Susan Orr

Last updated
Susan Orr
Susan Orr.jpg
Former Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs
In office
2007–2008
Associate Commissioner of the United States Children's Bureau
In office
2001–2007
Personal details
Alma mater University of Dallas
Claremont Graduate School

Susan Orr headed the United States Children's Bureau, a federal agency organized under the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families, Administration for Children and Families, as Associate Commissioner. [1] [2]

The United States Children's Bureau is a federal agency organized under the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families. Today, the bureau's operations involve improving child abuse prevention, foster care, and adoption. Historically, its work was much broader, as shown by the 1912 act which created and funded it:

The said bureau shall investigate and report to [the Department of Commerce and Labor] upon all matters pertaining to the welfare of children and child life among all classes of our people, and shall especially investigate the questions of infant mortality, the birth-rate, orphanage, juvenile courts, desertion, dangerous occupations, accidents and diseases of children, employment, legislation affecting children in the several states and territories.

United States Department of Health and Human Services Department of the US federal government

The United States Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), also known as the Health Department, is a cabinet-level department of the U.S. federal government with the goal of protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America". Before the separate federal Department of Education was created in 1979, it was called the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW).

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is a division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It is headed by the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner. It has a $49 billion budget for 60 programs that target children, youth and families. These programs include assistance with welfare, child support enforcement, adoption assistance, foster care, child care, and child abuse.

Contents

In October 2007, the Bush administration appointed Orr to be acting head of the Office of Population Affairs, a post whose responsibilities include U.S. contraception programs. Orr's appointment became controversial because, according to critics, she has been critical of contraception in the past. [3] [4] [5] She subsequently resigned in May 2008. [6]

George W. Bush 43rd president of the United States

George Walker Bush is an American politician and businessman who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He had previously served as the 46th governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000.

Career

Orr graduated from the University of Dallas with a degree in politics and received master's and Ph.D degrees in government from Claremont Graduate School. [1] [7]

University of Dallas university in Irving, Texas

The University of Dallas is a private Catholic university in Irving, Texas. Established in 1956, it is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

A master's degree is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. A master's degree normally requires previous study at the bachelor's level, either as a separate degree or as part of an integrated course. Within the area studied, master's graduates are expected to possess advanced knowledge of a specialized body of theoretical and applied topics; high order skills in analysis, critical evaluation, or professional application; and the ability to solve complex problems and think rigorously and independently.

Doctor of Philosophy Postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities in many countries

A Doctor of Philosophy is the highest university degree that is conferred after a course of study by universities in most countries. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. As an earned research degree, those studying for a PhD are usually required to produce original research that expands the boundaries of knowledge, normally in the form of a thesis or dissertation, and defend their work against experts in the field. The completion of a PhD is often a requirement for employment as a university professor, researcher, or scientist in many fields. Individuals who have earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree may, in many jurisdictions, use the title Doctor or, in non-English-speaking countries, variants such as "Dr. phil." with their name, although the proper etiquette associated with this usage may also be subject to the professional ethics of their own scholarly field, culture, or society. Those who teach at universities or work in academic, educational, or research fields are usually addressed by this title "professionally and socially in a salutation or conversation." Alternatively, holders may use post-nominal letters such as "Ph.D.", "PhD", or "DPhil". It is, however, considered incorrect to use both the title and post-nominals at the same time.

She was a high school principal and adjunct professor at both American University and Regent University. [1] [8]

Adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education.

American University private liberal arts and research-based university in Washington, D.C.

The American University is a private research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres at the former site of Fort Gaines on Ward Circle, in the Spring Valley neighborhood in the northwest of the District. AU was chartered by an Act of Congress in 1893 at the urging of Methodist bishop John Fletcher Hurst, who sought to create an institution that would promote public service, internationalism, and pragmatic idealism. AU broke ground in 1902, opened in 1914, and admitted its first undergraduates in 1925. Although affiliated with the United Methodist Church, religious affiliation is not a criterion for admission.

