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Maggie Wynne

Maggie Wynne

Counselor for Human Services Policy, Department of Health and Human Services; HHS Secretary Advisor and Liaison, Administration for Children and Families

Maggie Wynne has had a more than three-decade long career in Washington politics, dedicating much of her work on the Hill and within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under Presidents George W. Bush and Trump to anti-abortion advocacy. Most recently, her power and extremism manifested in the revelation that she has been a key decisionmaker in the Trump administration’s policy to deny unaccompanied minors in the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) care access to abortions.

HOW THEIR ROLE AFFECTS ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

Maggie Wynne is a member of the “small group of pro-life activists…reshaping the refugee office’s policy on abortion."

As a longtime anti-abortion activist, her influence in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) can be seen in the numerous recent rollbacks for reproductive health and denial of abortion access to minors in The Office of Refugee Resettlement's (ORR) custody. [Videotaped Deposition of Scott Lloyd, Esq., Washington D.C., 12/18/17 in Garza V. Hargan, Case #3:16-cv-3539-LB.]

PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT OF NOTE

Director of Pilgrimage and Visitor Services, Knights of Columbus Sponsored - Saint John Paul II National Shrine, 2016 – 2017

Director of Victim Assistance Programs, Office on Trafficking in Persons, HHS, 2015 – 2016

Director, Division of Anti-Trafficking in Persons, Office of Refugee Resettlement, HHS, 2008 – 2015

Congressional Fellow, U.S. House of Representatives, 2011 – 2012

Special Assistant to the Director for Policy Integration, HHS, 2005 – 2008

Legislative Analyst, HHS, 2001 – 2005

Executive Director, Pro-Life Caucus, U.S. House of Representatives, 1992 – 2000

Legislative Director, National Committee for Adoption, 1991 – 1992

Legislative Assistant, Representative Thomas J. Bliley, Jr., 1985 – 1990

Legislative Analyst, American Legislative Exchange Council, 1984 – 1985

TIES TO OTHER ANTI-CHOICE EXTREMISTS

Scott Lloyd:

VICE reported that former ORR Director Scott Lloyd has “worked closely” with Wynne on the refugee office’s abortion policies, as Wynne has been key to the office’s anti-abortion policies both prior to and following Lloyd’s appointment. Lloyd also served as a Senior Policy Coordinator at Knights of Columbus, which is a Catholic fraternal and charitable organization, at the time Wynne served as Director of Pilgrimage and visitor services for the Saint John Paul II National Shrine — where she oversaw outreach efforts focused on schools and Knights of Columbus councils. The Huffington Post has reported that Wynne recruited Lloyd to work at ORR under the Trump administration.

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ):

Wynne was detailed out of HHS during the Obama Administration to the “House Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., the most zealous right-to-lifer in the House and co-chair of the Pro-Life Caucus. The reassignment was part of an effort to keep her away from the bidding process for federal funding for anti-trafficking work, as Wynne was known to favor the U.S. bishops who fought a new Obama-era requirement to offer victims access to abortion services.”

HIGHLIGHTS

Wynne Contributed To Controversial Senate Candidate Todd Akin Shortly After He Made Comments Legitimizing Rape:

2012: Maggie Wynne Contributed To Republican Senate Candidate Todd Akin Shortly After He Claimed That That Victims Of "Legitimate Rape" Rarely Get Pregnant. Maggie Wynne contributed to controversial Republican Senate candidate Todd Akin's 2012 campaign, just one month after the candidate took to a St. Louis TV station to claim that "victims of 'legitimate rape' very rarely get pregnant because their bodies prevent them from doing so." [Federal Election Commission, accessed 1/12/18; Politico, 8/19/12]

THE WHOLE STORY

Maggie Wynne Has Spent Her Decades Long Career In Washington Attacking Abortion From Inside And Outside The Government.

Wynne Has Been An Anti Abortion Advocate Dating Back To 1992, When She Served As Director Of The Pro-Life Caucus.

