senior Legislative Assistant;
  • Legislative Assistant;
  • Intern 

TIES TO OTHER ANTI-CHOICE EXTREMISTS

Raul R. Labrador:

Masters worked for Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID) for five years. Labrador has cosponsored anti-abortion legislation such as the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (H.R. 36, 2017 — passed in the House; S. 2311 failed cloture in the Senate), which would nationally prohibit a woman from accessing abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Labrador said of the bill: “I am strongly pro-life. The federal government’s most important responsibility is protecting human life, including the lives of the unborn. Additionally, we have a moral obligation to minimize pain and suffering — especially for the most innocent among us. I am proud to support H.R. 36 and I will continue doing all I can to promote a ‘culture of life.’”

Gayann DeMordaunt:

Gayann DeMordaunt, Masters’ mother, is an Idaho state representative and was the lead sponsor on S.B. 1243, the “abortion reversal” bill that was passed into law in 2018. The bill updates the state’s informed consent packages to include unproven and potentially dangerous information about how to “reverse” a medical abortion.

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