Donald Trump released a letter dated September 2016 via the Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) detailing his first actions against reproductive rights (see below for the full letter). His first four goals are:
Nominating pro-life justices to the Supreme Court. This may not end abortion in 2017, but this is a defacto invitation for a direct challenge on Roe v. Wade. If Roe is over turned, (likely with a side wink of hey we’ll leave it to the states), 19 states have laws that would outlaw or severely restrict abortion that would immediately go into action. Similarly minded states will follow suit. As the conservative members of the Supreme Court have already ruled if employers believe IUDs cause abortion that’s more important than science, so IUDs will be next on the block.
Making abortion illegal at 20 weeks unless the life of the woman is in danger, i.e. signing into law the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act into law. Yes, there is a “rape” allowance in this law, but it’s a joke as it involves reporting the rape to law enforcement and for reasons that must be obvious even to Mr. Trump many women do not report their rapes. Almost all post 20 week abortions will stop.
Defunding Planned Parenthood. Never mind the good that Planned Parenthood does and the fact for many low income women this is their only source of health care, what’s even more worrying is the “allocating their funding to community health centers that provide comprehensive health care for women.” In Texas, where this kind of legislation is already in play, large chunks of this diverted money has gone to groups that don’t even provide health care. For example $1.6 million that would have gone to Planned Parenthood is now going to the Heidi Group, an anti-abortion organization that promotes alternatives to abortion to low-income women as well as “life affirming hope and dignity to girls, women, and their families seeking self-sufficiency.” They don’t even provide health care (I don’t count their counseling centers that lie to women about abortion). If you check their website they are still looking for a medical director. No track record providing health care? No problem, here’s $1.6 million and take a stab at it! It’s only health care for women!
If you try to find services through their site you are directed over to the website for Texas Health and Human Services. So yes, money earmarked for women’s health care in Texas is going to prop up a pro-life organization that can’t even take a blood pressure or perform a Pap smear. There is no reason to think this isn’t a blue print for the Federal level.
Making the Hyde Amendment Permanent. Hyde bans federal dollars for abortion coverage (except in the most extreme circumstances), basically it bars Medicaid from paying for abortion in most circumstances. Medicaid is the main source of health care for low-income women, women who also have a much higher rate of unplanned pregnancies. Abortions are often delayed in this group as they struggle to come up with funds. Hyde curtails access to the full scope of reproductive health care for women in 35 states. Many women end up with later procedures and suffer more financially directly because of Hyde.
The Trump Plan – Phase One
A country where the only woman who can get an abortion after 20 weeks is one so desperately ill that she is close to death. In this scenario who will actually do the abortion, because guess how you get good at doing these very difficult late-term procedures? Women with money will be able to fly to Canada for terminations (as long as they aren’t too sick) and those without money, well, tough luck.
A country where insurance doesn’t cover IUDs, the form of birth control proven to lower the abortion rate, but at least you’ll still be able to pay $800 to get one. Who knows though, they could become illegal. Maybe you can afford to get one in Canada? Hope they don’t install IUD detecting X-rays machines at border control.
A country where women with decent health plans and/or money can still get Pap smears, but those without can call up pregnancy crisis centers with no experience in actual health care and roll the dice.
A country where only a minority of states protect their most vulnerable women and offer them the full scope of reproductive health care.
The Trump Plan – Phase Two
Itis actually much worse than the bullet points in the letter because the letter was released via the Susan B. Anthony List, which is a political action group dedicated to making abortion illegal. SBA List also advances the lie that IUDs and emergency contraception are abortion. Trump has given the job of women’s health care, a.k.a. the Ministry of Making Abortion Illegal Again, to Marjorie Dannenfelser an anti-choice activist and self-styled feminist. She is the SBA List President and believes, “To lose the connection between sex and having children leads to problems” and who has stated that contraception and family planning are the cause of abortion. I guess if she represents Trump then Trump himself will now only have sex for procreation, or maybe that is something he just expects for the little people like you and me? I hope some reporter asks Trump if he believes that losing the connection between sex and having children leads to problems and also gets a list of those problems.
