MAGA AGENDA: Republicans’ Decades-Long War on Health Care
May 3, 2022
Last night, reporting uncovered conservative Supreme Court justices are set to overturn Roe v. Wade. Make no mistake: this is the direct result of the Republican Party’s extreme, years-long campaign against reproductive rights and Americans’ fundamental freedom to make their own decisions about their health care.
In 2016, Donald Trump called for an abortion ban with “some form of punishment” for women — beyond the pale even for many anti-abortion activists.
Vox: “Donald Trump: ‘There has to be some form of punishment’ for women who have abortions”
CNN: “Several hours later – after widespread condemnation from Trump’s presidential rivals and even leading anti-abortion groups – he walked back his remarks”
Because of Republicans’ extreme, MAGA agenda, as many as 26 states are expected to ban abortion when Roe is overturned – meaning millions of Americans lose access to safe and legal abortion.
Yahoo News: “According to the Guttmacher Institute, a think tank that supports abortion rights, 26 states are certain or likely to ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned as expected.”
Slate: “When Roe is gone, 26 states will ban abortion”
New York Times: “According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, a group that fights abortion restrictions in court and closely tracks state laws, 24 states are likely to ban abortion if they are allowed. Those states are: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.”
Trump and Mitch McConnell packed the courts with extreme, far-right judges who have been unapologetic in their campaign to restrict Americans’ reproductive freedoms.
CNBC: “Trump: I’ll Appoint Supreme Court Justices To Overturn Roe V. Wade Abortion Case”
NPR: “He said Roe would be overturned if he got to change the balance on the court: ‘If we put another two or perhaps three justices on, that will happen. And that will happen automatically, in my opinion, because I am putting pro-life justices on the court.’”
Pew Research: “Trump-Appointed Judges Fuel Abortion Debate in the States”
Washington Examiner: “Mitch McConnell takes victory lap over judiciary wins at anti-abortion gala”
Newsweek: “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell outlined his efforts to stack the courts against Roe v. Wade in an interview with an anti-abortion rights video channel this week.”
CBS News: “Trump’s 200th judge called for the ‘complete and immediate reversal’ of Roe v. Wade”
In the last year alone, Republican governors and legislatures have implemented harmful and unconstitutional laws that restrict access to safe, legal abortions.
Associated Press: “Idaho governor signs abortion ban modeled on Texas law”
Politico: “Florida lawmakers approve strictest abortion ban in state’s history”
NPR: “Arizona joins a growing list of states that have passed a 15-week abortion ban”
Associated Press: “Oklahoma governor signs bill to make abortion illegal”
Texas Tribune: “Gov. Greg Abbott signs into law one of nation’s strictest abortion measures, banning procedure as early as six weeks into a pregnancy”
Republicans have spent the last decade trying to overturn the Affordable Care Act, which could allow insurers to charge women more and not cover maternity care.
Washington Post: “Sen. Ron Johnson says Obamacare should be repealed if GOP wins power back”
Newsweek: “GOP Aims To Kill Obamacare Yet Again After Failing 70 Times”
New York Times: “Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Strike Down Affordable Care Act”
Vox: “The Affordable Care Act changed everything. It prohibited insurers on the individual market from charging people more based on their gender or their medical history. Women are more likely than men to have a preexisting condition, which can include a history of rape, domestic violence, or even pregnancy. The law required insurers to cover certain services, including maternity care, ensuring women would be able to buy a health plan that actually covered the medical care they needed.”
The Trump-Pence administration waged an all-out war on women’s health care and blocked women’s access to health care through legislation, regulations, and legal action.
Trump slashed funding for family planning programs and imposed a rule aimed at stripping federal funding from health care providers that provide abortion services or referrals.
Trump issued a regulation allowing employers to refuse to provide no-cost contraception coverage as previously required under the Affordable Care Act.
Trump tried to limit access to reproductive health care by supporting legislation that would institute a restrictive 20-week abortion ban and create new restrictions on insurance plans that cover abortions.
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