The recent Presidential election of Donald Trump has undoubtedly led to a multitude of significant protests and movements across the country. The Republican presidential elect has a wide range of beliefs and stances when it comes to important policies on immigration, foreign policy, job creation and healthcare. While many of President Trump’s stances and statements have been considered controversial and caused backlash of different degrees, his view on healthcare and the changes he aims to make have made a vast impact on the women of America. Women across the country have come to together to take a stance against President Trump’s opinion on healthcare when it comes to the topic of abortions, contraceptives and Planned Parenthood. Women as well as many supporters of the pro-choice movement expressed their protest in a series of peaceful marches. The marches and many articles and comments on the topic prove anti-abortionists wrong and provide information on how lack of access to abortions could be detrimental to society and the country as a whole, and help us gain insight on the views of abortion within in society today.In an effort to understand the stance on abortion, it is important to understand the women’s marches and why the protest of Donald Trump signify and represent that view. The 2016 Presidential Election resulted into a win for the Republican Party with the election of Donald J. Trump. The women’s marches were organized and went underway the first day the new president elect took to office, January 21st. To understand where the marches developed from one must address the first proposed question, what are the women marching for? According to the women’s march website, the women vowed to stand up for their beliefs in terms of immigrant rights, disability rights, LGBTQIA rights, and most predominantly, reproductive rights. The website reads, “We believe in Reproductive Freedom. We do not accept any federal, state or local rollbacks, cuts or restrictions on our ability to access quality reproductive healthcare services, birth control, HIV/AIDS care and prevention, or medically accurate sexuality education. This means open access to safe, legal, affordable abortion and birth control for all people, regardless of income, location or education” (womensmarch.com). Supporters of the pro-choice movement are peaceful in their protests but also rally together and make their presence and desires known. When it comes to women and their bodies, if they feel that their personal choices are going to be monitored or restricted they have made it clear that they will not quietly sit down and accept it.

Donald Trump and his team have discussed many ideas and stances when it came to what they were planning to do in terms of the country’s healthcare. In one of Trump’s first acts as president, he reinstated a federal ban on U.S. funding for international health organizations that counsel women on family planning options, including abortion. The Global Gag Rule, enacted by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, prohibits giving any U.S. funding to nongovernmental organizations that offer reproductive health options if they include abortion, even though U.S. dollars are not used for abortion-related services. The Global Gag Rule has been rescinded and reinstated on multiple occasions, but has never received an outpour of protests quite like when Trump made the executive order (bbc.com). Millions of women and pro-choice believers rallied through the streets across the country to peacefully inform the president how they feel about his new act of presidency. Reinstating the Global Gag Rule has become a very controversial move due to the divide between the pro-life and pro-choice supporters. The marches were the first step for the pro-choice supporters to be heard, and they have more plans for the future if results are not seen.

In addition to potentially losing their ability to choose what to do with their bodies, women also rallied to protest the proposed lack of access to Planned Parenthood via the Trump Administration. What exactly are the costs of Planned Parenthood? Research shows that the United States spends about $600 million dollars a year on international assistance or family planning and reproductive health programs, making it possible for 27 million women and couples to access contraceptive services and supplies. Of that $600 million dollars, not one penny is spent on performing abortions. Opponents of the Global Gag Rule believe that these restrictions have devastating effects on international organizations, leading to clinics closing or reducing their services. Denying women access to help from safe providers is detrimental and could have severe implications. When abortion is not accessible, women that do not desire to have their unborn fetus, it becomes apparent that they will take maters into their own hands. Circumstances have been seen across the world where there have been serious injuries and deaths due to unsafe procedures done to themselves. The Guttmacher Institute states, “Attempts to stop abortion through restrictive laws – or by withholding family planning aid – can never eliminate abortion, because those methods do not eliminate women’s need for abortion… Where abortion is permitted on broad legal grounds, it is generally much safer than where it is highly restricted” (Guttmacher Institute). What is to come of President Trump’s executive order? Research shows that the policy cannot only have sever implications but could also be deadly for women and girls in developing countries and conflict zones. With the reinstatement of this policy, many women will resort to dangerous methods of ending their pregnancies when there is a lack of access to safe abortions. According to the World Health Organization, it is estimated that more than 22 million women a year have unsafe abortions in developing countries, which also account for about thirteen percent of all maternal deaths (who.com).

