Skip to content Skip to footer

Trump Fails to See Consequences of Overturning “Roe v. Wade”

Trump has his eyes on the ultimate conservative prize: repealing “Roe v. Wade.”

Over the weekend, Americans got a glimpse of their president-elect’s plans for the short term future during a 60 Minutes feature. A number of important issues arose, including landmark Supreme Court decisions on same gender marriage and abortion.

From the sound of things, president-elect Trump isn’t too worried about the future of abortion access in America, though he certainly hopes it will be on the decline after he appoints one or more Supreme Court justices.

Like many other Republicans, Trump has his eyes on the ultimate conservative prize: repealing Roe v. Wade and, thus, dismantling the legal standard that has protected abortion access in America for decades.

Here’s the good news: The president-elect can’t overturn a Supreme Court decision.

What Trump can do, however, is appoint justices who will advance his interests. In the event that abortion returns to the Supreme Court, justices could overturn the historic decision. And that would throw abortion rights into question across the United States.

As seen in recent years, with a wave of new abortion rights restrictions, conservative states would likely move to ban abortion once the high court gave it the okay.

When interviewer Lesley Stahl asked what might happen in the case of a repeal, Trump said that the issue would “go back to the states.” If a state outlawed abortion, well, patients would “have to go to another state.”

Trump’s flippant dismissal of the concerns at hand was a disturbing reminder of what happens when men — especially anti-choice men — are in charge of the policies that affect access reproductive health services, including abortion care.

It was also a distressing throwback to pre-Roe days, when women did, in fact, travel across state lines for abortions, as some are doing already due to limited access or the need for speciality procedures. There’s a very real risk that patients might have to leave the country for abortions after 20 weeks.

Those in states where abortion is likely to be outlawed will probably have an extremely difficult time traveling for the procedure.

Low-income patients in red states aren’t in a great position to afford interstate travel and cash payment for the procedure — remember, the government still bars the use of federal funds in abortions, and insurance policies may or may not cover abortions. They may not be able to take the needed time off from work, or to arrange for childcare — nearly 60 percent of people seeking abortions are already parents.

Before Roe v. Wade, women with money and connections could access abortion in reasonably safe conditions in private doctors’ offices. Meanwhile, everyone else was stuck making terrible choices — carrying unwanted pregnancies to term, attempting to self-induce or paying practitioners with varying levels of skill, compassion and experience.

That access divide could return to the United States, allowing wealthy people to take control of their reproductive autonomy in relative security, while low-income people would face dwindling options — many of which would be very grim.

Given that Congressman Paul Ryan won’t commit to a discussion about birth control access — a conversation we need to have immediately — it’s easy to see how the rate of unwanted pregnancies will increase.

Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One

Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.

Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.

Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.

As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.

And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.

In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.

We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.

We’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.

If you have the means to make a substantial gift, please dig deep during this critical time!

With gratitude and resolve,

Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy