The chaos unleashed on reproductive rights over the last two years is thanks to Donald Trump advancing a decades-old agenda by anti-abortion extremists to end reproductive health care rights for millions nationwide.
Women facing draconian abortion bans in states like Arizona, Texas, Alabama, and Florida only have to look at Donald Trump, who called the fall of Roe a “great victory,” as the source of their anxiety, suffering, and fear.
Trump’s post-Roe America remains a dangerous place for women and growing families. Trump isn’t done with his plans to further restrict abortion rights in a second term. Earlier this year, Trump didn’t oppose states with bans monitoring women’s pregnancies or punishing women who access abortion care.
In subsequent interviews, Trump said he was “looking at” restrictions to birth control, the morning after-pill, and other forms of contraception.
Project 2025, the presidential transition plan backed by many of Trump’s conservative allies and embraced by other Republicans, calls for the enforcement of the Comstock Act, a series of laws enacted in 1873 that prohibit the shipment of anything intended for inducing an abortion. The Comstock Act was largely unenforceable under Roe v. Wade, but thanks to Trump’s federal enforcement of the law, this could make distributing the abortion pill mifepristone illegal and lead to a total abortion ban nationwide.
American Bridge’s open-source research hub, Trump’s Orbit, is filled to the brim with research about the anti-abortion zealots who could join his administration and help restrict reproductive rights even further:
- Doug Burgum signed a near-total ban on abortion as governor of North Dakota with no exceptions for rape or incest.
- Ben Carson supported a national abortion ban.
- As a presidential candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy said he didn’t believe the federal government had the authority to codify Roe and that he was open to a federal abortion ban.
- Lee Zeldin, a potential administration official in a second Trump term, supported a national abortion ban.
- Tom Cotton said he would support a constitutional amendment banning abortion and claimed a fetus had constitutional rights.
- Kevin McCarthy, a potential chief of staff in a second Trump administration, voted for a national abortion ban.
- John Ratcliffe, who was rumored to be returning to a second Trump administration, voted for a national abortion ban.
- Project 2025 policy director Russell Vought was chosen as the policy director of the RNC’s platform committee.
- Vought was known as Trump’s most anti-abortion cabinet member and was behind Trump’s policy to eliminate abortion providers from the Title X program.
- Vought was also tasked with leading Project 2025, which seeks to enforce the Comstock Act, outlaw mifepristone, and increase surveillance of abortion and maternal mortality reporting in the states.
Published: Sep 10, 2024