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On 4-Year Anniversary of SCOTUS Dobbs Decision Overturning Women’s Reproductive Freedom, Advocacy Organizations Mobilize to Replace Legislators, Restore Rights

Four years ago, Long Islanders protested the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, overturning women’s reproductive freedom guaranteed by Roe v. Wade. This year, women’s rights organizations are mobilizing to elect legislators who will restore reproductive freedom © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Washington, DC —On the four-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Reproductive Freedom for All announces the launch of My Body. My Ballot., a $23.5 million campaign to mobilize voters, hold anti-abortion politicians accountable, and elect reproductive freedom champions in key races across the country in order to restore women’s reproductive freedom and rights.

At the center of this campaign is a simple truth: support for abortion access is popular across party lines – more popular than any individual politician or political party. As many voters turn away from Trump and the MAGA movement because of their continued attacks on abortion access, Reproductive Freedom for All is seizing the opportunity to elect pro-abortion candidates up and down the ballot.

The campaign marks Reproductive Freedom for All’s largest-ever midterm electoral program and will focus on persuading and mobilizing voters – including independents, soft Republicans, and split-ticket voters – whose support for abortion access puts them at odds with Trump and his endorsed candidates. It will deploy a layered strategy that includes on-the-ground organizing, research, digital engagement, and political accountability. The program will include deep investments in direct voter contact, including coordinated canvassing programs designed in direct partnership with specific campaigns. It will also include relational organizing training with our members, with priority investments across Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, California, and Georgia. Top-tier targets will include AZ-06, MI-07, and NV-03 congressional districts, alongside critical statewide races and ballot initiatives. The campaign will also include a national communications and digital program designed to reach voters across legacy media, podcasts, creator platforms, and social media ecosystems where public opinion and cultural conversation are increasingly shaped.

Four years after Dobbs, reproductive freedom remains one of the most salient issues in American politics. Anti-abortion politicians and extremists have made clear they will not stop at overturning Roe. They are attacking medication abortion, undermining emergency abortion care, defunding Planned Parenthood, gutting Medicaid, and pushing policies that raise costs for families already struggling to make ends meet. My Body. My Ballot. seizes on a critical political moment as divisions deepen within the Republican Party. As anti-abortion groups pressure the Trump administration to go even further, Republicans are caught between a radical anti-abortion movement demanding a nationwide ban and the 8 in 10 voters who support legal abortion and overwhelmingly oppose political interference in personal medical decisions.

“Abortion is popular – more popular than any individual politician. What’s not popular is Trump and the MAGA movement, who continue to lose voter support with every new attack on abortion access. Instead of lowering costs or helping families plan their futures, MAGA Republicans have advanced policies that make it harder for people to decide whether, when, and how to grow their families,” stated Reproductive Freedom for All President and CEO Mini Timmaraju. 

“My Body. My Ballot. is about making sure every voter understands how the issues they care most about are connected: our bodies, our families, our health care, our economic security, and our freedom. We have the members, the political power, and the organizing infrastructure to turn outrage into action.

“Four years after Dobbs, abortion bans have created a dangerous and chaotic patchwork where access to care depends on where someone lives, how much money they have, and whether they can travel. Anti-abortion politicians created this crisis, and this November, Americans will make sure they are held accountable.”

Impact of Losing Reproductive Freedom

According to data compiled by314 Action, a national organization working to recruit, train and elect Democratic scientists across all levels of government, the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe four years ago has had significant impact on lives: 

  • 13 states have total abortion bans.
  • 41 states have some form of an abortion ban in effect.
  • Miscarriage care is being directly impacted in hospitals. There’s been a 2.8% increase in miscarrying patients being sent home to ‘wait and see.’ There’s been a 2.2% decrease in medication management and a 13.8% increase in doctors only treating miscarriages with misoprostol, which isn’t the US standard of care and can cause longer, more painful miscarriages. 
  • 51 Planned Parenthoods were forced to close in 2025 alone (which impacts reproductive care beyond abortions).
  • There are more and more reports emerging about women dying due to lack of miscarriage care, because of doctors fearing prosecution for giving life-saving abortions. The exact number is obviously unknown due to HIPPA, fear of speaking out, and cross-state laws, but ProPublica has been doing an incredible investigative series. 
  • OBGYNs are leaving states with abortion bans in mass exodus, which creates a gap in reproductive care for all—not just those who need an abortion.
  • Republicans are using the courts to try to make it illegal to ship safe medical abortion drugs like mifepristone.

