Donald Trump’s Role in Overturning Roe v. Wade

In 2022, the Supreme Court made a huge move and overturned Roe v. Wade, the decision that had protected abortion rights for almost 50 years. This big change in American reproductive rights has a lot to do with former President Donald Trump. His actions, from picking key judges to working closely with conservative groups, helped make this happen.

A big part of Trump’s impact was getting three justices—Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett—on the Supreme Court. These picks gave the Court a conservative majority, which made it possible to overturn Roe v. Wade. Back in his 2016 campaign, Trump said he would appoint “pro-life” judges, and that promise really fired up his conservative supporters. But it does raise questions, like why “pro-life” doesn’t seem to cover other things, like opposing the death penalty or protecting lives in war zones like Palestine and Israel.

Trump didn’t just pick judges randomly. Groups like the Federalist Society helped him choose nominees who believe in specific legal philosophies, like originalism and textualism. These ideas became the backbone of the argument to overturn Roe. Clearly, this was all part of a careful plan by Trump to change the direction of the Supreme Court.

But Trump didn’t stop with the Court. His presidency pushed for policies that cut federal funding for abortion-related services and supported state laws that restricted abortion access. These moves showed strong federal support for limiting abortion and inspired Republican-led states to pass tough abortion laws. For example, Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban was a key part of the Dobbs case. Without Trump’s conservative Court picks, these laws probably wouldn’t have survived legal challenges.

When the Court overturned Roe v. Wade, it was a huge shift in reproductive rights, handing abortion decisions back to individual states. For Trump, this outcome brought both wins and challenges. It made his conservative supporters happy but also fired up pro choice activists and made it harder to appeal to moderate voters who didn’t like the decision. Trump has tried to balance this legacy. He’s proud of his role in overturning Roe, but he also knows he needs to appeal to people outside his core supporters. This balancing act shows how complicated the aftermath of the decision has been.

Overall, Trump’s role in overturning Roe v. Wade shows just how much power a president can have over the country’s courts and laws. His decisions to pick certain judges, push specific policies, and align with conservative movements weren’t random. They were part of a big plan to achieve a major goal. Whether you see this as a good or bad thing, it’s clear that Trump’s influence on abortion rights will go down as a major moment in U.S. history. And while the fallout from this decision is still happening, Trump’s part in ending federal abortion protections is a defining part of his presidency.