'Abortion' search results removed from Trump's HHS.gov: Footage

A website created by the Biden administration after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade has been shut down by the Trump administration. The picture shows a Biden-Harris campaign rally in January 2024. ‎/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide title

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‎/Bloomberg via Getty Images

On the second day of Trump's second administration, a search for the word "abortion" on the federal Department of Health and Human Services website turned up 166 results. Of greatest concern was news from January 24, 2020, during President Trump's first term, about how California violated the rights of two religious organizations that wanted to offer health plans that did not include abortion coverage.

Trying to sort the results to see the newest items, first no links are returned at all and the message says "Search is not accessible".

The ReproductiveRights.gov website launched by the Biden administration after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade is now defunct. (An archived version of this site is still available for viewing through the Internet Archive.)

These changes in the information provided on government websites reflect the new Trump administration's quiet moves on abortion.

Trump made no mention of abortion in his inaugural address. Nor has it been the focus of the dozens of executive actions he has taken since being sworn in.

During Trump’s first term, “conscience rights” dominated the issue of abortion, which remained legal in all states. Rights are geared toward religious organizations and providers who oppose abortion. The HHS.gov website appears to have been quickly edited to reflect this view again.

The Biden administration considers abortion an individual right. Today, it is difficult to find content on federal government websites that reflects this position. However, some material remains online, including the 2022 Action Plan to “Protect and Strengthen Reproductive Health”.

The now-defunct ReproductiveRights.gov website contained information about people's rights to access contraception, abortion drugs and procedures, and emergency and preventive care during pregnancy. It also directs people to AbortionFinder for information about state restrictions and financial assistance for people seeking abortions.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's pick to chair the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has not yet scheduled his confirmation hearing. Until last year, Kennedy had taken a sharply different stance from Trump on abortion, saying he was staunchly pro-choice. Whether anti-abortion Republicans in the Senate will support him is an open question.