Senate approves nominee for state health director

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Despite strong objections from anti-abortion groups and some lawmakers, Richard Dunn won confirmation Thursday by the state Senate as Missouri's new health director.

Gov. Bob Holden's nominee to lead the Department of Health and Senior Services drew opposition because of his statements on awards of state family planning funding to Planned Parenthood, which also provides abortions.

For years, the Missouri Legislature's anti-abortion majority has fought to deny public funding to Planned Parenthood by inserting restrictive language in the state budget.

The health department has nonetheless awarded money to Planned Parenthood, determining the organization complied with the restrictions.

Dunn has defended the department's interpretation, but has also said he would comply if a judge or the attorney general determined Planned Parenthood was not entitled to state money.

After spirited debate, the Senate confirmed Dunn's appointment on a 20-13 vote. Some anti-abortion lawmakers voted for him, saying Dunn was well-qualified to lead the department, in which he has been a top administrator.

"We're going to follow what the law says," Dunn, 66, said after sitting through nearly three hours of debate. "That has been a commitment we have made from the very beginning. This is a very complex matter and, as you saw today, there's some polarization."

The Department of Health and Senior Services recently awarded more than $3 million in family planning contracts, including $600,000 for Planned Parenthood.

The contracts were awarded after a judge dismissed a long-running lawsuit in which abortion opponents had challenged a 1999 family planning grant to Planned Parenthood, citing the restrictive budget language.

The state budget prohibits family planning money from going to organizations that share a name, facility, expenses, employees or equipment with an affiliated abortion provider.

Anti-abortion groups such as the Missouri Catholic Conference, Campaign Life Missouri and Missouri Right to Life all had criticized the nomination.

Samuel Lee, director of Campaign Life Missouri, said he was disappointed by the confirmation but remained hopeful Dunn would take another look at funding for Planned Parenthood.

Dunn said the department would conduct an audit of Planned Parenthood's financial activities to make sure it is complying with the legislative language for family planning funding.

Holden said in a statement Thursday that he was pleased by the confirmation and was looking forward to working with Dunn.

"Dick Dunn is a talented individual who is a long-standing public servant," Holden said. "He made a difference in people's lives and he will continue to do so as the director of Health and Senior Services."

Dunn, of Springfield, was director of the state Division of Aging until it was transferred from the Department of Social Services to the state health department in August 2001. He then became deputy director for senior services and regulation in the renamed Department of Health and Senior Services.

He retired more than a year ago but recently led an investigation on behalf of Holden into the state's foster care system.