Women’s Reproductive Rights in 2025

In 2025, the state of women’s rights and reproductive health in the United States is crumbling, and quickly. Following the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the federal protection for abortion rights was eliminated, leading to a patchwork of state laws and regulations. This shift has intensified debates and actions surrounding reproductive freedoms, access to healthcare, and women’s autonomy. Why this is even still a debate at this point? Beyond me, but let’s talk about it.

I know this isn’t my usual content, but with everything going on in our current political atmosphere, being a health care provider, and identifying as a raging liberal feminist and HUMAN BEING, I simply can’t stay quiet any longer. This is strictly informative.

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“I know nothing about Project 2025” – Donald J. Trump

The re-election of President Donald Trump has brought about substantial changes in federal policies related to reproductive health. A central component of this shift is “Project 2025,” a comprehensive policy agenda developed by conservative think tanks and former Trump administration officials. Haven’t heard of it? (Where is your rock and is there room under there for me to join?) Project 2025 is a 900-page blueprint that outlines plans to (this list is not all-encompassing):

Restrict Access to Abortion Nationwide: By leveraging the Comstock Act, an 1873 law (prohibits the mailing of obscene, crime-related, or indecent matter), Project 2025 aims to ban the mailing of abortion medications and equipment, effectively limiting access across all states.¹
Limit Birth Control and Emergency Contraception: Proposes banning certain forms of birth control and emergency contraception, impacting millions of individuals who rely on these methods. Their current target? Mifepristone, a medication that is often used to induce abortion medically within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. Other uses? Treating life-threatening (if untreated) medical disorders like Cushings’ syndrome. It is also currently being studied in clinical trials for treatment of various types of cancers.²
Allow Hospitals to Deny Emergency Abortion Care: The agenda calls for policies that would permit hospitals to refuse emergency abortion care, even when the patient’s life is at risk. In fact, this is already happening in many states, in may different ways. If you haven’t already, please research the deceased woman in Georgia, Adriana Smith, whose dead body is currently being utilized as an incubator against her family’s wishes in order to carry out the full term of her pregnancy.^{2, 3}
Implement Surveillance Measures: There are proposals to track reproductive health data, raising concerns about privacy and the potential for government overreach. With that being said, please, please, please delete your period tracking apps. I know that they are convenient and helpful, but right-wing conservatives are why we cannot have nice things.²

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State-Level Battles and Ballot Initiatives

At the state level, the battle over reproductive rights continues. Currently, abortion is illegal in 12 states. In Texas, there is a “trigger ban”, meaning that once Roe was overturned, there were laws set to fall in place for a total ban within the state. They are currently enforcing these bans and with civil and criminal penalties and many other states are starting to follow suit. Multiple studies have shown that since Roe was overturned, pregnancy related infections and sepsis has increased substantially.⁴ Someone, show me a good outcome please.

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Rising Threats to Reproductive Health Facilities

The climate surrounding reproductive health facilities and reproductive health care providers has been and continues to remain volatile. Anti-abortion activist groups 11 murders, 42 bombings, and many other acts of arson and assault dating back to the 1970’s.^{5, 6} After the overturn of Roe v. Wade, there has been a steady and continuous uptrend of violence towards abortion seekers, and abortion providers, and I certainly do not see our current administration offering any sort of protective measures for these individuals any time soon. All of these incidents underscore the growing threats faced by reproductive health providers and the escalating ideological divides over reproductive rights in the United States.

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Money Talks

Restrictions on reproductive rights have broader economic consequences. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, such restrictions cost the U.S. economy an average of $173 billion per year.⁷ For an administration that’s all about saving every penny, shouldn’t this be an incentive to continue these protections for women who have every right to make their own healthcare decisions? Additionally, on an individual level, limited access to abortion services can lower the likelihood of women completing their education, reduce lifetime earnings, and lead to poorer outcomes for their children. Who’s going to work all of those “jobs” you’re going to create, Donald?

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Fake News

Myth: “These women are aborting babies well past the third trimester!”
Fact: Over 93% of abortions in the U.S. take place within the first 13 weeks of pregnancy. Procedures after 21 weeks are rare and typically involve severe fetal anomalies or significant risks to the mother’s health.⁸

Myth: “Those women have to live with that decision for the rest of their lives. They will become depressed and suicidal and filled with regret”
Fact: Research indicates that women who have abortions are not at a higher risk of mental health problems compared to those who carry unintended pregnancies to term. In fact, being denied an abortion can increase the risk of anxiety and depression.⁹

Myth: “I would never use birth control methods like an IUD or oral pill. It can cause abortions”
Fact: Contraceptives prevent unwanted pregnancies, period. They cannot be used to terminate an existing pregnancy.¹⁰

Myth: “Abortion rates have actually gone down since the overturn of Roe v. Wade”
Fact: The opposite is actually true. Abortion rates have increased secondary to the greater availability of medically assisted abortion access and overarching support from many private organizations for individuals in need.¹¹

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2025 Legislation (Women’s Reproductive Rights in 2025)

Executive Order 14182:
Reinforces the Hyde Amendment which in turn eliminates federal funding for elective abortions and revokes any previous orders expanding reproductive healthcare access.¹² This removes covered abortion access from anyone on Medicaid, federal employees/dependents, military personnel, veterans, the disabled, survivors of human trafficking, etc.