“The full devastation and exact numbers of women harmed by this decision can’t fully be quantified for a range of reasons (including, as you mentioned, abusive relationships, lack of reporting from states with abortion bans, fear of speaking out, etc.)—but the damage that is documented show that women are at risk, no matter where they live. It’s why 314 Action is working to elect pro-choice doctors and scientists to office—to put healthcare back in the hands of the patients, not politicians,” the organization stated.

“Four years ago, the Supreme Court of the United States turned back time on one of the most fundamental rights in America—the freedom to choose. Today, in Donald Trump’s America, women are routinely denied access to reproductive healthcare for abortion, pregnancy complications or miscarriage. Post-Dobbs, women in every state are at risk because of this decision, even where abortion remains legal and protected. 

“We’ve seen their playbook and we know Republicans are continuing their assault on women’s bodies. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law one year ago, cut $700 million in federal funding from abortion providers. 51 Planned Parenthood health centers closed in 2025, posing expansive logistical and financial barriers to women seeking care. Republicans across the nation are now using the courts to make telehealth efforts and safe medication abortion, like mifepristone, illegal. A dozen states now enforce restrictions, while six outright banned telehealth abortion.Doctors, under fear of prosecution, are denying women critical, lifesaving care. 

“Reproductive healthcare isn’t a game, it’s life or death. Republicans are attacking reproductive healthcare at every level, which is why 314 Action is electing candidates at every level. This year, a record number of doctors and scientists have stepped up to run for office. In the face of these attacks, 314 Action’s mission remains crystal clear: elect pro-choice scientists and doctors to office who will place healthcare decisions back in the hands of patients.” 

314 Action launched Guardians of Public Health in 2025 and is working to elect 100 new doctors, up and down the ballot and across the nation by 2030, raising and spending over $25 million in the effort. 

Voters Support Reproductive Freedom

New polling by Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly known of NARAL Pro-Choice America, which has been advocating for women’s rights for 55 years), underscores the opportunity for its campaign. The research, conducted by Impact Research, surveyed likely voters in battleground U.S. House districts, including an oversample of voters who did not support Kamala Harris in 2024 but voted “yes” on abortion rights ballot measures statewide in Arizona, Michigan, and Nevada. The results show that voters overwhelmingly want lawmakers to protect reproductive health care—and that communicating clearly about politicians’ efforts to gut health care access, undermine medical privacy, and prioritize abortion restrictions over families’ needs can meaningfully move voters.

Eight in 10 voters surveyed said it is important for lawmakers to protect access to reproductive care, including 58% who said it is very important. Battleground voters also rejected additional abortion restrictions: Half said lawmakers should pass laws protecting abortion access nationwide.

Support for a nationwide abortion ban carries significant political consequences. More than 4 in 10 voters said a politician’s support for a nationwide abortion ban would be a total dealbreaker—placing it among the most disqualifying positions tested, alongside raising taxes on middle-class families and cutting Medicaid. After hearing messaging about attacks on health care access and privacy and politicians’ misplaced priorities, voters backed a generic Democratic congressional candidate by 12 points, 48% to 36%—a net five-point gain from the start of the poll (45% to 38%).

Reproductive Freedom for All’s National Week of Action

The campaign launch also kicks off Reproductive Freedom for All’s National Week of Action, running June 22–28, with events across the country designed to educate voters, train volunteers, elevate storytellers, and drive direct action in target states and districts. The week will feature 11 in-person events across our chapter states, alongside 12 national activations — including multiple phone banking actions and shifts, as well as a national text bank. 