Wynne Has Been A Staunch Professional Anti-Abortion Advocate Since 1992, When She Became Director Of The House Of Representatives Pro-Life Caucus. Maggie Wynne served as the director of the House of Representatives Pro-Life Caucus from 1992 to 2000. [Margaret Wynne Resume, accessed via American Oversight, 9/15/17]

2017: Wynne Has Been Described As "Ardently Pro-Life" By Former Colleagues. Wynne’s former colleagues told the New Yorker that Wynne was "ardently pro-life." [The New Yorker, 10/26/17]

Wynne Contributed To Controversial Senate Candidate Todd Akin Shortly After He Made Comments Legitimizing Rape.

2012: Maggie Wynne Contributed To Republican Senate Candidate Todd Akin Shortly After He Claimed That That Victims Of "Legitimate Rape" Rarely Get Pregnant. Maggie Wynne contributed to controversial Republican Senate candidate Todd Akin's 2012 campaign, just one month after the candidate took to a St. Louis TV station to claim that "victims of 'legitimate rape' very rarely get pregnant because their bodies prevent them from doing so." [Federal Election Commission, accessed 1/12/18; Politico, 8/19/12]

Wynne Publicly Argued Against All Human Embryo Research.

“Several representatives of scientific organizations yesterday spoke in favor of the NIH's effort to regulate its way into the stem cell field. "Stem cell research is too promising to impede, slow or stop," said Penelope Catterall of the Alliance for Aging Research. But Maggie Wynne, of the House of Representatives' Pro Life Caucus, said that any human embryo research, even under the proposed guidelines, would ‘violate the letter and spirit’ of the congressional ban.” [Washington Post, 4/9/99]

Wynne Has Been Intimately Involved In the Trump Administration’s Policy To Restrict Young Women’s Access to Abortion.

Wynne Was Revealed As A “Key Decision Maker” In ORR’s Controversial Policy On Limiting Access To Abortion For Unaccompanied Minors.

Trump’s Refugee Director Scott Lloyd Said That ORR’s Reaffirmation Of A Policy Limiting Abortion Access For Unaccompanied Minors Came From Conversations That He Had With Maggie Wynne. Q: “Right. So have you spoken with Maggie Wynne about certain abortion requests for minors?” LLOYD: “Yes.” Q: “Have you spoken with Maggie Wynne about the policy for abortion access for minors?” LLOYD: “Yes.” Q: “Have you had a conversation with Maggie Wynne about the policy for abortion access for unaccompanied minors that has been formalized? I'm trying to get around, you know, the deliberative process, but something that has then been sent out into the world.” LLOYD: “Okay, yeah.” Q: “Okay, and so what was the, the ultimate policy that came out of the conversation?” LLOYD: “The email from Ken Tota.” [Videotaped Deposition of Scott Lloyd, Esq., Washington D.C., 12/18/17 in Garza V. Hargan, Case #3:16-cv-3539-LB]

  • In March 2017, ORR Announced It Wouldn’t Allow Its Facilities To Take “‘Any Action That Facilitates’ Abortion” “In March, however, the Office of Refugee Resettlement announced that federally funded shelters are barred from taking “any action that facilitates” abortion for these unaccompanied minors without “direction and approval” from ORR Director Scott Lloyd. And according to the ACLU, Lloyd, a Trump nominee, is now prohibiting minors from accessing abortion care—and instead sending them to “crisis pregnancy centers” that urge them not to terminate their pregnancies.” [Slate, 10/11/17]

One Former ORR Official Claimed That ORR's Policies "Reflect" Wynne's Choices And That Wynne Is "In HHS To Support Them." "Wynne left HHS in 2016 after years of clashing with other officials in the Obama Administration, but she returned to serve on the transition team at HHS after last November's election. Being one of the only political appointees at the department with extensive prior experience involving ORR contributed to her clout. Until Lloyd took over, staffers at ORR reported to her. 'ORR's policies reflect her choices,' one former official, who still has close ties to the office, told me. (ORR's policies reflect those of the Administration, and Maggie is in H.H.S to support them,' an HHS spokesperson said.)" [The New Yorker, 10/26/17]

