One Month into Trump’s Second Term – Reproductive Rights Are Under Attack
Donald Trump spent his entire campaign assuring voters that he would not further attack abortion rights. We knew the man who took pride in ending Roe V. Wade was full of BS – and his first month back in office is proving it.
First, let’s talk about Trump’s cabinet appointments. Donald Trump has put together the most anti-abortion cabinet in modern history. Confirmed appointments so far include:
RFK Jr, who has stated he plans to enable Trump’s anti-abortion agenda as head of the Department of Health and Human Services. His position is key in enacting Project 2025’s plan to stop investigations under EMTALA (the law protecting emergency abortion care), access to birth control and IVF, and monitoring/tracking pregnant people nationwide.
Pam Bondi, Trump’s new Attorney General served as Florida’s AG where she defended the state’s abortion ban in court. She has been outspokenly anti-abortion in her career. As Attorney General, Pam Bondi could weaponize the Comstock Act, an 1873 anti-obscenity law that prohibits mailing birth control, abortion medications, and even information on reproductive healthcare.
Kristi Noem has publicly stated that she believes survivors of rape and incest should be forced to give birth. She’s also threatened doctors and pharmacists with jail time for prescribing the abortion pill. She has been confirmed as Secretary of Homeland Security.
Marco Rubio has long expressed support for reinstating the global gag rule – which cuts off financial aid overseas if a health center also provides reproductive healthcare. Donald Trump has already reinstated the global gag rule, and with Marco Rubio as Secretary of State it is sure to remain in place until the end of Trump’s term.
And that’s unfortunately only the beginning. Trump also pardoned 23 anti-abortion felons who were arrested for violating the FACE Act. The FACE Act protects abortion clinics, their staff, and their patients from harassment and intimidation. Not only were these 23 violators pardoned, Trump’s Department of Justice has stated they will not be enforcing the FACE Act unless the actions result in something extreme, like homicide.
Meanwhile, government websites have been scrubbed of resources for reproductive healthcare – not just limited to abortion. The Trump administration’s purge of the CDC website, for example, resulted in the removal of resources for birth control, sexual wellness, and even resources for domestic violence survivors. Luckily, a federal judge ordered these webpages to be restored. However, their removal in the first place indicates the Trump administration’s eagerness to censor reproductive healthcare information.
Despite promises made on the campaign trail, the Trump administration is quickly mobilizing to further attack access to reproductive healthcare – even in states that have passed protections. We must remain diligent as these assaults continue so we can fight back.