Key components of the campaign include:

●       A national organizing program powered by members:
Reproductive Freedom for All will activate its 4.5 million members nationwide to grow its volunteer leadership infrastructure and launch direct voter contact and visibility events in priority districts and regions. The campaign will span canvases across our chapter states — including cities like Phoenix, Tucson, Bakersfield, and Savannah — alongside Pride marches, rallies, community roundtables, and press conferences with elected leaders and stakeholders. It will also feature multi-day phone banks at both the in-person and virtual levels.  

●       Direct voter contact in priority states and districts:
The program will include deep investments in direct voter contact, including coordinated canvassing programs designed in direct partnership with specific campaigns. It will persuade and mobilize voters – including independents, soft Republicans, and split-ticket voters – whose support for abortion access puts them at odds with Trump and his endorsed candidates. The program will also include relational organizing training with our members, with priority investments across Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, California, and Georgia. Top-tier targets will include AZ-06, MI-07, and NV-03 congressional districts, alongside critical statewide races and ballot initiatives.

●       Research-backed messaging on freedom, care, and economic security:
The campaign will use Reproductive Freedom for All’s latest research to connect abortion access to the economic pressures families are already facing, including the reality that deciding whether to have a child is one of the biggest economic decisions a person can make. Campaign messaging will also educate voters on threats to medication abortion, emergency care, health privacy, and access to reproductive health care nationwide.

●       Candidate endorsements and accountability:
Reproductive Freedom for All will endorse reproductive freedom champions and hold anti-abortion politicians accountable for their records, including those aligned with anti-abortion groups pushing the Trump administration to restrict access even further. The campaign will make clear who is working to protect abortion access—and who is working to push care further out of reach.

●       State ballot measures. Reproductive Freedom for All will support ballot measure work in Virginia, Missouri, and Nevada, as part of a broader strategy to engage voters around reproductive freedom up and down the ballot. This work will connect ballot measure engagement to the campaign’s broader voter contact, persuasion, and turnout strategy.

●       Digital and creator program to mobilize voters:
Reproductive Freedom for All will run a comprehensive digital program across social media, podcast platforms, creator partnerships, paid digital, email, SMS, and rapid-response content. The creator strategy will go beyond paid amplification by partnering with trusted messengers, independent creators, storytellers, and issue-adjacent voices who can authentically reach persuadable audiences and encourage voter engagement.

The campaign builds on Reproductive Freedom for All’s latest research, which connects reproductive freedom to economic security and the freedom to decide whether, when, and how to grow a family. That research will inform the campaign’s ads, field scripts, digital content, volunteer trainings, and voter conversations—including outreach to independent and soft Republican voters who are frustrated by rising costs and alarmed by continued attacks on abortion access.

For over 55 years, Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America) has fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom at the federal and state levels—including access to abortion care, birth control, pregnancy and post-partum care, and paid family leave—for everybody. Reproductive Freedom for All is powered by its more than 4 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 8 in 10 Americans who support legal abortion.

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Reproductive Freedom, Justice Activists Decry Health Violations, Mistreatment of Pregnant, Postpartum and Nursing Women in ICE Detention

Women’s Reproductive Rights and Justice activists protest against Trump and his unconstitutional detention policies, especially how pregnant, postpartum and nursing mothers are treated in detention © Karen Rubin

Reproductive Freedom For All, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, and other partners hosted a press call on Thursday morning to highlight immigration detention as an urgent and immediate reproductive justice issue. (Access a recording from today’s call here.)

Reproductive freedom and justice advocates called for oversight and accountability for the human rights violations and the medical neglect and mistreatment of pregnant, postpartum, and/or nursing people in detention across the country. Overwhelmingly, speakers agreed that the Trump administration is choosing to enforce its extreme agenda rather than the safety of pregnant people.

Experts convened to speak on the crisis at hand, share the consequences for pregnant individuals and their children in detention, bring to light real-life examples, and discuss future actions from organizations, including legal actions to hold this administration accountable.

