Little-known fact: abortion is technically a criminal offence in England and Wales, governed by a law from 1861, before women got the right to vote.
As powerful anti-choice groups seek to roll back reproductive rights here - as we’ve seen in the US and Europe - we’ve joined forces with BPAS, the UK’s leading abortion care service, on our new campaign End 1861, to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales.
Head here to take action to raise your voice for choice and fight for bodily autonomy.
Donald Trump's second term as President of the United States is underway, following a tense election race against Kamala Harris during which women's rights and access to abortion were very much on the ballot and part of the conversation.
Hitting the ground running, the POTUS has been signing orders left and right. As well as pardoning alt right rioters who invaded the Capitol on 6 January 2021 (in an attempt to overthrow Biden's win, resulting in five people dying), Trump has now pardoned a 23-strong group of anti-abortion protestors. The protestors were convicted of blocking access to abortion clinics, according to a BBC report.
Their pardons come just a day before the March for Life (a large pro-life gathering) in Washington DC – which during his first term in 2020, Trump became the first President to attend in person.
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Signing off the pardons for the anti-abortion protestors, he said: "They should not have been prosecuted. Many of them are elderly people. They should not have been prosecuted. This is a great honour to sign this. They’ll be very happy."
But what else do we know when it comes to Trump's stance on abortion rights? And what has his wife Melania, a woman who holds great sway, said on the subject?
What is Trump's stance on abortion?
May 2024
Trump bragged about his involvement with overturning Roe v Wade (a landmark ruling from 1973 which protected the right to have an abortion in America), saying, "After 50 years of failure, with nobody coming even close, I was able to kill Roe v Wade, much to the 'shock' of everyone." He added, "Without me there would be no 6 weeks, 10 weeks, 15 weeks, or whatever is finally agreed to. Without me the pro-life movement would have just kept losing."
August 2024
During an appearance on Fox News, Trump appeared to be in favour of voting to change the law in Florida relating to when you can and cannot get an abortion, saying, "I think six weeks [into a pregnancy]... you need more time" but then said that "Democrats are radical" before making false claims about later stage abortions.
November 2024
A few months later, Trump was seen snapping at a reporter who dared to ask an extremely relevant question about the way he voted with regards to an abortion-related measure that was on the ballot in his home state of Florida. If approved, the measure would have prevented lawmakers in Florida from passing any laws that delay, penalise or restrict abortion until after 21 weeks. As it fell short of the 60% result needed (by 3%) to enshrine the change in law, abortion services being capped at 6 weeks in Florida still stands.
Responding to the reporter's question on his thoughts about this matter, Trump initially swerved the question, saying he did a "great job bringing it back to the States" (referring to his appointment of three very conservative judges into the Supreme Court during his time in office previously, which led to the overturning of Roe v Wade).
When pushed again, Trump snapped and told the journalist to "just stop talking about that". Clearly, it's a topic that is a thorn in his side.
Perhaps it's easier to judge Trump's opinion on abortion by his actions – which, as mentioned, include implementing three extremely conservative judges into the Supreme Court during his time in office, a move that directly resulted in the overturning of Roe v Wade, meaning access to a safe and legal abortion was no longer a protected right. Plus, his pardoning of 23 anti-abortion protestors who were found guilty of blocking people from entering abortion clinics.
What has Melania Trump said about abortion?
During the election campaign, Donald Trump's wife, Melania, published a memoir (simply titled Melania: A Memoir) in which she spoke about her own views on abortion, which seem to be a lot more progressive than her husband's. Many considered the timing of the book to be a ploy to win over voters who might be on the fence about ticking the box for Trump due to his stance on women's rights and abortion.
"It is imperative to guarantee that women have autonomy in deciding their preference of having children, based on their own convictions, free from any intervention or pressure from the government," she reportedly writes in the book. "Why should anyone other than the woman herself have the power to determine what she does with her own body? A woman's fundamental right of individual liberty, to her own life, grants her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes.
"Restricting a woman's right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body. I have carried this belief with me throughout my entire adult life."
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
