4 Scary Ways Trump Is Already Changing Reproductive Rights
One of the major concerns for Americans who didn’t support Trump in the presidential election has been reproductive rights, and within days of him being elected, those fears were more than justified.
In Trump’s first interview since being elected, he doubled down on some of his campaign promises from which women had the most to lose, telling 60 Minutes anchor Lesley Stahl that he still intends to appoint Supreme Court judges who are pro-life and that if Roe v. Wade were to be overturned, women would “have to go to another state” to get an abortion.
Tensions are so high that people who can get pregnant and have considered getting an IUD are even being urged to do it now — before it’s too late.
And more tangible effects are already starting to be seen. This week, in Texas, the current Republican Representative Matt Schaefer proposed changing the state’s current health code to ban late-term abortions.
The state already has restrictions in place for terminating pregnancies after 20 weeks, with the exception of pregnancies that are potentially life-threatening for the mother, or when severe fetal abnormalities mean the infant is not likely to survive. It’s that last part that Schaefer wants to change.
You may remember during the third Presidential debate when Trump crudely referred to late-term pregnancy terminations as “ripping the baby out of the womb,” ignoring the fact that these procedures are rare, usually done for health reasons and, regardless of the circumstance, likely come with a huge emotional toll. But Trump spoke as if he didn’t actually care what women thought or wanted to do with their own bodies. This week’s movement in Texas underlines that sentiment.
With Trump’s VP Mike Pence vowing to defund essential services in this vein such as Planned Parenthood, things aren’t going to get any easier — but you can make a donation to the organization in his name to help in the meantime.
What women’s causes are you most concerned about under Trump? Let us know over @BritandCo.
(h/t Mic, featured photo via Drew Angerer/Getty, photos via Getty)