Members of Congress and advocates highlighted important legislation calling for more oversight and accountability on ICE, including a resolution recognizing that immigrant justice and reproductive justice are inseparable and must be pursued together, the Melt Ice Act, and the Stop Shackling and Detaining Pregnant Women Act.

“For months now, we’ve seen reports of pregnant people in ICE custody experiencing medical neglect and abuse,” stated Yvonne Gutierrez, Reproductive Freedom for All Executive Director. “This is state-sanctioned violence. Trump’s anti-abortion and anti-immigrant attacks are part of the same agenda, aimed at controlling people’s bodies, denying care, and targeting communities they deem less deserving of freedom and dignity. This is dangerous, and it’s escalating. We will keep fighting for a world where everyone has the freedom to make decisions about their bodies and their futures, and where families are protected by their government, not targeted.”

“We’ve had enough of these attacks on immigrant communities, designed to instill fear and confusion and deter people from accessing healthcare and essential services,” declared Lupe M. Rodríguez, Executive Director, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice. “We know that actions to separate families and make it harder for people to make their own decisions about their bodies and lives violate our reproductive rights and bodily autonomy. Immigrant justice IS reproductive justice. Everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from, should be able to get the health care they need; live safe, healthy lives; and raise their families with dignity.”

“Unaccompanied immigrant youth must be able to access the full range of reproductive health care, including abortion, under the current law,” Brigitte Amiri, Deputy Director, American Civil Liberties Union, Reproductive Freedom Project, stated. “Any attempts to restrict abortion access for youth in immigration shelters will be devastating. If any youth in ORR custody is denied access to reproductive health care, they should contact us at 212-549-2633.”

“Our pregnant clients tell us they don’t know when or if they will be able to go to the OBGYN, and when they do go, they aren’t told when their next appointment will be,” said Jesus Gonzalez, Managing Social Worker, Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project, Arizona. “We currently have a client who is in her third trimester and has no information on what the plan would be if she were to give birth while detained. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to secure release from detention for anyone right now, including people who are pregnant or suffering from serious illnesses.  While our clients have reported poor conditions in detention for many years, what we’re seeing now is a choice on behalf of ICE and the federal government to detain everyone that they can, regardless of their medical history and regardless of whether they can obtain the medical care they need in ICE custody. We are sounding the alarm on the real harms of detaining pregnant people and the danger that this poses to their health and the health of their babies. We call on ICE to immediately release all pregnant people from detention and stop this harmful practice of detaining pregnant people.”

“Healthcare access is not a nice-to-have, it’s lifesaving. And reproductive health care should never be seen as optional —  it’s a dignity that all women deserve,” said Rochelle Garza, President of the Texas Civil Rights Project. “Texans know this fight deeply. Those of us living on the border have experienced this cruelty for years. And it’s no coincidence that many of these immigration detention centers, whether they are run by ICE or ORR, are located in Texas. Or that the enforcement methods here have spread across the country. It’s past time to shut down these facilities and end detention of families and any medically vulnerable individuals.”

“The story of my mom– a woman who crossed the border pregnant with me– reminds me that migration and reproductive healthcare are inextricably tied. Despite people traveling miles in the hope of a better life, immigration status, financial conditions, and dehumanizing treatment create significant barriers to care,” said Congresswoman Delia C Ramirez (D-IL), lead sponsor of the Melt ICE Act. “Reproductive justice is a human right and immigrant justice demands the dismantling of systems that criminalize migration, tear apart families, and deny immigrants access to health care and full personhood.”

Trump’s HHS Targets 13 States Where Abortion Coverage is Protected With New Investigation

In other developments, The Guardian recently reported that Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services has launched investigations into 13 states that currently require health insurance plans to cover abortion care, claiming that these protections violate the Weldon Amendment.

Reproductive Freedom for All-endorsed New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill criticized the investigationsin a statement last Thursday as “nothing but a fishing expedition wasting taxpayers’ money.”

“I will fight tooth and nail to defend and protect New Jerseyans’ abortion rights against attacks from Donald Trump, or anyone else,’ she said. ‘New Jersey requires health insurance plans to follow all applicable laws, including protecting women’s reproductive freedom.”

