• Abortion has been a focal point of the 2024 presidential election, with abortion rights ballot measures passing in 7 out of 10 states.
• Donald Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris marks a turning point for American politics and an uncertain future for reproductive rights.
• Even though Trump has said he would not sign a national abortion ban, experts remain skeptical of the impending administration.

President-elect Donald Trump’s resounding victory over Vice President Kamala Harris ushered in a new era of uncertainty in the battle for reproductive rights.

Abortion has become a major problem focal point November 2024 elections following the 2022 reversal Roe v. Wadewith ballot measures on the right to abortion prevailing in 7 states out of 10.

Despite these victories in abortion protections, they will not change overnight. States that passed abortion rights amendments in 2022 and 2023, such as Ohio, Michigan and Missouri, were mired in legal red tape. Months would pass before a new abortion protection policy could take effect, KFF Health News reports.

“Every day we live under Trump’s abortion bans, more people will suffer and die,” Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund (PPAF), said in a statement. statement.

“Abortion is powerful and popular. The American people do not want politicians to make health care decisions. In poll after poll, voters have said that abortion is important to them – important in their lives and important in the voting booth… the majority of voters have been clear and unequivocal: people are dying. People are suffering. Fix this,” McGill Johnson continued.

Abortion was on the ballot for voters in 10 states in the 2024 presidential election.

In Florida, a amendment to limit government interference in abortion fell short of the necessary 60% support, or just over 57%.

In Nebraska, where anti-abortion and protection measures were on the ballot. THE anti-abortion measure pass.

In South Dakota, A amendment prohibit the state from restricting abortion during the period first trimester failed to pass. The state currently There is an abortion ban that only allows abortions to save the life of a pregnant person.

In the seven states that have seen victories on abortion access, existing bans or restrictions are not automatically repealed, meaning change will likely take some time. Abortion advocates will need to ask courts to overturn existing anti-abortion laws to align with the new amendments, according to the Associated Press.

“Access to abortion clearly continues to mobilize voters across the country, even in those where a measure has not passed this year,” Candace Gibsondirector of state policy at the Guttmacher Institute, said in a statement shared with Healthline.

“As we prepare for the arrival of the Trump administration and further attacks on reproductive freedom, we must continue to push policymakers at all levels to protect reproductive freedom, support state organizations, and donate to abortion funds,” Gibson continued.

Sarah Prager, MDprofessor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, told Healthline that she was “extremely pleased” with the measures passed in the vote.

“This clearly shows that the American people want access to abortion despite what some lawmakers say,” Prager said.

“I believe that over time, more efforts by states to increase access to abortion and/or codify the right to abortion in state constitutions will be successful. However, this is not an option in all states… 24 states do not allow statewide citizen-initiated initiatives or ballot measures,” Prager continued, highlighting how newly implemented barriers like Florida’s 60% majority rule have defeated the ballot measure with just 57% of the vote.

“We will continue to see positive and successful efforts to restore the right to abortion and reproductive health care, but in the meantime, patients are suffering and even dying,” she said.

The impending 2025 Republican administration could have an even greater impact on abortion access, even in states without banssay the experts.

If Congress were to approve a national ban on abortion, it could potentially override any state protections, NBC Reports.

The uncertainty that awaits us finds its origin in the will of the president-elect change of position on whether he would sign a national ban on abortion.

At the end of his campaign, Trump reversed his position and said he would not do so and that the issue should continue to be left to the states. It is unclear whether he will remain faithful to this position.

“Donald Trump ignored his record and said he would not ban abortion nationwide. Planned Parenthood Action Fund is going to make it happen every day for the next four years,” McGill Johnson said.

Prager said she was certain Trump would sign a nationwide abortion ban.

“It may be called something else, it may not completely ban all abortions, but it will be introduced early, and if Republicans control the House and Senate, it will pass and Trump will sign it. It may take some time for this to go to court, but with our current Supreme Court, I have no doubt this will pass,” Prager noted.

“Of course, these are my beliefs: I cannot predict the future, but I can be informed by the past.”