Trump's week in review: From feuding with Musk to a new travel ban
1. Trump administration reverses Biden-era abortion policies
Throughout the week, the Trump administration took multiple steps to address concerns of the pro-life movement. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary informed Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., in a letter Monday that the agency intends to conduct a review of mifepristone, also known as the abortion pill.
Makary’s letter came in response to an inquiry from Hawley asking if the Trump administration planned to reverse actions taken by the Biden administration to remove requirements that women seeking the abortion pill have an in-person visit with a doctor first, that only doctors can prescribe it and that the drug must be administered in person.
Hawley’s request follows the release of a new study that found more than 10% of women who take the abortion pill experienced adverse effects, including serious complications such as hemorrhaging, infection, ectopic pregnancies, transfusion and sepsis.
Makary declined to explicitly commit to reinstating the requirements but his vow to review the abortion pill marks a departure in policy from the previous administration.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that it was revoking guidance implemented by the Biden administration in 2022 asserting that the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act required hospital emergency rooms to perform abortions regardless of whether newly instituted laws banning abortion in some or all cases were on the books in their states.
The Biden administration’s interpretation of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act led to litigation, with the U.S. Department of Justice filing a lawsuit against Idaho, claiming that the state’s pro-life laws violated the federal law. Earlier this year, the DOJ under the Trump administration dropped the lawsuit.
While the Biden administration sought to appeal a lower court ruling prohibiting the federal government from forcing emergency room doctors to perform abortions in Texas, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the request.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