The Weldon Amendment has long been used to let politicians and health care entities impose their personal beliefs on patients—allowing hospitals, insurance companies, and individual health care professionals to deny care, coverage, or referrals for abortion care. 

This isn’t the first time the Trump administration has sought to weaponize the Weldon Amendment to attack states that have passed laws to safeguard abortion access. In 2020, the Trump Administration announced it would withhold $200 million in federal Medicaid funds quarterly from California by claiming that the state’s requirement for abortion coverage in health care plans violates the Weldon Amendment.

“Trump and his allies have lied time and again by saying that they’re leaving abortion access up to the states—and this latest move from Trump’s HHS reaffirms that this was never going to be the case. This is part of a broader strategy to chip away at abortion access nationwide, including in states where it is legally protected, and the Trump administration won’t stop pressuring providers, restricting medication abortion, and challenging health care coverage until they reach that goal,” Reproductive Freedom for All stated.

For over 50 years, Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America) has fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom at the federal and state levels—including access to abortion care, birth control, pregnancy and post-partum care, and paid family leave—for everybody. Reproductive Freedom for All is powered by its more than 4 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 8 in 10 Americans who support legal abortion.

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Reproductive Freedom for All: Six Storylines to Watch in 2026

Reproductive Freedom for All: “2025 affirmed critical truths that will be at the forefront of our fight in 2026—voters continue to reject abortion bans and support reproductive freedom champions at the ballot box; anti-abortion actors are escalating, not retreating, despite their proven unpopularity; and the human cost of abortion bans is mounting while the full damage is still untold.” © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

This fact sheet was provided by Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America) which for 55 years has fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom at the federal and state levels—including access to abortion care, birth control, pregnancy and post-partum care, and paid family leave—for everybody. Reproductive Freedom for All is powered by its more than 4 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, standing up to protect the rights of the 8 in 10 Americans who support legal abortion:

2025 affirmed critical truths that will be at the forefront of our fight in 2026—voters continue to reject abortion bans and support reproductive freedom champions at the ballot box; anti-abortion actors are escalating, not retreating, despite their proven unpopularity; and the human cost of abortion bans is mounting while the full damage is still untold.

Here are the topics that shaped 2025—and how we’re expecting them to play out in 2026:

1: GOP Attacks on Medication Abortion as Proxy for a National Ban

Trump and his allies spent this year mounting coordinated attacks on mifepristone, making clear that restricting medication abortion is the most immediate path to a national abortion ban. By targeting mifepristone through courts, federal agencies, and obscure laws, anti-abortion extremists are attempting to override state protections, medical consensus, and public opinion—and we expect them to double down in 2026. But the reality remains: Medication abortion is safe, effective, and widely used. While abortion bans have devastated access in many states, care persists thanks to telehealth and shield laws, and medication abortion is on the rise. 

Key Moments in 2025:

●       This year marked 25 years since the FDA approved mifepristone, which has been rigorously studied and used by more than 7.5 million people.

●       Trump and his MAGA allies are using every branch and levelof government, including the courts, Congress, and administrative agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to block access to mifepristone.

●       Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) introduced a bill in the Senate to ban the mailing of mifepristone, and House Republicans have introduced similar legislation.

What We’re Watching in 2026:

●       The FDA’s baseless, politically motivated “review” of mifepristone—now delayed until after the 2026 midterms. (Coincidental timing, we’re sure.)

●       Renewed litigation as states like Florida, Texas, and Missouri aim to further restrict mifepristone.

●       Movement in Missouri v. FDA—GOP-led states’ attempt to revive a dismissed challenge and restrict mifepristone access. This comes after federal district Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk (in Texas) transferred the case to the Eastern District of Missouri, which is conveniently stacked with Trump-appointed, anti-abortion judges.

●       Continued reliance on junk science as anti-abortion groups ramp up their outlandish, unscientific claims to stigmatize and surveil medication abortion.