Scott Lloyd Referred To Himself, Legal Counsel, Maggie Wynne, And Steve Wagner As The  “Decision-Makers.”  LLOYD: “We found it to be a good resource.” Q. “Who is ‘we’?” LLOYD: “People in the department.” Q. “Who would that include?” LLOYD: “Me and legal counsel and Maggie Wynne, Steve Wagner, decision-makers.” [Videotaped Deposition of Scott Lloyd, Esq., Washington D.C., 12/18/17 in Garza V. Hargan, Case #3:16-cv-3539-LB]

Wynne Provided ORR Director Scott Lloyd With A List Of Anti-Abortion Crisis Pregnancy Centers For Pregnant Unaccompanied Minors…

Wynne Sent ORR Director Scott Lloyd A List Of Four “Pregnancy Care Centers Offering Free Ultrasounds” In San Antonio, Texas For An Unnamed Minor. In March 2017, Wynne sent ORR Director Scott Lloyd a list of four “pregnancy care centers” in the San Antonio, Texas area and their distances from the “BCFS San Antonio campus” for an “unnamed” minor. Lloyd thanked Wynne and said “this is a huge help.” [U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, case #1:17-cv-02122-TSC, Exhibit D, filed 11/27/17]

[U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, case #1:17-cv-02122-TSC, Exhibit D, filed 11/27/17]

Wynne Introduced Lloyd To A Doctor From An Anti-Abortion Center That Was Sent To Examine Jane Doe At Her Shelter.

ORR Director Scott Lloyd Acknowledged That He Was Introduced To The Doctor Who Examined “Jane Doe” By Maggie Wynne. Q: “Can you walk me through what happened with Jane Doe.” LLOYD: “So we, we received a termination request. Gosh, I'm sorry. The, the facts of that case are escaping me right now. Oh, so one of our grantees kind of -- I'm sorry. So we received a request from our grantee, the kind of -- according to our 4 notification procedures, the staff let me know 5 that this was occurring. We began on the information-gathering process, and at some point, at some point that litigation began.” Q: “So before litigation began, did you require that minor to visit a crisis pregnancy center?” LLOYD: “Perhaps.” Q: “And perhaps you don't remember or you don't know?” LLOYD: “I don't remember, but I think so.” Q: “Did you also send an Ob-Gyn to do an examination at the shelter of Jane Doe?” LLOYD: “No.” Q: “The name Dr. R doesn't ring a bell to you?” LLOYD: “It does.” Q: “Who is Dr. R?”  LLOYD:  “He was medical staff at a crisis pregnancy center.” Q: “So it's fair to say that he would be opposed to abortion?” PHIPPS: “Objection. Foundation.” LLOYD: “Yeah.” Q: “You don't know?” LLOYD: “No, I don't know. He works at a pregnancy center.” Q: “How did you come to know who Dr. R was? If you know who he is, how do you know him?” LLOYD: “Sure. If I recall correctly, I was informed by Maggie Wynne.” Q: “Informed by her about him in what sense?” LLOYD: “Of his, of his person and of his being a doctor and his affiliation with the pregnancy center.” Q” “Did you learn about Dr. R in the context of Jane Doe's request for an abortion?” LLOYD: “Yes.” [Videotaped Deposition of Scott Lloyd, Esq., Washington D.C., 12/18/17 in Garza V. Hargan, Case #3:16-cv-3539-LB]

  • In October 2017, The ACLU Filed A Motion Seeking Emergency Injunctive Relief On Behalf Of A Jane Doe, Who Was Seeking Access To Abortion Despite The Government Attempts To Block Her. On October 10, 2017, the ACLU filed a motion seeking emergency injunctive relief on behalf of a Jane Doe in an effort to prohibit the federal government from blocking her ability to access abortion. [Garza V. Hargan, Plaintiffs’ Notice of Motion, 10/10/17]

Wynne Was Involved In The Decision To Offer A Pregnant Minor A Controversial Publication Filled With Lies That Listed “Breast Cancer Risk” And “Future Infertility” As Risks Of Abortion. 