If the person spearheading the “Pro-Life” part of your Presidential campaign is completely post-factual with reproductive health care and wants to make abortion, IUDs, and emergency contraception illegal then it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to say that’s what your mission is too.
A Trump presidency will come first for 20 week abortions.
Then health care funding for IUDs.
Then all abortions.
Then all IUDs.
Then all contraception.
You know what Trump’s plan will do? Kill women.
And doctors like me will be left trying to pick up the pieces.
Dr. Jen Gunter 
This was a little extreme. I don’t support trump, but it was like you didn’t even read the letter, or know what a late term abortion really is. This was just goofy.
Really? It seems like you didn’t read the post at all. I read the letter. It’s scary as shit. Susan B. Anthony List are scary as shit. And I’m an OB/GYN, what are your credentials for understanding abortion?
Notice how compassion goes out the window for the pro-life crowd? Their goal is not to prevent unplanned pregnancies, it is to PUNISH PERCEIVED PROMISCUITY. If the goal was the former, wouldn’t Planned Parenthood be an ally in providing contraception?
Do not get me wrong, I am NOT defending Mr Trump…. but how much of his rhetoric is something he believes enough to act on and how much is just bluster to rally the “Republican base” to vote for him? I guess he has to be taken at his very scary word but I wonder if he does get elected what he will actually end of doing?
I’d take him at his scary word. To me, this has Pence written all over it. I’m from Indiana and this is stuff that Pence has been pushing on us here. Scary stuff.
Texas currently has the highest maternal mortality rate in the developed world. This is where the USA is heading if Trump/Pence are elected. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/aug/20/texas-maternal-mortality-rate-health-clinics-funding
I just can’t fathom why any woman would vote for these selfish, sociopathic clowns, or why any man who loves a woman would vote for them. They literally do not care fit women live or die; they consider the death of a woman a small price to pay for the ability to limit her reproductive choices. Pence would literally rather see women die of preventable cancers than financially support an organisation that aborts embryos. This is where women are on his property list. I feel so lucky to be British and not to have to worry too much about whether my reproductive rights will be curtailed (anti-choice is not a popular platform over here).
I don’t know how to edit a comment so I’ll just add that “fit” should be “if” and “property” should be “priority”. Goddamn autocorrect.
Thank you for this post! The confusion (or intentional lying) about iud and how it works, never mind morning after pill, is shocking to me and the clearest proof that these people really don’t care about unwanted children, women or reproductive health. What they do care about is that “every time you have sex you should be willing to have a child since it’s only used for that”.
I don’t understand that all the people propagating for this are only having arc to have babies. Or, like you allude to in the post, maybe it’s just that men don’t have to care about it since woman should know better and then pay their immoral price with a child out of wedlock and being publicly shamed? Welcome to the dark ages for real. Mind boggling and absolutely crazy.
The letter along with Mr. Pence insure that choice would be eliminated for people if Mr. Trump is elected. All people who support a woman’s right to choose better choose to vote for Mrs. Clinton on November 8th and they better shout it from the rooftops.
“where the only woman who can get an abortion after 20 weeks is one so desperately ill that she is close to death.”
And even so… When the taboo on touching the fetus is so strong, a number of pregnant women will never be sick enough, no matter what, until it is too late to save their life.
I’m thinking of this poor Indian woman who died in Ireland in 2012 from an untreated bacterial infection.
Dr Gunter wrote about this case here:
https://drjengunter.wordpress.com/2012/11/20/how-sick-must-a-pregnant-woman-be-in-ireland-for-her-doctor-to-say-her-life-is-at-risk/
I hope you send this to Politifact.com
There are so many statements in his letter that fall into the “pants on fire” category!
We’re in “Alice in Wonderland” territory here. Thank you for your detailed response to this idiocy. And I appreciate you mentioning what is often ignored, that it takes experience to do difficult operations, including late-term abortions.