US authorities web site on reproductive rights now not accessible
A authorities web site centered on reproductive rights is now not accessible amid the transition to a Donald Trump administration.
Reproductiverights.gov, which was launched by the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Companies in 2022 as a part of a public consciousness marketing campaign to safeguard data on well being and rights, was offline Tuesday morning, with the error message saying the web site’s “server IP tackle couldn’t be discovered.” The web site contained data on reproductive well being care, entry to abortion and a Know-Your-Rights affected person truth sheet, based on an archived August 2022 information launch.
“Reproductive well being care, together with entry to contraception and protected and authorized abortion care, is a necessary a part of your well being and well-being,” an announcement on a Jan. 15 archived model of the web site reads. “Whereas Roe v. Wade was overturned, abortion stays authorized in lots of states, and different reproductive well being care companies stay protected by legislation.”
The web site lined data on rights to entry reproductive well being care, particulars on what medical health insurance is required to cowl, and the place to go if you happen to want medical health insurance. It additionally shared particulars on entry contraception and abortion care and provided an inventory of different companies lined by most insurance policy, together with breast and cervical most cancers screenings, prenatal care and HIV screenings.
It’s not instantly clear precisely what time the web site went down or why. The U.S. Division of Well being and Human Companies didn’t instantly reply to USA TODAY’s request for a remark. The White Home declined to remark.
On Monday, shortly after Trump was sworn in, the White Home web site formally transferred from the Biden presidency to the Trump presidency, USA TODAY beforehand reported. The web site contains official portraits of Trump, Vice President JD Vance and First Woman Melania Trump, in addition to data on Trump’s cupboard and the administration’s initiatives.
Trump’s government orders
Trump, who assumed workplace on Monday, rolled out a collection of government orders akin to pulling the U.S. out of the World Well being Group for a second time and declaring the federal authorities will formally acknowledge solely two genders — female and male — shortly after taking his oath. Nevertheless, not one of the orders had been centered on abortion or reproductive rights, a subject that was closely debated within the run as much as the 2024 presidential election.
Throughout Trump’s first administration, previous to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, HHS took actions to cut back abortion, together with reinstating and increasing a coverage that bars overseas non-government organizations (NGOs) from utilizing funds to “carry out or actively promote abortion.”
Trump has since stated that states ought to resolve their very own abortion coverage and pledged to not signal a federal abortion ban.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who was picked by Trump to run the Division of Well being and Human Companies, stated that abortion ought to be authorized till a fetus “is viable exterior the womb” and helps the codification of Roe v. Wade. Kennedy Jr., within the video, stated “abortion ought to be authorized up till a sure variety of weeks, and restricted thereafter,” but in addition stated that “each abortion is a tragedy,” and referred to as for the discount of abortions “by higher supporting moms, mother and father and households.”
After the Supreme Courtroom overturned Roe v. Wade, which federally assured the best to an abortion, in June 2022, states have enacted a variety of legal guidelines, together with states with near-total bans.
How every state modified:Two years in the past, SCOTUS overturned the best to an abortion.
Contributing: Savannah Kuchar, Sudiksha Kochi, Riley Beggin, USA TODAY
Saman Shafiq is a trending information reporter for USA TODAY. Attain her at sshafiq@gannett.com and comply with her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