Scott Lloyd, Maggie Wynne, And Steven Wagner Instructed That An Anti-Abortion Publication About Abortion Published By The State Of Texas Be Offered To A Teen In Another State. Q: “Did you also instruct that this minor be offered a publication by the State of Texas about abortion?” LLOYD: Something along those lines, yeah. Q: “Is this the first minor that you have made such an instruction for?” LLOYD: “I don't recall, but I don't think so.” Q. “This minor wasn't in Texas, was she?” LLOYD: “No.” Q: “Why then would she be asked to read a publication from the State of Texas?” LLOYD: “We found it to be a good resource.” Q: “Who is ‘we’?” LLOYD: “People in the department.” Q: “Who would that include?” LLOYD: “Me and legal counsel and Maggie Wynne, Steve Wagner, decision-makers.” [Videotaped Deposition of Scott Lloyd, Esq., Washington D.C., 12/18/17 in Garza V. Hargan, Case #3:16-cv-3539-LB]

  • The Texas Brochure Lists “Future Infertility,” And “Breast Cancer Risk” As Risks Of Abortion. The document provided by Wagner, Lloyd and Wynne includes multiple pages on what are claimed to be “abortion risks.” The document lists “death” as the first possible “abortion risk.” The document also states that women can experience “depression or thoughts of suicide” after an abortion. The document also lists “future infertility” and “breast cancer risk” as “abortion risks.” [Dallas News, 5/2/18]

Wynne Overruled A Doctor's Order That A Woman In HHS Care Take The Second Abortion Pill After Already Taking The First, And Instead Directed Her To An Emergency Room To Try And Keep The Fetus Viable

March 3rd, 2017: ORR Medical Officer Shaanan Meyerstein Wrote HHS Officials Advising That It “Was In The Bests Interests Of The Child” And “Would Be Unwise To Withhold” The Second Abortion Pill To An Undocumented Woman Who Already Had Taken The First Pill—He Also Advised That Shelter Staff Were Equipped To Administer The Pill…

...But Lloyd Gave The Direction To Bring The Young Woman To The Emergency Room To Determine If There Was A “Fetal Heartbeat.”

[Jonathan White Deposition, 12/19/17]

Wynne Has Been Directly Involved With The Family Separation Crisis.

Wynne Organized And Attended A May 2018 Meeting With A Department Of Homeland Security Official About Sheltering Migrant Children.  

She Met With DHS Program Management & Resource Analyst Lori Sims On May 10, 2018. The below meeting record was obtained through a Freedom Of Information Act request for any calendars noting times and dates of scheduled meetings involving HHS official(s) with other federal officials or personnel responsible for sheltering unaccompanied minors.

[5/31/18 FOIA Request from Equity Forward to HHS, Response Received 1/24/19]

The Meeting Came Just One Month After The Justice Department Announced The Trump Administration’s “Zero Tolerance” Family Separation Policy At The Border — Which HHS And DHS Executed Without Reunification Plans… “The agencies involved ‘did not plan’ for the influx of separated children, and in fact, the exact number of separated children at any time during this period may have been a mystery to DHS and HHS. That's because the two departments ‘did not systematically collect and maintain information to indicate when a child was separated from his or her parents,’ the [Government Accountability Office] report found.” [CBS News, 10/24/18]

…Between April and June 2018, Over 2,600 Children Were Separated From Their Parents And Held In Government Care. At The Time Of Wynne’s Meeting, There Were No Procedures To Reunite Them In Place. “The Government Accountability Office found more than 2,654 children were separated between April and June 2018, when the Trump administration's ‘zero tolerance’ policy was in effect… ‘HHS officials told us that there were no specific procedures to reunite children with parents from whom they were separated prior to the June 2018 court order,’ according to the GAO report.” [CBS News, 10/24/18]