Trump abortion policy/ anti-abortion advocates/ abortion pill restrictions/ Biden abortion guidelines/ emergency abortion/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Anti-abortion advocates are urging President-elect Trump to impose stricter abortion policies as abortion pill sales surge. With rising demand for telehealth prescriptions post-election, advocates hope Trump will reverse Biden-era guidance on emergency abortions and abortion pill access.
Anti-Abortion Advocates Press Trump for Stricter Policies Quick Looks
- Anti-abortion groups seek action: Organizations like the Susan B. Anthony List want Trump to undo Biden’s abortion policies.
- Biden’s emergency abortion guidance: Current guidance requires hospitals to offer abortion care when a woman’s life is at risk.
- Abortion pill access in focus: Advocates aim to limit online access to abortion pills, which surged after the election.
- Trump’s stance unclear: Trump has shifted his position on national abortion bans, making his upcoming policies uncertain.
Trump Faces Pressure from Anti-Abortion Advocates as Pill Demand Rises
Deep Look
As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office, anti-abortion advocates are mobilizing to push for tighter abortion restrictions, hoping to reverse many of the Biden administration’s policies. Groups like the Susan B. Anthony List, a leading anti-abortion organization, have expressed a clear goal to dismantle Biden-era guidance that expanded abortion access, especially around emergency abortions and abortion pills available via telehealth. They see Trump’s previous “pro-life accomplishments” as a starting point for more stringent policies.
Targeting Emergency Abortion Guidance
One major point of contention is the Biden administration’s directive requiring hospitals to perform abortions in cases where a woman’s life or health is at risk. Under current federal law, hospitals that receive Medicare funding are obligated to provide necessary stabilizing treatment, which includes emergency abortion in life-threatening situations. Biden’s directive aimed to protect doctors and hospitals providing such care, even in states with restrictive abortion laws.
Reports have surfaced of women being denied urgent care in states where strict abortion bans have left hospitals hesitant to act. Advocates for abortion rights, like the National Women’s Law Center, argue that this federal guidance is critical to safeguarding the health of pregnant women who face serious medical complications. National Women’s Law Center President Fatima Goss Graves emphasized that hospitals need these protections to prevent severe complications, including infertility and sepsis, as well as potential fatalities.
However, with Trump set to enter office, it’s likely that his administration will scale back on emergency abortion guidance. While Trump has voiced support for exceptions in cases of rape, incest, and life-threatening situations, he has stopped short of supporting exceptions solely for a woman’s health. This could lead to more hospitals struggling to balance legal concerns with medical ethics in cases involving severe health risks.
Restrictions on Abortion Pill Access
The accessibility of abortion pills, especially mifepristone, has become a focal point in the ongoing abortion debate. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the FDA made it easier to prescribe abortion pills, allowing telehealth providers to send prescriptions by mail for pregnancies up to 10 weeks. Anti-abortion advocates argue that such relaxed guidelines compromise patient safety and want to see stricter regulations that would require in-person supervision.
This comes amid a sharp increase in online orders for abortion pills following Election Day, with some telehealth providers reporting up to a 600% rise in demand. The online pharmacy Wisp noted significant surges in both abortion pill and emergency contraception orders, particularly in restrictive states like Florida and Texas.
Currently, most medication abortions use a two-step regimen of mifepristone and misoprostol. Wisp’s CEO, Monica Cepak, mentioned that the company is prepared to adapt should Trump’s administration impose tighter restrictions on mifepristone, potentially offering a misoprostol-only option to continue providing access under new rules.
Trump’s Ambiguous Stance on Abortion Legislation
Despite Trump’s long-standing support from anti-abortion advocates, his position on the issue has shown some flexibility. During his campaign, Trump backed away from endorsing a national abortion ban, even suggesting he would not sign such a measure into law. Legal experts like Mary Ziegler, a professor specializing in reproductive health, observe that while Trump has benefited from anti-abortion backing, he is not entirely predictable in his legislative decisions.
Trump’s anticipated approach may involve conservative judicial appointments, as well as rolling back regulatory guidelines that expanded abortion access. Nonetheless, his stance on national legislation remains unclear, leaving some uncertainty as to the scope of his second-term policies.
Abortion Law Landscape Under Trump
Under Trump, a patchwork of state laws on abortion is likely to remain, with each state determining its own policies. In recent elections, voters in Missouri overturned one of the country’s strictest abortion bans, while other states such as Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, and Montana approved measures supporting abortion rights. Florida, Nebraska, and South Dakota, however, rejected proposals to ease restrictions, maintaining their bans.
As Trump’s administration takes shape, abortion rights advocates and anti-abortion groups will both be closely watching to see if his policies align more with his previous term’s actions or reflect a new approach. For now, increased restrictions on abortion pills and emergency abortion care appear to be high on the agenda, making the next steps critical in determining abortion access nationwide.
