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Memos & Media Guidance
Here’s How Trump Attacked Reproductive Freedom During His First Week in Office
Here’s How Trump Attacked Reproductive Freedom During His First Week in Office
Despite Trump’s campaign promises to not attack reproductive freedom, he wasted no time using his executive powers to do exactly that. From rescinding Biden-era executive orders that expanded access to reproductive health care, including access to abortion and contraception, to pardoning anti-abortion extremists, Trump took expansive action to roll back reproductive freedom.
Trump’s first week of attacks on reproductive freedom shows the true intentions of his administration—to ban abortion nationwide and roll back access to reproductive health care by any means necessary. If you’re wondering why you may have missed some of these actions, that was seemingly by design. Knowing how unpopular their anti-abortion agenda is, the Trump administration rolled out many of these efforts with little fanfare.
These attacks set the stage for Trump and his cabinet nominees to quietly and quickly weaponize anti-abortion executive actions and policies to block access to abortion and other reproductive health care and roll back reproductive freedom. Below are nine direct attacks the Trump administration has already implemented on abortion:
- Reproductiverights.gov was taken down.
- Trump’s Anti-Trans Executive Order, which attacks trans people, contained language nodding to conservatives’ efforts to insert “personhood” language defining life as beginning at conception into federal law. The consequences of putting personhood language into law could be sweeping. Not only would it criminalize abortion, but it could also ban stem cell research, assisted reproductive technology like IVF, and common forms of birth control. House Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed that the addition of this language was intentional when he spoke at March for Life later that week.
- Trump ordered a pardon of individuals convicted of violating the Freedom for Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act), giving a free pass to people who were found guilty of harassment and violence. The FACE Act has been a vital piece of legislation to help protect patients and providers in health clinics nationwide.
- The White House issued a strong statement of support for an anti-abortion policy, H.R. 21 that attacks health care providers and interferes with personal family medical decisions.
- Trump issued a memorandum reinstating the global gag rule, which denies certain types of foreign aid to overseas health centers unless they agree not to use their own, non-U.S. funds for abortion services, counseling, or even to take a public position in support of reproductive freedom.
- Trump issued an executive order doubling down on the administration’s support of the discriminatory Hyde Amendment and rescinding two Biden executive orders (EO 14076 and EO 14079,) related to abortion access.
- Trump rescinded President Biden’s executive order establishing the White House Gender Policy Council, which was charged with advancing gender equity and equality, including reproductive freedom.
- Trump’s Justice Department (DOJ) issued a memo ordering federal prosecutors to ignore violations of the FACE Act except in “extraordinary circumstances” or in instances of death, extreme bodily harm, or significant property damage. The memo states that no new “abortion-related” FACE Act actions will be allowed without DOJ approval.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a directive on Friday to rejoin a global anti-abortion pact. Countries joining the pact included Uganda, Saudi Arabia and Belarus. This is the first formal step to roll back Biden-era global health policies and previews an expected strategy of seeking to curtail abortion access for millions of women and girls worldwide.
The GOP also piggybacked on Trump’s anti-abortion executive actions doubling down on their attacks by fast-tracking and voting on legislation in the House and Senate that would have attacked health care providers and interfered with private family medical decisions and patient care. Senate Democrats ultimately blocked the GOP’s legislation.
For more resources about how Donald Trump’s executive orders are restricting access to abortion, or to speak with a spokesperson, available in both English and Spanish, please reach out to [email protected].
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For over 50 years, Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America) has fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom at the federal and state levels—including access to abortion care, birth control, pregnancy and post-partum care, and paid family leave—for everybody. Reproductive Freedom for All is powered by its more than 4 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 8 in 10 Americans who support legal abortion.