Washington, D.C. — In Project 2025, a document from the Heritage Foundation, far-right groups have outlined a plan to limit the decision-making power of pregnant patients and medical providers in an effort to control reproductive freedom in America.
A new column by the Center for American Progress details the potential consequences of misapplying the Comstock Act to eliminate access to medication abortion through mail services. The column suggests that these efforts could significantly impact women, families, and healthcare providers while increasing the politicization of medicine in the United States.
The column outlines several potential outcomes:
- Increased maternal mortality: Without mail options for medication abortion, logistical and financial burdens will likely worsen maternal mortality rates, particularly affecting women of color.
- Provider criminalization: Medical providers may face legal risks for offering care, leading to delays or denials of maternity care.
- Maternity care shortages: Criminalizing medical providers could result in fewer maternity care professionals and resources.
- Politicized drug safety: Weakening FDA independence could lead to drug safety determinations based on political ideology rather than science.
Sabrina Talukder, director of the Women’s Initiative at CAP and author of the column, stated: “The Project 2025 plan for Comstock makes it clear that far-right extremists are willing to override and bypass the democratic norms of checks and balances to achieve their goal of a national abortion ban by any means necessary, at the expense of the health and lives of every patient in America.” She added that reducing access to medication abortion would exacerbate existing healthcare disparities and create significant barriers for marginalized women of color.
For more information or to speak with an expert, contact Sarah Nadeau at [email protected].
