Trump’s federal health website scrubs ‘abortion’ search results
On the second day of the second Trump administration, a search for the term “abortion” on the website for the federal Department of Health and Human Services brings up 166 results. The top hit is from January 24, 2020, during President Trump’s first term, and is about how California violated the rights of two religious organizations that wanted to offer health plans that excluded coverage for abortion.
Trying to sort the results to see the most recent items first returns no links at all and the message reads “search unreachable.”
A site the Biden administration launched after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ReproductiveRights.gov, is now a broken link. (An archived version of the site is still viewable through the Internet Archive.)
These changes to the information available on government websites reflects quiet moves on the part of the new Trump administration on abortion.
Abortion was not mentioned in Trump’s inaugural address. It was also not a focus of the dozens of executive actions he took after being sworn in.
During Trump’s first term, “conscience rights” ruled the day when it came to abortion, which was still legal in all states. Rights were oriented towards religious organizations and providers that objected to abortion. The HHS.gov website appears to have been quickly edited to reflect that view again.
The Biden administration held that abortion is an individual right. Now, content that reflects that position is hard to find on federal government websites. Some material is still online, however, including a 2022 action plan to “protect and strengthen reproductive care.”
The now-defunct ReproductiveRights.gov site included information about people’s rights to contraception, abortion medication and procedures, and emergency and preventive care while pregnant. It also directed people to AbortionFinder for information about state restrictions and financial assistance for people seeking abortions.
Trump’s choice to lead HHS, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has not yet had his confirmation hearing scheduled. Until last year, Kennedy took a very different stance on abortion than Trump, stating he was firmly in favor of abortion access. It is an open question whether anti-abortion Republicans in the Senate will support him.
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