Trump commits to protecting abortion pill access
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Trump during a meeting with Prince William in Paris. Photo: Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images
President-elect Trump told Time magazine he will ensure the FDA will not block access to abortion pills on his watch, the first time he has made such a commitment.
Why it matters: Medication abortions account for nearly two-thirds of all abortions nationwide. Anti-abortion groups and some Trump allies see limiting access to abortion pill mifepristone as a top priority in the new term — but, for now at least, Trump does not.
What he's saying: In the interview accompanying his Person of the Year designation, Trump said he had been "against stopping" the abortion pill during his campaign and that it was "very unlikely" he would do anything to restrict access.
- However, Trump initially declined to take a firm stand, saying that while it was "100% unlikely" he would do anything to limit access, he knew people felt "really strongly both ways" and would look into the issue at a later date.
- However, pressed on whether he would ensure the FDA does not strip access, Trump finally said: "That would be my commitment."
Context: The Supreme Court in June turned away a challenge to the FDA's guidelines for accessing the commonly used abortion pill mifepristone, saying a group of doctors who oppose abortion and brought the case couldn't show they were directly injured.
- While that ruling preserved access to the pills, several conservative-led states are continuing to challenge FDA rules that expanded access to the pill.
- Anti-abortion advocates have urged the next administration to broadly interpret the 1873 Comstock Act, which banned the interstate mailing of "obscene" material like pornography, as well as abortion drugs and contraception.
- The Biden Justice Department issued a legal memo saying Comstock didn't prohibit the lawful mailing of abortion drugs, but the memo could be rescinded.
More from the interview:
