Center for Reproductive Rights Statement on the Second Inauguration of Donald Trump
01.20.25 (PRESS RELEASE) – Today, Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. He has already nominated a slew of anti-abortion extremists to run key government agencies, making clear his intention to further dismantle reproductive healthcare.
Statement from Nancy Northup, president and CEO at the Center for Reproductive Rights:
“Women have died—and are continuing to die—as a result of President Trump’s actions in his first term. Expecting even more extreme actions in his second term, we are on high alert and prepared to sue at a moment’s notice. Our fighting force of lawyers is prepared to block or delay the administration’s most harmful actions. We will be in court every day for the next four years, if that’s what it takes. At the ready to support us are hundreds of pro bono attorneys from top firms, many of whom have worked for the very agencies we are prepared to sue and know their inner workings. We are already anticipating the tactics the administration will use and are preparing cases to act swiftly and aggressively.”
What to Expect in a Second Trump Term:
The Center’s legal experts expect a second Trump Administration will try to rescind FDA approval of medication abortion or make it much harder to access. They will almost certainly reinstate an even more damaging Global Gag Rule, defunding organizations in other countries that provide abortion services or information, even for victims of sexual assault. As suggested in Project 2025, they could move to ban abortion nationwide—without the approval of Congress—by misusing a sexual purity law from the 1800’s, the Comstock Act. They may even attempt to federally prosecute doctors for providing abortion care.
At the state level, government officials will feel even more emboldened to punish doctors who provide abortions, as well as people who help a loved one access abortion care. They will likely try to cut off any avenues for people to access abortion pills via mail and ramp up efforts to punish people who cross state lines for abortion care. Already, state officials are introducing bills that would make it impossible for residents to get information about abortion online by requiring internet service providers to block webpages that sell abortion pills or provide information about accessing abortion.
Impact of Trump’s First Term:
The ongoing consequences of Donald Trump’s first term, on our judicial system in particular, cannot be overstated and will be felt for decades to come. He promised to appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade, demolishing the long-protected right to abortion. He appointed 234 federal judges, many of whom have made and continue to make destructive rulings. These judges have rolled back the rights of minors to access contraception and ruled that hospitals don’t need to stabilize pregnant people in Texas.
The first Trump Administration defunded more than 1,000 Title X clinics, which provide reproductive healthcare to low-income people. Many were forced to shutter, leaving vulnerable communities with nowhere to access STD testing, cancer screenings, and contraceptive care. He allowed employers to refuse to cover birth control for employees and attempted to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He reinstated the Global Gag Rule and denied abortion access to pregnant minors in immigration detention centers, forcing them to give birth against their will. Altogether, these efforts have led to a reproductive health crisis nationwide, where abortion is nearly or completely banned in 16 states.
The Center for Reproductive Rights will be continuously tracking all of the administration’s actions that affect reproductive rights here and exposing their impact.
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