Donald Trump's second term will enhance the advancement of an anti-rights agenda that could severely restrict access to abortion in the United States, according to the Guttmacher Institute and the Center for Reproductive Rights.
How might this affect you if you live in the country? Read below the possible actions the new administration could take after taking office in January.
Donate to Aya Contigo's GoFundMe to expand access to reproductive health information and support.
Abortion pill restriction
One of the most alarming proposals is the reinterpretation of the Comstock Act, a rule dating back to 1873 that prohibits the mailing of obscene material and drugs used for abortions. Thus, would deny mail access to abortion pills, which currently make possible 63% of reported abortions in the United States.
The Guttmacher Institute warns of the possibility that the Trump administration will also pressure the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) to severely restrict or ban mifepristone, which is one of two drugs used in the abortion process along with misoprostol.
After the election, the purchase of pills skyrocketed
With this scenario unfolding, the immediate reaction after Trump's victory was announced was a spike in the sale of mail-order abortion pills and drugs used in hormone therapy for transgender people, which is another of the new administration's battlefronts on sexual and reproductive health issues.
People are buying mifepristone and misoprostol in advance so that they can self-manage their abortions if they need to in the future and mail order pills will be banned.
This is a trend that was already on the rise since 2022, when news leaked that the Supreme Court would overturn Roe v. Wade. In this way, people have been able to have the peace of mind of accessing medications without having to travel to other states or having the worry of being on the clock when they already have a pregnancy.
If you bought abortion pills in advance, you can receive free help on when and how to use them at Aya Contigo.
Elimination of abortion funding globally
The Global Gag Rule prevents foreign organizations that receive U.S. aid from providing, informing or referring their users to abortion services or advocating for abortion access in their country, even if they use their own funds to do so, Planned Parenthoodexplains.
This gag rule was already in place in the first Trump administration domestically. In August 2019, a modification to Title X went into effect that prohibited health care providers from referring patients for abortion services unless each patient explicitly requested it.
It also eliminated the requirement that physicians offer all FDA-approved contraceptive methods, prioritizing abstinence and natural family planning methods.
In addition to these laws, it is anticipated that Trump will block funding for the United Nations Population Fund, as he did during his first term, affecting funding for international family planning and reproductive health through the U.S. Global Health Programs and the Economic Support Fund.
Abrogation of state protection for abortion
"I don't think people know that a federal ban on abortion would override state constitutional protection. There might also be a sense that 'if I vote yes on this amendment, my state is fine...,'"Elisabeth Smith, state policy director for the Center for Reproductive Rights, explained to ABC.
But the reality is that if the Supreme Court were to allow a federal ban on abortion, it would trump the politics of a state where abortion is legal and accessible. In the past election, Missouri and Arizona voted to overturn their states' abortion bans. While Colorado, New York, Maryland, Montana and Nevada passed similar initiatives to consolidate access to abortion or expand it.
Aya Contigo is available to help you, because you have options even with Trump in power.
In this complex context, Aya Contigo is an option for those seeking reliable, proven information and emotional support before, during and after their abortion process.
Access to abortion is part of a person's right to health and restricting it could cause a 24%increase in maternal mortality in the United States and a 39% increase in the specific case of black women.
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