At the State Level:
Texas has been very busy. They currently have a total abortion ban with civil and criminal consequences in place for offenders. As noted above, since these laws have come into effect, the rates of sepsis in pregnancy have sky-rocketed. As a result, lawmakers at this time are considering an additional bill to clarify medical exceptions, which will add protections to medical professionals performing abortions in life threatening situations. It is important to note that this bill STILL lacks provisions for exceptions in cases of rape, incest, and fatal fetal anomalies.¹³

In Oklahoma, lawmakers are going so far as to pass bills to establish fetal personhood. This would make abortion a felony and could additionally criminalize healthcare providers.

At the Federal Level:
H.R. 78 : Prohibits certain abortion procedures and imposes stricter regulations on healthcare providers.
H.R. 48: (And this one absolutely disgusts me); Proposition for mandatory ultrasound viewing by the abortion seeker before they can provide obtained consent for the procedure.

More Project 2025 Initiatives:
The Project 2025 blueprint suggests changes such as re-naming the Department of Health and Human Services the Department of Life with a central focus on anti-abortion, establishing an anti-abortion task force, and rolling back protections on sexual orientation and gender identity discrepancies.

“Why should I care?”

Well, if you’re a woman, I feel like this is pretty obvious. However, the state of women’s reproductive rights in 2025 is marked by significant challenges and ongoing debates. Federal initiatives like Project 2025, coupled with state-level actions and increasing threats to healthcare providers, have created a complex and often hostile environment for reproductive freedoms. As these issues continue to evolve, the importance of informed advocacy and policy engagement becomes ever more critical to safeguard women’s health and autonomy.

Women reserve the right to make decisions about their own bodies (yup, this includes decisions about pregnancy and planning OR NOT to have a family). Access to reproductive healthcare including contraception and SAFE abortions have a direct impact on a woman’s physical and mental health. We’ve been here before people and what did we learn? Women’s health restrictions have only led to unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, higher rates of maternal and infant mortality. While you may want a white picket fence, prince charming, one boy and one girl, your neighbor may very much want to hold off temporarily (or all together) to pursue an education, employment, advance their career, travel, or quite frankly whatever the fuck they want. You deserve the right to choose your own path just as much as everyone else, and their choices are none of your damn business.

Looking for a lighter read after this post? Check out my last post on spring 2025 nail trends! Look out for my upcoming related post for summer nail trends soon!

Resources:
1. What Project 2025 Means for Black Communities: Limiting Access to Abortion Care – The Thurgood Marshall Institute at LDF (https://tminstituteldf.org/abortion-and-health-care-project-2025/)

2. Project 2025: The Plan to Gut Reproductive Freedom – Reproductive Freedom for All (https://reproductivefreedomforall.org/resources/project-2025)

3. Georgia’s anti-abortion law keeps brain-dead pregnant woman Adriana Smith on life support | AP News (https://apnews.com/article/pregnant-woman-brain-dead-abortion-ban-georgia-a85a5906e5b2c4889525f2300c441745)

4. Texas Banned Abortion. Then Sepsis Rates Soared. — ProPublica (https://www.propublica.org/article/texas-abortion-ban-sepsis-maternal-mortality-analysis)

5. Executive Summary: The Anti-Abortion Movement’s Extremist Playbook (https://www.splcenter.org/resources/reports/executive-summary/)

6. NAF 2024 Violence & Disruption Statistics (https://prochoice.org/our-work/provider-security/2024-naf-violence-disruption/)

7. The Economic Fallout of Reproductive Rights Restrictions on Women’s Futures – IWPR (https://iwpr.org/the-economic-fallout-of-reproductive-rights-restrictions-on-womens-futures)

8. Five Myths About Abortion in the U.S. – Brookings (https://www.brookings.edu/articles/five-myths-about-abortion-in-the-us)

9. Myths and Facts Concerning Abortions and Mental Health – American Psychiatry Association (https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/myths-and-facts-concerning-abortions-and-mental-he)

10. Birth Control Pill – Planned Parenthood (https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control/birth-control-pill)

11. 5 myths about abortion in the US (https://www.brookings.edu/articles/five-myths-about-abortion-in-the-us)

12. Enforcing the Hyde Amendment – The White House (https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/enforcing-the-hyde-amendment)

13. Texas lawmakers advance bill to clarify exceptions to restrictive abortion ban | AP News (https://apnews.com/article/abortion-texas-exceptions-35e2dddb7bff3200b951cd3e7aa92f49)