Originally at nwhn.org
Project 2025, released by The Heritage Foundation under the official name Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise, is a dangerous call to action. The over 900-page playbook outlines sweeping policy changes, including attacking sexual and reproductive health care. Project 2025 urges a new conservative president to use their power to restrict abortion access, modify medical regulations, and increase data surveillance. The creators of Project 2025 have deep political ties that give the blueprint the potential to significantly impact millions of Americans depending on the outcome of the 2024 elections.
Project 2025 makes many harmful directives. The key proposals related to sexual & reproductive health include:
- Celebrating the overturning of Roe v. Wade and calling for rigorous enforcement of federal bans on abortion funding.
- Proposing that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) focus on studying abortion risks and eliminate any programs “that undermine family formation” (454-455).
- Directing the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct comprehensive reporting on abortions, including detailed data on gestational age, reasons, and the pregnant person’s state of residence. This would require an enormous administrative burden and invasive questioning, likely resulting in data that aids the criminalization of both patients and providers.
- Restructuring the Title X family planning program through HHS. Following the proposal would cause a drastic decrease in funding for Title X health clinics that provide services such as contraception, STI and cancer screenings, and routine gynecological care.
- Proposing that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reverse the approval of mifepristone and misoprostol and restrict their access through mail and telemedicine. These are the two medications used most commonly for medication abortions in the US. Comprehensive reviews by the FDA consistently find that the pills are safe and effective.
- Redefining abortion as not health care. Project 2025 states that “abortion should be clearly defined as only those procedures that intentionally end an unborn child’s life” (455). The document aims to separate abortion from miscarriage management, despite the overlap in the drugs used, and from treatments for ectopic pregnancies, despite the affects that abortion bans have.
- Directing the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to eliminate coverage of emergency contraception (EC) under its preventive services guidelines, falsely equating EC to medication abortion pills.
Enacting the policy changes in Project 2025 related to sexual and reproductive health would significantly endanger women’s health in the short and long term. Particularly affected would be women in rural areas, low-income women, women of color, and LGBTQIA+ people. The changes proposed in Project 2025 would:
Project 2025 would represent a significant shift in sexual & reproductive health care, with broad consequences for women’s health and especially disastrous effects for marginalized people. If Project 2025 is not the future that you want, exercise your right to vote in upcoming elections. Federal policies that increase access to comprehensive sexual & reproductive health care, decrease health disparities, and promote informed choices are what Americans deserve. Your vote could prevent Project 2025 from becoming a reality and instead usher in an administration that supports women’s health. See our 4Her2024 campaign for voter tips and important election updates.
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