• Posted January 22, 2025

Trump-Era HHS Website Makes Term ‘Abortion’ Harder To Find

Abortion information is disappearing from federal government websites, signaling potential changes in abortion under the second Trump administration. 

ReproductiveRights.gov, a site launched under the Biden administration to provide resources on abortion and contraception, now redirects to an error page.

The site previously included information on medication abortion, state laws and financial assistance. While some archived materials remain viewable through the Internet Archive, most recent content promoting reproductive rights is difficult to locate.

A search for "abortion" on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) website brings up 166 results. 

The most prominent? A 2020 news release from Trump's first term that criticizes California for violating religious organizations' rights to exclude abortion coverage from health plans, according to a report from NPR.

Attempting to sort for recent materials returns no links, and a message reads, "search unreachable."

Trump’s current approach to abortion policy is different from his first term, when his administration focused on “conscience rights” for religious organizations.

Mary Ziegler, a law professor at UC Davis who has written extensively on abortion and abortion law, told NPR that Trump hasn't yet reinstated policies  like the Global Gag Rule that Biden rescinded. The gag rule restricted funding for international organizations that offer family planning services.

"I think it's too early to say we're not going to see pretty significant action from the Trump administration on abortion," Ziegler told NPR.

She said it's possible that Trump could restrict telehealth access to abortion medication or reinstate laws like the Comstock Act, which limits mailing abortion-related materials.

"It may be that Trump simply wants to do those things when the lights aren't as bright, and it may be that he doesn't want to do them at all, but it's too early to know which of those possibilities it is," Ziegler concluded.

During the Biden administration, abortion was treated as an individual right, and federal websites reflected that. For example, HHS still hosts a 2022 action plan to protect reproductive care, but newer updates suggest a shift back towards prioritizing the rights of religious organizations over people's individual rights.

The role of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s pick to lead HHS, remains uncertain as his confirmation hearing hasn't been scheduled. Kennedy has previously expressed support for abortion access, a very different stance from Trump.

More information

Planned Parenthood has more on abortion access and services.

SOURCE: NPR