●       Quiet groundwork by the Trump administration to misuse the Comstock Act to ban the mailing of mifepristone.

2: “Leave It Up to the States”: Shield Laws vs. Criminalizing Abortion Care

2025 revealed a direct and growing clash between states protecting abortion care and states attempting to criminalize care within and beyond their borders. Shield laws protected patients and providers from extraterritorial legal actions by states that have banned abortion. This prompted aggressive backlash from anti-abortion extremists who have made it crystal clear that they never actually intended to leave abortion access up to individual states.

Key Moments in 2025:

●       Sixteen Republican attorneys general urged Congress to override state shield laws.

●       Texas enacted HB 7, yet another bounty-hunter abortion ban that encourages private individuals to sue manufacturers, distributors, and providers of medication abortion to receive a minimum of $100,000 in damages.

●       States like Texas and Louisiana attempted to bypass other states’ shield laws, while California, New York, Vermont and other blue states strengthened and expanded protections for abortion providers and patients.

●       New data from the Society of Family Planning showed an increase in telehealth-provided medication abortion care in the first half of 2025, including from legal shield-state providers.

What We’re Watching in 2026: 

●       Escalating interstate legal conflicts and congressional efforts to preempt shield laws as the GOP continues to pursue a national abortion ban.

●       Copy-cat legislation as anti-abortion lawmakers in state legislatures across the country  seek to replicate Texas’s HB 7, the new bounty-hunter ban targeting manufacturers, distributors, and providers of medication abortion. Some states will go even further and attempt to target people who help others access medication abortion care.

3: The GOP-Manufactured Health Care Crisis

Republicans used 2025 to advance a broader assault on health care access—gutting coverage, defunding providers, and driving up costs to push care even further out of reach. As we head into 2026, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits are set to expire, threatening coverage for more than 22 million people, and more health care clinics and rural hospitals across the country are at risk of closing.

Key Moments in 2025: 

●       In July, Trump and his allies in Congress passed a deeply unpopular budget bill that defunds Planned Parenthood, decimates Medicaid, and ultimately strips health coverage from 15 million people.

●       In September, Congressional Republicans shut down the federal government for 43 days—the longest in history. While ignoring calls for a bipartisan spending bill to mitigate their manufactured health care crisis, they did find plenty of time to keep attacking abortion.

●       Anti-abortion Republicans slashed funding for Title X, the nation’s only federal funding program dedicated to family planning.

 What We’re Watching in 2026:

●       An expected January vote on House Democrats’ clean three-year extension of the ACA enhanced premium tax credits. As the ACA fight continues, expect Republicans to keep pushing anti-abortion misinformation to distract from skyrocketing health care costs and their refusal to extend the tax credits.

●       The Supreme Court potentially taking up Planned Parenthood Federation of America v. Kennedy—yet another case that threatens Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood and other providers that offer abortion care.

●       Intensifying scrutiny of increased public funding for anti-abortion centers, especially as legitimate medical providers lose critical resources. 

●       More empty health care proposals from anti-abortion lawmakers that contain harmful abortion provisions.

4: So-Called “Personhood” and Expanding Attacks Beyond Abortion

Republicans accelerated efforts to codify harmful “personhood” ideology—granting legal rights to zygotes, embryos, or fetuses—confirming what reproductive freedom advocates have long warned: Anti-abortion extremists were never going to stop at abortion. “Personhood” ideology lays the groundwork to restrict in vitro fertilization (IVF), contraception, stem cell research, and pregnancy management. Trump and his allies want these threats to fly under the radar because they know just how extreme and unpopular they are. While these laws are often framed as technical changes or isolated incidents, the policies are part of an insidious strategy to launder these unpopular and unworkable ideas, assert even more control over our bodies, and redefine reproductive health care out of existence.

 Key Moments in 2025: 

●       Trump signed an executive order that targeted trans people and defined life as beginning at conception, inserting “personhood” ideology into official administrative policy.

●       The self-proclaimed “father of IVF,” Trump confirmed he does not plan to require health insurers to provide coverage for IVF—after campaigning on making these services free.

