Thursday, November 17, 2016

Here’s How Trump’s Policies Could Impact Abortion Rights

Trump made four pledges. Here’s what they mean.

Trump’s stance has changed recently: He was pro-choice before he ran for president, then said he was pro-life. He says he is “opposed to abortion” except in the cases of rape, incest, and the life of the mother, and says he’ll “protect innocent human life from conception to natural death.”

Pence has been anti-abortion his entire career. He has been a leader in efforts to defund Planned Parenthood. Earlier this year, as Indiana governor, he signed a law that banned abortions in the case of disability of the fetus; fined abortion providers who violated it; required pregnant woman to listen to their fetus’ heartbeat before having an abortion; and required “fetal remains” to be cremated or buried in a funeral fashion. (The law was widely opposed and eventually blocked by a federal judge.)

So far, Trump’s first two administration appointees — Chief Strategist Steve Bannon and Chief of Staff Reince Priebus — are anti-abortion. Pence is leading the transition team.

Some of these scenarios are speculative but are not out of the realm of possibility, experts and advocates, both for and against abortion rights, told BuzzFeed News.

1. "Nominating pro-life justices to the US Supreme Court."

1. "Nominating pro-life justices to the US Supreme Court."

Pro- and anti-abortion protests outside the Supreme Court in Washington, DC.

Susan Walsh / AP

Trump could clear the path to make sweeping changes to abortion policy if another Supreme Court justice retires or dies — and several of them are quite old.

Trump has said repeatedly he will choose pro-life justices who would repeal Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that legalized abortion nationwide. Antonin Scalia’s seat is vacant, meaning Trump will get to nominate at least one justice, and people are eyeing the seats of the older justices: Ruth Bader Ginsburg is 83, Stephen G. Breyer is 78, and Anthony Kennedy is 80. The first two are from the court’s more liberal wing; Kennedy is a conservative on many issues, but has voted to uphold Roe.


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