Regent University is a private Christian university in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The university was founded by Pat Robertson in 1977 as Christian Broadcasting Network University, and changed its name to Regent University in 1990. A satellite campus located in Alexandria, Virginia, was sold in 2008. Regent offers traditional on-campus programs as well as distance education. Through its eight academic schools, Regent offers associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in over 70 courses of study. The school is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and by CHEA, ABA, CACREP and CoA, TEAC, ACBSP and ASEL, ATS and is a member of NASPAA.

In 1995, Orr wrote Jerusalem and Athens, which examined Leo Strauss's ideas concerning the competition between reason and revelation arguing that if Strauss preferred one over the other, it would be revelation. [9] [ clarification needed ]

Leo Strauss Classical philosophy specialist and father of neoconservativism

Leo Strauss was a German-American political philosopher and classicist who specialized in classical political philosophy. Born in Germany to Jewish parents, Strauss later emigrated from Germany to the United States. He spent much of his career as a professor of political science at the University of Chicago, where he taught several generations of students and published fifteen books.

Reason is the capacity of consciously making sense of things, establishing and verifying facts, applying logic, and adapting or justifying practices, institutions, and beliefs based on new or existing information. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, language, mathematics, and art, and is normally considered to be a distinguishing ability possessed by humans. Reason, or an aspect of it, is sometimes referred to as rationality.

Revelation the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity

In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities.

Orr served at the Administration on Children, Youth and Families from 1992-1998 during Bill Clinton's presidency as a special assistant to the commissioner and a child welfare program specialist at the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect. [1] From 1998-2001, she was senior director for marriage and family at the Family Research Council, a group that favors abstinence-only education and opposes federal money for contraception, according to the Wall Street Journal . [4] [10] Prior to 2001, she was a director of the Center for Social Policy at the Reason Public Policy Institute [5] a think tank run by the Reason Foundation, a conservative research and policy group. [11]

Bill Clinton 42nd president of the United States

William Jefferson Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Prior to the presidency, he was the governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981, and again from 1983 to 1992, and the attorney general of Arkansas from 1977 to 1979. A member of the Democratic Party, Clinton was ideologically a New Democrat, and many of his policies reflected a centrist "Third Way" political philosophy.

Family Research Council nonprofit organization

Family Research Council (FRC) is an American fundamentalist Protestant activist group, with an affiliated lobbying organization. Its stated mission is "to advance faith, family and freedom in public policy and the culture from a Christian worldview". FRC promotes what it considers to be family values by advocating and lobbying for policies in government.

A think tank or policy institute is a research institute which performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most policy institutes are non-profit organisations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax exempt status. Other think tanks are funded by governments, advocacy groups, or corporations, and derive revenue from consulting or research work related to their projects.

From 2001-2007, Orr headed the United States Children's Bureau, a federal agency organized under the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families, as Associate Commissioner. [1] The agency, with a $7 billion budget, is responsible for child abuse prevention, foster care, and adoption programs.

Acting director of the Office of Population Affairs

Appointment

On October 15, 2007, the Bush administration appointed Orr to be acting head of the Office of Population Affairs an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of Public Health and Science as Deputy Assistant Secretary. [3] [4] [5] The office is responsible for $283 million in grants providing more than 5 million low-income families and others with family planning services including contraception (preventing nearly 2 million unintended pregnancies annually [12] ), STD and HIV education and testing, counseling and breast and cervical cancer screenings. [13] [14] Additionally, the office grants $30.7 million to promote sexual abstinence among adolescents and provide health care and other services to pregnant and parenting adolescents. [15] The position did not require Senate confirmation. [4]

Orr resigned the position in May 2008. [6] The National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association said:

We are certainly relieved that a known opponent of access to contraception like Dr. Susan Orr is resigning.... Health care providers should never be subject to political whims, yet here is another example of the Bush Administration attempting to put ideology ahead of sound science. [16]

