(CNN)"Nobody has more respect for women than I do. Nobody." So said Donald Trump during his presidential campaign.
But Trump's other words and actions during and before the campaign made a mockery of that statement. We all know his record: the public bragging about sexual assault and subsequent dismissing of his comments as "locker room talk," the body shaming tweets, the assertion that women should be punished for abortion, and more. Now that Trump is President-elect, he has an opportunity -- and a responsibility -- to demonstrate he really does respect women.
The United States is one of only a few countries, rich or poor, that has experienced a recent increase in women dying in childbirth. Women's reproductive rights are under assault: In 2015 alone, state lawmakers introduced nearly 400 bills and enacted 47 new restrictions on reproductive health care, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights. The Hyde Amendment blocks Medicaid funding for abortion except when the pregnancy results from rape or incest, or endangers the woman's life. This disproportionately impacts low-income women. Trump claims he will promote health care choice and quality. Yet many proposals he made during the campaign would be devastating for women's health. He pledged to nominate "pro-life" Supreme Court justices, saying they would "automatically" overturn Roe v. Wade. He promises to repeal most of the Affordable Care Act, which expanded access to women's health services, and he wants to make the Hyde Amendment permanent law. Trump should realize that highly restrictive abortion laws are not associated with lower abortion rates, and where abortions are tightly restricted, they are often unsafe and carry higher risk, especially for poor women. He should promote comprehensive reproductive health care, not undermine existing access to care.
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