●       House Speaker Mike Johnson quietly worked to successfully remove IVF coverage for active duty military members from the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

●       At least 38 bills attempting to codify “personhood” ideology were introduced across 24 states—a sharp increase from last year.

●       Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo vetoed SB 217, which would have expanded access to fertility care by lowering costs and protecting access amid GOP efforts to ban IVF.

●       The South Carolina Legislature seriously considered SB 323, a total abortion ban that would have treated abortion as homicide and set the foundation to restrict birth control, IVF, and emergency contraception.

●       The Trump administration destroyed $10 million worth of contraceptives, justifying it by falsely categorizing birth control as an “abortifacient.”

What We’re Watching in 2026:

●       Renewed domestic gag rule threats (Trump already revived the global gag rule from his first term) that extend anti-abortion ideology into broader domestic health systems.

●       The federal government’s continued attacks on birth control, including threats to falsely conflate IUDs and other forms of contraception as abortion care.

●       Expanded criminalization efforts as states use laws based on “personhood” ideology to prosecute miscarriage and other pregnancy outcomes.

●       Anti-abortion groups’ increased reliance on junk science to vilify IVF and providers who offer a full range of fertility care as part of their broader efforts to sow distrust in legitimate medical institutions and providers while pushing people toward the anti-abortion centers they fund. 

5. Rigging the System from the Courts to the Ballot Box

Knowing 8 in 10 Americans support the legal right to abortion care, anti-abortion extremists have doubled down on consolidating power—stacking courts, rewriting rules, and manipulating democratic systems—to impose an unpopular agenda voters repeatedly reject. This strategy targets reproductive freedom alongside voting rights and democracy itself, even as voters continue to push back and are poised to do so again in 2026.

 Key Moments in 2025:
 

●       Abortion was a galvanizing issue that drove turnout and victories from coast to coast during the 2025 elections.

●       After retaking office, Trump moved quickly to completely overhaul the federal government—stacking every level and branch with extremists ready to advance Project 2025’s priorities.

●       The Trump administration also confirmed dozens of judicial nominees to the federal bench—including 13 that have extreme anti-abortion records. These confirmations have set the stage for judges to rubber-stamp Trump’s anti-abortion agenda in the courts.

●       Californians overwhelmingly passed Prop 50 to push back against Trump’s redistricting in Texas and other attacks on democracy.

●       In response to successful state abortion ballot measures, including in his home state of Missouri, Sen. Josh Hawley and his wife, Erin Hawley—an attorney and key figure in overturning Roe v. Wade—launched a dark money group to promote anti-abortion ballot measures across the country. The move reportedly sparked backlash even within the White House, underscoring just how politically toxic these efforts are.

●       Anti-abortion lawmakers in Missouri passed legislation that puts a constitutional amendment on the ballot that, if approved by voters, would remove the abortion protections Missouri voters approved last year. Anti-abortion extremists in Arizona tried to do the same thing, but after advocacy led by Reproductive Freedom for All, this bill was defeated.

What We’re Watching in 2026:

●       The 2026 midterms as a referendum on abortion bans and government overreach.

●       Nevada’s Question 6, which aims to protect abortion rights in the state constitution, returning to the ballot for final voter approval after a decisive victory in 2024.

●       Massive spending by anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which pledged millions to buy the Georgia and Michigan Senate seats.

●       High-stakes redistricting and voting rights cases, including Louisiana v. Callais before the Supreme Court, with major implications for representation and democracy.

6:  Maternal Mortality and the Human Cost of Abortion Bans

The consequences of abortion bans became even more visible in 2025 as investigative reporting documented more heartbreaking and preventable deaths of pregnant people denied care. Maternal mortality rates are on the rise in states with abortion bans, yet those same states are making it harder to investigate by obfuscating and suppressing data.

 Key Moments in 2025: 

●       Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old Black mother and nurse from Atlanta, was kept on life support for more than 90 days—against her family’s wishes, and long after being declared brain dead—because of Georgia’s extreme abortion ban and so-called fetal personhood ideology.