Reaction to the appointment

Several groups reacted to Orr's 2001 comment while at the Family Research Council concerning the Bush administration's proposal to stop requiring federal employees health plans to cover five types of birth control: "We're quite pleased, because fertility is not a disease. It's not a medical necessity that you have it." [14] [17] The proposal was overturned by Congress. [18] The president of a family planning association said, "We have another appointment that just truly politicizes family planning", referring to the previous appointment to the Office of Population Affairs, Eric Keroack, a physician who worked at a Christian pregnancy-counseling organization opposed to the use of birth control. [3] He resigned in March to deal with an allegation by the Massachusetts Medicaid program against his private practice. [4] Senator Hillary Clinton said the appointment "sends a message to women that ideology trumps women's health." [14] Several other Democratic representatives along with Planned Parenthood came out against the appointment. [14] [19] Several members asked the HHS Secretary to withdraw the appointment. [20]

In support of the appointment, an HHS spokesperson said Orr's "breadth of programmatic and managerial experience makes her highly qualified to serve as acting director." [3] Additionally, she has been developing programs "that focus on preventing the abuse of children in troubled families, protecting children from abuse, and finding permanent placements for those who cannot safely return to their homes." In defense of her controversial 2001 comment, he said, she was supporting President Bush's policy. "As she said then, the policy allows freedom of conscience and freedom of choice. Practically speaking, workers should be able to choose what kind of coverage matters to them." [4] The Family Research Council said that she wanted to give employees the option to have a medical plan without family planning coverage, not to remove family planning for all. [10] The head of the conservative Pennsylvania Family Institute said, "From everything I know about Susan Orr and having worked with her on a number of issues, I think she would do fine in that position." He described her as a cultural conservative. [21]

Public health positions

Child protection

In 1999, while associated with the Reason Public Policy Institute, Orr published a series of endorsements for reforming child protection efforts. She recommended narrowing the definition of what is child abuse and neglect by restricting it to assault and serious neglect arguing that Child Protective Services (CPS) are "intruding into too many families' lives unnecessarily." She advocated moving investigations from CPS to police departments. She argued against helping the family "to attempt to repair or heal". Instead, she supported treating incidents only as a criminal matter. She called for the repeal of mandatory reporting requirements which require people who work with children to report suspicions of child abuse. She argued these laws encourage unnecessary reporting and discouraged neighbors from directly helping the troubled family. In the end, CPS would be involved only with voluntary services such as parenting advice and, further, should be privatized. [7]

Contraception

In 2001 Orr stated that she believes that because contraception is not a medical necessity health insurance plans should not be forced to cover it. [14] [17] In 2000, Orr wrote, concerning the lack of a "conscience clause" in a Washington D.C. municipal plan to force health insurers to cover contraception costs: "It's not about choice. It's not about health care. It's about making everyone collaborators with the culture of death." [19]

As of October 2007, Orr is on the board of directors of Teen Choice, a group calling for abstinence instead of contraception. [19]

Divorce

In a 2000 article in Washington Watch, a publication for the Family Research Council titled Real Women Stay Married, Orr argued that the majority of divorces are caused by women and called for them to recognize that only God can fulfill their lives. [22]

Abortion

In 2001, Orr hailed the Mexico City Policy that restricts non-governmental organizations who receive American tax dollars from providing or promoting abortion services. She was against approval of the abortifacient RU-486. [19]

Publications

Related Research Articles

Emergency contraception (EC) are birth control measures that may be used after sexual intercourse to prevent pregnancy. Emergency contraception has not been shown to affect the rates of abortion within a country.

Sterilization is any of a number of medical methods of birth control that intentionally leaves a person unable to reproduce. Sterilization methods include both surgical and non-surgical, and exist for both males and females. Sterilization procedures are intended to be permanent; reversal is generally difficult or impossible.