When researching the main topic of abortion and trying to form an opinion on the matter, there are many aspects to take into consideration. A large area to look into is that of health concerns of abortions. The most common form of abortion and the main type that the women are marching and advocating for are called medical abortions. A medical abortion is one that is brought about by taking medications that will end a pregnancy. The alternative is surgical abortion, which ends a pregnancy by emptying the uterus (or womb) with special instruments. According to the National Abortion Federation, about 95-98% of women will have a successful medical abortion. Complications are rare. However, a small percentage of women (approximately 0.5-2%) will need a suction aspiration (similar to a surgical abortion) because of heavy or prolonged bleeding. In about half of these cases, this heavy bleeding occurs 3-5 weeks after taking the medications. Rarely, in approximately 0.1-0.2% of cases, a blood transfusion might be required to treat very heavy bleeding. Some women also choose to have a suction aspiration because they would prefer not to wait for the medical abortion to be completed on its own. In about 1% of cases or fewer, the medications do not work. In these cases, a woman will need a suction procedure (surgical abortion) to empty the uterus and complete the abortion (prochoice.org). This research goes to show that while many Anti-abortion activists claim that medical abortion is unsafe for women, there is no evidence to support this claim. Today, abortion is one of the most common and safest medical procedures. This information is crucial to know before forming opinions or taking sides when debating the matter of abortion being legal or even an option for women or not. Studies that have shown the safety of the procedure go to show that such a procedure should be available as an option for a woman and her body.

The moral concerns of abortion are where the great divide between pro-life advocates and pro-choice advocates stems from. Through research, it is apparent that both sides have logical reasoning when it comes to their stances on the topic at hand, but science happens to weigh in favor of those who support pro-choice. Across the board, scientific research displays that abortions that take place between contraception and twenty weeks are not considered taking a life. If this is the case, why is it ethical to revoke a women’s choice when it comes to abortion? The Guttmacher Institute, previously mentioned as an opponent to the Global Gag Rule and President Trump’s reinstatement of it, anonymously surveyed 1,209 post-abortive women from nine different abortion clinics across the country. With 957 responses, the surveyed women provided an insight into the reasoning behind their choices of having an abortion and why they valued having such a choice. Reasoning for the decision include being a victim of rape, fetal health problems, physical health problems, interference with education or career, lack of maturity, not wanting to be a single mother, done having children, can’t afford a child, and not being ready for a child (Guttmacher Institute). By revoking a women’s ability to make her own decision, it could negatively affect the unborn child as well. As stated above, many abortions occur because the woman’s situation is insecure in terms of maturity of funds, and by forcing a woman to keep the child; it could be born into and raised in insufficient and even dangerous conditions.

It is a Republican tendency to be anti-abortion and pro-choice, but to many researchers on the issue this does not add up. For instance, it is proven that Republicans are twice as likely as a Democrat to support the death penalty. Does this support their idea of being pro-life? Over 30,000 Americans die every year from guns, yet Republicans oppose restricting or reducing gun rights. Republicans also support drone strikes at significantly greater levels than Democrats, even though these Drone’s kill hundreds of people each year. Republican legislators oppose many of the efforts of the EPA aimed at reducing air pollution even though approximately 200,000 Americans die every year from poor air quality. Heart disease kills approximately 600,000 Americans per year, yet attempts to reduce the availability of foods that lead to heart disease are considered a government overreach by Republicans. The Democratic Party strongly supports a woman's right to make decisions regarding her pregnancy, including a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay. The advocates state, “We oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right. Abortion is an intensely personal decision between a woman, her family, her doctor, and her clergy; there is no place for politicians or government to get in the way. We also recognize that health care and education help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and thereby also reduce the need for abortions” (Democratic Platform). The Trump administration would not only revoke the women’s right to an abortion, but would also reduce education and information on the procedure as well. The Democrats and republicans stand for different beliefs, but it can be said that neither of the parties would support a policy that can cause death. With the lack of education, it could create danger for women across the country that don’t know enough about their options when it comes to contraceptive methods or procedures like abortion. 

These facts alone are why women have had enough and have banned together to make sense of the society they are living in and to take back control from those they feel are hypocritical in their views. The women’s march website states that their main mission and unity principle is, “We believe that Women’s Rights are Human Rights and Human Rights are Women’s Rights. We must create a society in which women - including Black women, Native women, poor women, immigrant women, disabled women, Muslim women, lesbian queer and trans women - are free and able to care for and nurture their families, however they are formed, in safe and healthy environments free from structural impediments” (womensmarch.com). The marches, which included thousands of people across the country, go to show how one change can unite people and allow them to express themselves in a peaceful matter. The fact of the matter is that abortion remains one of the most controversial topics in society, but women all over the country are finally willing and ray to stand up and defend their right to such a procedure if desired. There is more to come from the pro-choice supporters across the country, and it is apparent that they will not stop until changes are made in their favor. 
