Those politically affiliated with, or in support of Donald J. Trump, have been recently seeking to infiltrate and increase the restrictions pertaining to abortion rights and access through various strategies if he were to be elected in 2024- with one of the most vital angles including reviving a law that has been dormant since 1873.
Several of their proposals would rely on the reinstatement of this 19th-century legislation known as the Comstock Act, which was designed to criminalize the shipping of any materials used in an abortion- most prominently abortion pills, which account for the majority of abortions in the United States.
Jonathan F. Mitchell, who was a primary force behind a 2021 Texas law that was instrumental in finding a way to ban abortion in the state before Roe V. Wade was overturned- and also represented Trump in arguments before the Supreme Court over whether his name could appear on the ballot in Colorado- has indicated that anti-abortion strategists have intentionally kept their plans quiet to find new and more ways to carry out their agenda. Their fear is that the controversial issue could become a political liability for Republicans.
“We don’t need a federal ban when we have Comstock on the books,” stated Mitchell in support of the latest pro-life tactic. “There’s a smorgasbord of options.”
Although Mitchell also expressed hesitation to include Trump in this Comstock plan, claiming, “I just don’t want him to shoot off his mouth.”
On Friday, it was reported that Trump had told advisers and allies that he liked the idea of a 16-week national abortion ban but that he wanted to hold off until the Republican primary contest was over to publicly disclose his views.
Yet, it’s still unclear whether he will actually pursue this idea, as he has not publicly embraced the national ban.
This legislation might also find difficulty in winning sufficient support in Congress, due to the fact that the law would only affect a minimal fraction of abortions, seeing as how 94% happen in the first trimester, before 13 weeks of pregnancy, and would present more issues for women who experience intense complications in the later stages of pregnancy.
Other premeditated policies currently under consideration by Republican allies of Trump consist of banning the use of fetal stem cells in medical research for diseases like cancer, retracting approval of abortion pills at the F.D.A., and stopping hundreds of millions in federal funding for Planned Parenthood- the country’s largest provider for women’s healthcare.