Family planning planning of when to have children, and the use of birth control and other techniques to implement such plans

Family planning services are defined as "educational, comprehensive medical or social activities which enable individuals, including minors, to determine freely the number and spacing of their children and to select the means by which this may be achieved". Family planning may involve consideration of the number of children a woman wishes to have, including the choice to have no children, as well as the age at which she wishes to have them. These matters are influenced by external factors such as marital situation, career considerations, financial position, and any disabilities that may affect their ability to have children and raise them. If sexually active, family planning may involve the use of contraception and other techniques to control the timing of reproduction.

The Mexico City policy, sometimes referred to as the global gag rule, is a United States government policy that blocks U.S. federal funding for non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling or referrals, advocate to decriminalize abortion, or expand abortion services. The Mexico City Policy is a U.S. government policy that – when in effect – has required foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to certify that they will not "perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning" with non-U.S. funds as a condition for receiving U.S. global family planning assistance and, as of January 23, 2017, any other U.S. global health assistance, including U.S. global HIV and maternal and child health (MCH) assistance.

Levonorgestrel-releasing implant, sold under the brand name Jadelle and Implanon among others, are devices that release levonorgestrel for birth control. It is one of the most effective forms of birth control with a one-year failure rate around 0.05%. The device is placed under the skin and lasts for up to five years. It may be used by women who have a history of pelvic inflammatory disease and therefore cannot use an intrauterine device. Following removal fertility quickly returns.

Prior to the 20th century, three major branches of Christianity generally held a critical perspective of birth control, including the leading Protestant reformers Martin Luther and John Calvin. Among Christian denominations today, however, there is a large variety of positions towards birth control.

Dr. Eric J. Keroack was an American Obstetrician-Gynecologist. He worked briefly in a pregnancy-related program at the United States Department of Health and Human Services during 2006–2007.

Long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) are methods of birth control that provide effective contraception for an extended period without requiring user action. They include injections, intrauterine devices (IUDs) and subdermal contraceptive implants. They are the most effective reversible methods of contraception because their efficacy is not reliant on patient compliance. Their 'typical use' failure rates, at less than 1% per year, are about the same as 'perfect use' failure rates.

Unintended pregnancies are pregnancies that are mistimed, unplanned or unwanted at the time of conception.

Family planning in India

Family planning in India is based on efforts largely sponsored by the Indian government. From 1965–2009, contraceptive usage has more than tripled and the fertility rate has more than halved, but the national fertility rate remains high, causing concern for long-term population growth. India adds up to 1,000,000 people to its population every 20 days. Extensive family planning has become a priority in an effort to curb the projected population of two billion by the end of the twenty-first century.

A contraceptive mandate is a government regulation or law that requires health insurers, or employers that provide their employees with health insurance, to cover some contraceptive costs in their health insurance plans.

Reproductive coercion is a collection of behaviors that interfere with decision-making related to reproductive health. These behaviors are meant to maintain power and control related to reproductive health by a current, former, or hopeful intimate or romantic partner, but they can also be perpetrated by parents or in-laws. Ultimately, these behaviors infringe on individuals' reproductive rights and reduce their reproductive autonomy.

Birth control in Africa

Most of the countries with the lowest rates of contraceptive use; highest maternal, infant, and child mortality rates; and highest fertility rates are in Africa.

Prevalence of birth control

Globally approximately 45% of those who are married and able to have children use contraception. As of 2007, IUDs were used by about 17% of women of child bearing age in developing countries and 9% in developed countries or more than 180 million women worldwide. Avoiding sex when fertile is used by about 3.6% of women of childbearing age, with usage as high as 20% in areas of South America. As of 2005, 12% of couples are using a male form of contraception with rates of up to 30% in the developed world.

Women’s reproductive health in the United States refers to the set of physical, mental, and social issues related to the health of women in the United States. It includes the rights of women in the United States to adequate sexual health, available contraception methods, and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. The prevalence of women’s health issues in American culture is inspired by second-wave feminism in the United States. As a result of this movement, women of the United States began to question the largely male-dominated health care system and demanded a right to information on issues regarding their physiology and anatomy. The U.S. government has made significant strides to propose solutions, like creating the Women’s Health Initiative through the Office of Research on Women’s Health in 1991.

Teresa Manning is an American political activist and former public official. She served as deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Population Affairs in the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the Trump administration from May 2017 to 12 January 2018.

Trump administration family separation policy Policy intended to deter illegal immigration and to encourage tougher legislation

The Trump administration family separation policy is an aspect of US President Donald Trump's immigration policy. The policy was presented to the public as a "zero tolerance" approach intended to deter illegal immigration and to encourage tougher legislation. It was adopted across the entire US–Mexico border from April 2018 until June 2018, however later investigations found that the practice of family separations had begun a year previous to the public announcement. Under the policy, federal authorities separated children from parents or guardians with whom they had entered the US illegally. The adults were prosecuted and held in federal jails, and the children placed under the supervision of the US Department of Health and Human Services.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Dr. Susan Orr". Administration for Children and Families. Archived from the original on 2007-09-10. Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  2. ↑ "About the Children's Bureau". Administration for Children and Families . Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Lee, Christopher (October 17, 2007). "Birth-Control Foe To Run Office on Family Planning". Washington Post . Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Meckler, Laura (October 16, 2007). "Contraception Foe Named to Contraception Post". Wall Street Journal . Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  5. 1 2 3 "About OPA". Office of Population Affairs. Archived from the original on 2007-11-03. Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  6. 1 2 "Bush Family Planning Appointee Who Called Contraceptives Part Of The 'Culture Of Death' Resigns". Think Progress. 2008-05-21. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
  7. 1 2 Orr, Susan (October 1, 1999). "Child Protection at a Crossroads". Reason Public Policy Institute. Retrieved 2007-10-19.[ permanent dead link ]
  8. ↑ "About Regent University". Regent University . Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  9. ↑ Orr, Susan (1995). Jerusalem and Athens: Reason and Revelation in the Work of Leo Strauss. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN   9780847680115 . Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  10. 1 2 "Contraceptive Mandates Orr Else..." Family Research Council . Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  11. ↑ Wald, Matthew L. (September 5, 2007). "Bush Chooses Transportation Nominee". New York Times . Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  12. ↑ "Facts on Publicly Funded Contraceptive Services in the United States". Guttmacher Institute. February 2009. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
  13. ↑ "Office of Family Planning". Office of Population Affairs. Archived from the original on 2007-10-19. Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 Crary, David (October 18, 2007). "Family-Planning Appointment Denounced". Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  15. ↑ "Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Programs". Office of Population Affairs. Archived from the original on 2007-10-13. Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  16. ↑ "Statement on the Resignation of Dr. Susan Orr and Possible Changes to Title X". The National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association. 2008-05-21. Archived from the original on 2008-10-23. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
  17. 1 2 Nakashima, Ellen (April 12, 2001). "Cut in Birth Control Benefit Of Federal Workers Sought". Washington Post . Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  18. ↑ "The History of Contraceptive Equity". Planned Parenthood. Archived from the original on 2007-12-03. Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Morgan, David (October 18, 2007). "Birth Control Foe To Head Family Planning". CBS News . Retrieved 2007-10-19.[ permanent dead link ]
  20. ↑ "Lawmakers Ask HHS Secretary Leavitt To Withdraw Appointment of Orr as Acting Head of Family Planning Programs". Kaiser Permanente. October 19, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-10-21. Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  21. ↑ Vasoli, Bradley (October 19, 2007). "President Taps Advocate Of Chastity For Post". The Bulletin. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  22. ↑ Orr, Susan (June 2000). "Real Women Stay Married". Family Research Council . Retrieved 2007-10-19.
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