Casey Means

And also, all medications have risks and benefits.

And in our current medical climate with the burden on doctors, doctors do not have enough time for thorough informed consent conversations.

Some of the

horrifying side effects of birth control that I have mentioned include blood clots and stroke risk in women who have clotting disorders, who are smokers, who have obesity.

No, it's not general.

I'm very careful with my words.

And when I say those comments, which are taken out of context, I'm speaking about particular women that can be hurt if there is not informed consent about their medical history, their lifestyle exposures, and their family history.

I want those women, and I know you do too,

to be able to have a thorough conversation with their doctor and know whether they are at higher risk for side effects when prescribed the medication.

I am passionate about women's health, and I think it is disrespectful to women.

We prescribe a huge amount of hormonal contraceptive, and I do not believe most of those conversations have informed consent because of the pressures that doctors are under because of our broken healthcare system.

I want what's best for women, as do you.

And I want every woman who could be at risk for a side effect to know if a woman died from a stroke or a blood clot because they did not have a thorough conversation.

Thank you so much, Senator Collins.

And I also thank you sincerely for engaging so deeply with my work and learning about me.

This is a very important question and

I would start by just saying that I believe what I would say as a private citizen is in many cases different than what I would say as a public health official.

Joining a team where the purpose of this role is to communicate absolutely the best evidence-based science to the American people to keep them safe, thriving, and healthy.

And when it comes to psychedelic therapy for mental health issues, I think the science is still emerging.

And so it would certainly not be a recommendation to the American people to do that under no circumstances.