Reproductive Rights Government Website Goes Offline as Trump Becomes President

A government website that provided information on reproductive rights appears to have gone offline around the same time Donald Trump returned to office.

Newsweek has contacted the Trump-Vance transition team and the Department of Health and Human Services for comment via email.

Why It Matters

In 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that protected women's right to choose to have an abortion. The court's three Trump-appointed justices ruled with the majority in overturning the ruling.

Trump, who takes credit for the overturning of Roe v. Wade, has long said states should have the power to decide their own abortion policies and has explicitly said he would veto a national abortion ban.

What To Know

On Monday, CBS News reported that the site reproductiverights.gov appeared to be offline on the evening of Trump's inauguration, and this remained the case as of Tuesday morning.

It is unclear when the site went down, but it was active as recently as January 15, when it was last archived on the Wayback Machine.

The Department of Health and Human Services launched the site in 2022 as part of a public awareness campaign about reproductive health.

The site included a "know your rights" section that said: "While Roe v. Wade was overturned, abortion remains legal in many states, and other reproductive health care services remain protected by law.

"The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is committed to providing you with accurate and up-to-date information about access to and coverage of reproductive health care and resources. Our goal is to make sure you have appropriate information and support."

At the top of the site, an update on medication abortion said a Supreme Court decision in June ensured Mifepristone medicine remained "available under the conditions of use approved by FDA."

"The Biden-Harris Administration remains committed to protecting reproductive rights, ensuring women can make their own decisions about their own bodies, and preserving the FDA's authority to make science-based determinations about what medications are safe and effective," the page said.

What Has Trump Said About Abortion

Trump has faced pressure from parts of the anti-abortion movement for not taking a harder line on the issue.

At a campaign event in October, he said: "Like Ronald Reagan, I believe in the exceptions for rape, incest, life of the mother. Some don't agree. You have to follow your heart. Some people don't. It's a very small percentage, but you have to follow your heart."

Before the election, Lila Rose, the founder of the anti-abortion organization Live Action, said, "It is wrong for Trump supporters to demand that pro-life activists be endlessly loyal to Trump in response to repeated betrayal." She said Trump was "losing pro-life votes."

What People Are Saying

Nancy Northup, the president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a statement on Monday: "Expecting even more extreme actions in his second term, we are on high alert and prepared to sue at a moment's notice. Our fighting force of lawyers is prepared to block or delay the administration's most harmful actions. We will be in court every day for the next four years, if that's what it takes.

"At the ready to support us are hundreds of pro bono attorneys from top firms, many of whom have worked for the very agencies we are prepared to sue and know their inner workings. We are already anticipating the tactics the administration will use and are preparing cases to act swiftly and aggressively."

What Happens Next

As a national debate on reproductive rights continues, it remains to be seen whether Republicans in the Senate and House will introduce federal legislation banning abortion.