News | Former Trump Official Reveals Project 2025 Shift on Anti-Abortion Policy
Roger Severino, formerly of the Trump administration's Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), became known for protecting people with religious objections to performing medical procedures such as abortion. After Trump left office, Severino helped the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation develop a plan to reshape HHS around traditional marriage and family. This vision was set out in Project 2025's "Mandate for Leadership" and became a political focal point. Democrats portrayed the 900-page document as an authoritarian power grab by the far right.
Key Points
Severino was the chief architect of the project's HHS section. He drew praise from conservatives and criticism from LGBTQ+ and other liberal groups, which said the proposals threatened reproductive rights and gender-affirming care. His proposals included reviewing and potentially withdrawing federal approval of the widely used abortion medication mifepristone and renaming HHS the "Department of Life" to emphasize a new anti-abortion focus.
In an interview, Severino said the Biden-Harris administration's claim that the document would ban all medication abortions nationwide was false.
Trump's Relationship with Project 2025
Although Trump again became the Republican presidential nominee, he took increasingly forceful steps to distance himself from Project 2025. On July 30, 2024, The Heritage Foundation announced that project director Paul Dans would step down. That same day, Trump campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita issued a statement denying any connection between the document and the campaign. However, its authors included several senior Trump administration officials, including former White House adviser Peter Navarro, acting defense secretary Christopher Miller, and housing and urban development secretary Ben Carson.
Impact of the Project
Project 2025's abortion section differed significantly from Trump's campaign statements. Trump said abortion policy should be left to the states and that he did not support a nationwide ban or removing mifepristone from the market.
Public Opinion
Support for abortion access was increasing. A June poll by the Associated Press and the University of Chicago's NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 61% of adults wanted their state to permit legal abortion for any reason.
The Heritage Foundation has issued policy recommendations every four years since the 1980s and has had considerable influence on Republican presidents. Former presidents Ronald Reagan and Trump each adopted about 60% or more of the recommendations in earlier guides.
Severino's Background
Severino served as a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations. He joined The Heritage Foundation in 2015 and gained conservative recognition for his articles. In one, he criticized Obama's proposal to add gender identity to the Affordable Care Act's nondiscrimination provisions, arguing that it would penalize religious healthcare professionals and institutions.
Conclusion
Project 2025's HHS proposals alarmed LGBTQ+ advocacy groups and some researchers. Lindsey Dawson, director of LGBTQ health policy at KFF, said the proposals could fuel stigma and discrimination.
News | Former Trump Official Reveals Project 2025 Shift on Anti-Abortion Policy
News | Former Trump Official Reveals Project 2025 Shift on Anti-Abortion Policy
Roger Severino, formerly of the Trump administration's Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), became known for protecting people with religious objections to performing medical procedures such as abortion. After Trump left office, Severino helped the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation develop a plan to reshape HHS around traditional marriage and family. This vision was set out in Project 2025's "Mandate for Leadership" and became a political focal point. Democrats portrayed the 900-page document as an authoritarian power grab by the far right.
Key Points
Severino was the chief architect of the project's HHS section. He drew praise from conservatives and criticism from LGBTQ+ and other liberal groups, which said the proposals threatened reproductive rights and gender-affirming care. His proposals included reviewing and potentially withdrawing federal approval of the widely used abortion medication mifepristone and renaming HHS the "Department of Life" to emphasize a new anti-abortion focus.
In an interview, Severino said the Biden-Harris administration's claim that the document would ban all medication abortions nationwide was false.
Trump's Relationship with Project 2025
Although Trump again became the Republican presidential nominee, he took increasingly forceful steps to distance himself from Project 2025. On July 30, 2024, The Heritage Foundation announced that project director Paul Dans would step down. That same day, Trump campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita issued a statement denying any connection between the document and the campaign. However, its authors included several senior Trump administration officials, including former White House adviser Peter Navarro, acting defense secretary Christopher Miller, and housing and urban development secretary Ben Carson.
Impact of the Project
Project 2025's abortion section differed significantly from Trump's campaign statements. Trump said abortion policy should be left to the states and that he did not support a nationwide ban or removing mifepristone from the market.
Public Opinion
Support for abortion access was increasing. A June poll by the Associated Press and the University of Chicago's NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 61% of adults wanted their state to permit legal abortion for any reason.
The Heritage Foundation has issued policy recommendations every four years since the 1980s and has had considerable influence on Republican presidents. Former presidents Ronald Reagan and Trump each adopted about 60% or more of the recommendations in earlier guides.
Severino's Background
Severino served as a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations. He joined The Heritage Foundation in 2015 and gained conservative recognition for his articles. In one, he criticized Obama's proposal to add gender identity to the Affordable Care Act's nondiscrimination provisions, arguing that it would penalize religious healthcare professionals and institutions.
Conclusion
Project 2025's HHS proposals alarmed LGBTQ+ advocacy groups and some researchers. Lindsey Dawson, director of LGBTQ health policy at KFF, said the proposals could fuel stigma and discrimination.
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