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With less than a week running the country under his belt, President Donald Trump has certainly shown Americans that he means business when it comes to promulgating a regressive agenda. It seems that no group is safe from the wrath of Trump's signature, but reproductive rights seem to be a particularly popular item on his chopping block. Within Trump's first week, these abortion attacks from the president's office and from Congress serve as a stark reminder of one of the things people marched for on Jan. 21, and what everyone will have to continue fighting for in the days to come.
Two major pieces of anti-abortion legislation have been pushed forward since Trump took office, but they were accompanied by statements of intent and ideology that are nearly as chilling as the laws they complement. These attacks are historic in their swiftness and will predicate an equally swift response from those willing to fight for women's right to choose. As with all restrictions on choice, these laws won't mean lower rates of abortion, they'll mean an increase in unsafe abortions that can result in illness or fatality. It's literally going to be life or death.
Below are the massive blows to abortion rights that happened in Trump's first five days in office.
Trump Promised To Repeal The Affordable Care Act.
The day after taking the oath of office, Trump signed an executive order that signaled his intently to swiftly repeal the Affordable Care Act. While the repeal of the ACA without a viable alternative will likely leave millions uninsured, it will also majorly restrict insurance coverage for reproductive care, including abortions and the birth control that helps people avoid abortions. Reproductive healthcare is healthcare, and the repeal of an act that insured so many people is as much an attack on abortion access as it is on healthcare as a whole.
How To Fight It:
By either not repealing the ACA, or by replacing it with comprehensive options like a single-payer insurance system. Find your congressional representatives in both chambers of Congress and let them know you support a single-payer replacement for the ACA.
Reinstatement Of The Reagan-Era "Global Gag Rule"
The largest attack on abortion to come from President Trump's desk so far is the reinstatement of the "global gag rule," a policy that originated during Ronald Reagan's presidency barring foreign aid flow to any organization that provides abortion information or access.
This rule, which has been revoked and reinstated by almost every administration since Reagan's, has been massively expanded upon by Trump, and not only blocks foreign aid to organizations supportive of abortion, but also to those that support abortion and work with issues like HIV, malaria, and other healthcare issues. If they so much as mention abortion to their patients, even if reproductive care is not the organization's main focus, they will lose funding.
How To Fight It:
Protesting the global gag rule is tricky, because executive orders by nature don't require any Congressional approval and therefore are under the sole purview of the president. For now, keeping abreast of the news and background surrounding the newly-reinstated "Mexico City rule" (as it's sometimes referred to) and contacting your representatives to express your displeasure is your best bet.
The House Passed A Bill That Will Make Abortions More Expensive Than Ever.
The House voted to expand upon the Hyde Amendment, which excluded abortion from federal funding in 1976. The anti-abortion bill, known as HR-7, would exclude abortions from all private insurance funding, making abortions even more inaccessibly expensive for millennials, low-income people and others who can't afford to drop hundreds or thousands of dollars to terminate a pregnancy. Like the global gag rule, it'll also potentially cause a rise in unsafe abortions, which will result in the deaths of American women like we haven't seen since Roe v. Wade.
How To Fight It:
It's possible to turn back the clock on HR-7 by calling your senators ASAP and asking them not to support the passage of the bill in the Senate (the second of the three-step process of a bill becoming a law — the last step is the president signing it).
If it passes, then will give money and time both to organizations that will fight for it legally, and help out those you know who might need financial help for access to an abortion.
An Anti-Choice Congressman Got One Step Closer To Becoming Health Secretary.
News of a recently-introduced "fetal personhood" bill coincided with the Senate confirmation hearing for Rep. Tom Price as the nation's next Health and Human Services secretary. As it turns out, Price co-sponsored a "fetal personhood" bill of his own back in 2007, and in 2015 co-sponsored the "Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act" that sought to ban abortions after 20 weeks based on the falsified claim that fetuses can feel pain at 20 weeks.
How To Fight Him:
Georgians have already been protesting against Price and demanding he resign his candidacy for health secretary, and you can call your senator about Price's confirmation before his second hearing and tell them that you, as a constituent, don't support him. As always, you can find your representatives using tools like Whoismyrepresentative.com.
Paul Ryan Declared Congress' Stance On Abortion.
After the passage of HR-7, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan tweeted a chilling message claiming that the current congressional class is a "pro-life Congress". While not a legal attack on abortion rights, it nonetheless shows confidence in the anti-abortion majority opinion of both chambers of Congress, and given that it passed 238-183 in the House, he's not wrong.
How To Fight It:
By kicking out as many Republicans in Congress as possible in the 2018 midterm elections. People will be announcing their candidacies before you know it, but you can get involved in a local campaign before that by contacting your local or state Democratic party and asking what you can do to help get these regressive representatives out.
A Horrific "Heartbeat" Bill Sees A Surge In Republican Support.
On Jan. 12, Iowa Rep. Steve King sponsored "the Heartbeat Bill" in Congress, and on Jan. 24, in the days following the women's marches and Trump's inauguration, he held a press conference to introduce the bill to the public. This "total abortion ban" bill isn't likely to pass in Congress, but Republican support for it and the timing of its public introduction is very telling and terrifying.
How To Fight It:
As with everything else that goes through Congress, you should call your representatives and tell them you don't support this incredible attack on reproductive rights.
To go a step further, you can support Iowans in their bid to get King out of office by donating to the Iowa Democratic Party, who are likely already looking for a new challenger for King in 2018. Given that he's one of the only Republicans who believes the "millions of illegal votes" claim, it shouldn't be too difficult to unseat him.
An Anti-Choice Video About Planned Parenthood Was Released.
On Jan. 24, Live Action, an anti-abortion group known for releasing misleading "undercover" videos about Planned Parenthood in the intent to defame them, released another of their infamous videos the same day as HR-7 passed. In this video, members who supposedly asked Planned Parenthood clinics if they offered prenatal care claimed to find that only five out of 97 clinics offered prenatal services. This misleading video, like many others released by Live Action, deliberately edits video footage to paint a specific picture, and a Planned Parenthood spokeswoman told The New York Times that any clinic will provide either prenatal services or referrals on demand.
How To Fight It:
Get the word out! Right now, almost all social media coverage of this disgusting pandering tactic is coming from anti-abortion people, so the best way to counter it is by having as many people as possible speak over them.
Kellyanne Conway Is Slated To Speak At The March For Life.
On Jan. 27, Trump's former campaign manager and current adviser Kellyanne Conway will speak at the "March for Life," the anti-abortion activist rally. Having a key Trump administration aide speak at an extremely partisan and divisive rally is beyond the pale.
How To Fight It:
By counter-protesting the "March for Life," of course!
Things have gotten real since Jan. 20, but if the women's marches are any evidence of the global commitment to resist Trump's terrifying agenda, women and progressives will be right there at every turn.
