From his cabinet nominees, to his comments about punishing women for abortions, it’s clear President Trump cares very little about women and women’s health. Here’s a list of some ways his administration will negatively impact women.
1. Global Gag Rule
Trump’s “Gag Rule” is a memorandum he signed that bans health organizations abroad from receiving federal funding if they even talk to women about abortions. What the president may not know is that federal money doesn’t go toward abortions, and it hasn’t since 1973, except in cases of rape, incest or threat to the mother’s life. But Trump’s memorandum goes well beyond the 1973 ban, and eliminates preventative and maternal health care around the world.
2. War on Birth Control
Tom Price, Trump’s pick for secretary of Health and Human Services, has a history of being anti-contraception. He has voted to terminate Title X (which subsidizes contraception for low-income women), and against an act that prevents employers from firing women because they take birth control. As HHS secretary, who knows what he could do to prevent women from getting (at least) low-cost birth control. No wonder women are getting IUDs while they still can.
3. Betsy DeVos and Campus Rape Laws
Trump’s pick for secretary of education has donated thousands of dollars to the Foundation of Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), which counsels students accused of sexual misconduct, yet does little for the victims. FIRE has also criticized California’s “Yes Means Yes” law, which sets a standard for affirmative consent. There have been cases lately where colleges did not fully look into claims of sexual assault. DeVos may make it even harder for victims to have justice.
4. Violence Against Women
The Trump administration wants to reduce federal spending, in part, by cutting funding for Violence Against Women Act grants. This funding provides resources for women to escape domestic violence. Needless to say, this is very important.
5. Neil Gorsuch
Gorsuch is Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court, and like all nominees, we should get to know him. What are his likes? Dislikes? Would he overturn Roe v. Wade? Turns out, he supports “religious freedom,” which really means preventing health insurance from covering birth control. And while he hasn’t yet commented on Roe v. Wade, his history of socially conservative comments suggest yes, he would overturn it. He is the culmination of all Trump’s positions on women’s issues.
But, really, is all this a surprise, coming from the man who bragged about grabbing women by their crotches?