Trump Nominates Radiologist Dr. Nicole Saphier as Surgeon General After Withdrawing Dr. Casey Means Nomination

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump nominated Dr. S. Surgeon General on Thursday, replacing Dr. Casey Means whose nomination he withdrew the same day. Saphier, a Fox News contributor and radiologist specializing in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, became pregnant at the age of 17 and gave birth to her son while still in high school.

Washington Examiner reported the nomination amid ongoing debates over abortion policy. Saphier completed college, earned her medical degree, and finished a fellowship through the Mayo Clinic after giving birth. She authored a book titled Love, Mom, and has shared details of her pregnancy in multiple television interviews, including an appearance on FOX Nation’s “Love Mom The Live Show” at Fox News Channel Studios on April 03, 2024, in New York City.

At the time of her first pregnancy, Saphier was deeply connected to her Catholic faith. Anti-abortion advocates quickly praised the nomination. Lila Rose, head of Live Action, posted on X on May 1, 2026: "BREAKING: Pro-life Dr.

Nicole B. S. Surgeon General. She had an unplanned pregnancy at just 17 years old, was pressured to abort, but chose to protect the life of her little son, Nick.

Gavin Oxley, media relations manager for Americans United for Life, stated on X: "Dr. Saphier knows firsthand the pressure women face from abortion culture and the hope brought by choosing life. " The National Right to Life Committee called Dr.

Nicole Saphier an excellent choice, with outreach director Raimundo Rojas stating: "America does not need a Surgeon General who treats motherhood as a burden or unborn children as abstractions. " The nomination comes after Trump announced the withdrawal of Dr. Casey Means' bid for the position on Thursday.

Means, a champion of the Make America Healthy Again movement, did not have the votes in the Senate for confirmation. She participated in a confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee earlier in 2026. In a 2019 Fox News op-ed, Saphier wrote: "Although my situation as a girl with an unplanned pregnancy is unique to me, I do not hold myself to a higher standard than anyone who makes a choice different than I did so long ago.

The timing aligns with developments in abortion pill access. S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit temporarily suspended the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to allow the abortion pill to be sold online and shipped in the mail on Friday evening.

A study involving insurance claims data found that mail-order mifepristone has a complication rate of nearly 11%, 22 times higher than the FDA’s warning on the drug estimates. Historical precedent shows surgeons general facing pressure on abortion issues.

Everett Koop, nominated by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, established the nation’s first neonatal surgical intensive care unit at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in 1956 and served as a professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine from 1959 until his nomination.

" Koop also said: "My concern for the unborn followed as the night, the day my concern about the newly born. " The Washington Examiner contacted HHS and Dr.

Nicole Saphier for comment.