●       Tierra Walker, a 37-year-old Black mother from San Antonio, died from preeclampsia after being denied an abortion during a high-risk pregnancy—despite repeatedly asking for care—under Texas’ extreme abortion ban.

●       After Georgia dismissed all members of its Maternal Mortality Commission last year, the state is now keeping the new members secret.

●       The Trump administration rescinded the 2022 Biden-era guidance that affirmed federal law protects emergency abortion care—putting lives at risk and creating confusion for providers who still have a legal obligation to provide this care.

What we’re watching in 2026:

●       Continued erosion of emergency care protections.

●       Ongoing suppression of maternal mortality data by anti-abortion extremists.

●       More dangerous miscarriage and pregnancy outcomes in ban states, where emergency interventions and complications are rising.

The storylines that unfolded in 2025 have set the stage for 2026, and the stakes are clear: An extremist minority is escalating authoritarian efforts through every level of power—and our rights and freedoms are at risk. This next year will test whether democracy and science prevail over coordinated and escalating attacks, with control of Congress and the future of reproductive freedom on the line.

Anti-Trump Activism, Health Care, News & Photo Features, Womens Rights,, Freedom

New Lawsuit Demands Transparency in Trump-Vance Administration’s Efforts to Restrict Access to Critical Reproductive Health Care

“Hands Off” NYC March, April 25, 2025: Americans want reproductive rights; women want the freedom to access reproductive healthcare. Reproductive Freedom for All has filed a lawsuit seeking critical information and records from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the Trump-Vance administration’s efforts to restrict access to reproductive health care. © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Washington, D.C. – Reproductive Freedom for All has filed a lawsuit seeking critical information and records from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the Trump-Vance administration’s efforts to restrict access to reproductive health care. The lawsuit follows a series of requests for public information that remain unlawfully unfulfilled. Reproductive Freedom for All is represented by Democracy Forward in the matter.

The filing responds to increasing evidence that the administration is working behind closed doors to restrict access to medication abortion and undermine emergency health care protections for pregnant patients. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests demanded records related to political interference, agency leadership communications, and coordination with extreme anti-abortion groups.

“All evidence to date indicates that – as we feared – the Trump-Vance administration is working to undermine access to vital reproductive health care, even in circumstances in which a mother’s life is in danger,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “The administration’s far-reaching new policies threaten public health, and yet so little is known about how they were formulated because they are hiding without accountability. The public has a right to know how these efforts to impose dangerous and politically motivated restrictions on reproductive health care are being implemented.”

“The Trump-Vance administration is using the FDA to push a backdoor abortion ban, and they don’t want Americans to know about it. They’re quietly working with anti-abortion extremists to undermine access to medication abortion and strip hospitals of their duty to provide lifesaving emergency abortion care,” said Mini Timmaraju, CEO and President of Reproductive Freedom for All. “We’re demanding answers because the American people deserve to know the truth.”

Reports indicate that the administration is considering a politically driven review of long-approved abortion medications and has rescinded CMS guidance clarifying hospitals’ obligations to provide emergency care under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act a federal law that requires hospitals to provide stabilizing treatment to anyone experiencing a medical emergency, even if this includes abortion care when necessary to save the patient’s life or prevent serious harm.

The FOIA requests seek communications from key political appointees, such as FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, regarding mifepristone, emergency care for pregnant patients, and interactions with outside groups like the National Right to Life Committee, Americans United for Life, and others.

(In a related development, Costco has is refusing to sell or stock the mifepristone abortion pill.) 

Though receipt of the FOIA requests was acknowledged by the agencies, they have not produced the requested documents in the time required by law. The lawsuit filed today asks for a court to help ensure that the public can hold health agency officials accountable for decisions that could limit access to abortion and life-saving emergency care.

The legal team working on the matter for Democracy Forward includes Daniel McGrath, Anisha N. Hindocha, and Robin Thurston.

Read the complaint here and the original FOIA requests here and here.