Charlotte Cooper
Trump’s first 100 days are over, and it’s been a “fascinating, terrifying” ride, said Amy Friedrich-Karnik, senior federal policy advisor for the Center for Reproductive Rights. Speaking in a webinar Thursday, she urged advocates to stay strong.
“There’s been a tremendous response to this administration,” observed Friedrich-Karnik, “people are engaged at levels we haven’t seen before.”
Despite public pushback, Trump has filled a number of positions with troubling appointees. Some—such as Jeff Sessions and Neil Gorsuch—have received widespread media scrutiny, but others have flown under the radar.
“There’s been a tremendous response to this administration, people are engaged at levels we haven’t seen before.”
Among the lesser known appointees are Teresa Manning and Charmaine Yoest, both at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, who have histories of anti-choice activism. Yoest was formerly the president of Americans United for Life, an organization that claims on its website to be “the legal architect of the pro-life movement.” Manning was a lobbyist for the National Right to Life Committee, and a legislative analyst for the Family Research Council, both staunchly anti-choice organizations.
Friedrich-Karnik is also concerned about House health-care legislation that rolls back the Affordable Care Act’s maternity coverage.
In addition to the American Health Care Act, Congress has introduced thirty-four anti-abortion bills so far in 2017, ranging from twenty-week bans to so-called heartbeat bills—and that number doesn’t include other bills related to women’s health but not specifically limiting access to abortion. One of the first pieces of legislation passed by the House this session was HR7, which essentially makes permanent the restrictions on federal funding for abortion imposed by the Hyde Amendment.
Trump has also independently made his stance on reproductive rights clear, most recently by signing an executive order that potentially opens the door for employers to deny their employees reproductive health care based on personal religious beliefs.
The Trump administration’s attacks on reproductive rights have not been limited to the United States.
Shortly after taking office, Trump reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy—also known as the Global Gag Rule—which prevents foreign non-governmental organizations that provide abortion care or counseling, even with their own funds, from receiving U.S. financial aid. Aram A. Schvey, the Center for Reproductive Rights’ senior policy counsel, said that the restrictions imposed by this new version of the Mexico City Policy are so tight that they would be unconstitutional in the United States. And, given the expansion of the rule to include all health programs, support for HIV/AIDS and Zika programs are likely to be affected too, he said.
What should we expect in the days ahead?
Schvey and Friedrich-Karnick say to watch for budget cuts to domestic and international women’s health programs, continued legislative attacks on the ACA and reproductive health care, worrisome lower-court nominations and deprioritization of human rights.
Friedrich-Karnick said it’s important for people to stay informed and to keep calling their members of Congress. Starting conversations to raise awareness of the issues is also imperative, she said.
The Center for Reproductive Rights will continue to fight as well. Schvey described the Center’s approach as “multi-pronged,” including a focus on education, mitigation, persuasion and legislation. The organization is in the process of putting together a pro-bono legal clearinghouse that will work to pair U.S. and foreign organizations affected by the Global Gag Rule with top law firms. The Center is also working to document the harm caused by anti-reproductive rights legislation and policy and is partnering with legislators to put forward proactive legislation that protects reproductive rights.