CHICAGO (AP) — As Donald Trump’s Cabinet takes shape, those on both sides of the abortion debate are watching closely for clues about how his decisions could affect reproductive rights policies in the president-elect’s second term.
Trump’s Cabinet appointments offer a glimpse into how his administration might approach abortion after he repeatedly wavered on the issue during the campaign. He tried to distance himself from his anti-abortion allies by deferring to the states on abortion policy, while bragging about nominating three Supreme Court justices who helped uphold constitutional protections for abortion , which had existed for half a century.
In an interview with NBC News that aired Sunday, Trump said he had no plans to restrict medication abortions but also appeared to leave the door open, saying, “Things are changing.”
“Things are changing, but I don’t think anything will change at all,” he said.
The early lineup of his modern administration, including nominations to lead health agencies, the Justice Department and even the Department of Veterans Affairs, have drawn mixed — but generally positive — reactions from anti-abortion groups.
Abortion rights experts said Trump’s decision to field fewer candidates with close ties to the anti-abortion movement could indicate that abortion will not be a priority for Trump’s administration.
“It almost seems to suggest that President Trump could take his administration in other directions,” said Greer Donley, an associate professor of law at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Karen Stone, vice president of public policy at Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said that while many of the nominees had “extensive criminal records against reproductive health care,” some did not. She cautioned against making assumptions based on Trump’s initial Cabinet appointments.
Still, many abortion rights groups are wary, in part because many of the nominees hold sturdy anti-abortion views, even if they have no direct ties to anti-abortion activists. They fear that a government with senior officials who personally oppose abortion could take action to restrict access to the procedure and funding.
After Trump’s lack of clarity on abortion during his campaign, “there’s still a lot we don’t know about what the policy will be,” said Mary Ruth Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California, Davis School of Law. This approach can be announced when employees in key departments are announced.
Trump announced he would nominate anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services, long seen by abortion opponents as central to restricting abortion rights nationwide. But Kennedy changed the theme during his own presidential campaign.
In campaign videos, Kennedy said he supports access to abortion until it is feasible, which doctors say is sometime after 21 weeks, although there is no defined time frame. But he also said “every abortion is a tragedy” and advocated for a nationwide ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy, a stance he quickly walked back.
The Director of Health and Human Services oversees Title X funding for a variety of family planning services and has broad authority over agencies that directly impact abortion access, including the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. That role is particularly significant given the legal battles over a federal law called EMTALA, which President Joe Biden’s administration says requires nationwide emergency access to abortions and FDA approval of the abortion pill mifepristone.
Mini Timmaraju, president of the national abortion rights organization Reproductive Freedom for All, called Kennedy an “unfit, unqualified extremist who cannot be trusted to protect the health, safety and reproductive freedom of American families.”
His possible nomination has also caused a stir in the anti-abortion movement. Former Vice President Mike Pence, a staunch abortion opponent, called on the Senate to reject Kennedy’s nomination. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the national anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said the group had its own concerns about Kennedy.
“There is no question that we need a pro-life HHS secretary,” she said.
Fox News correspondent Marty Makary is Trump’s pick to lead the FDA, which plays a crucial role in access to medications, abortion and contraception. Abortion rights groups have accused him of spreading misinformation about abortion on television.
Russell Vought, a staunch anti-abortion activist, has been nominated to become director of the Office of Management and Budget. Vought was a key architect of Project 2025, a right-wing blueprint for running the federal government. Among other measures restricting reproductive rights, it calls for blocking access to medication abortion nationwide, cutting Medicaid funding for abortions, and restricting access to contraceptives, particularly long-acting reversible contraceptives such as IUDs.
Although Trump distanced himself from the conservative manifesto during the election campaign, he staffed his administration with people who played a central role in the development of the 2025 project.
Trump acknowledged during the Sunday interview with NBC News that the report’s authors would be part of his future administration, saying, “I happen to agree with a lot of these things.”
“These Cabinet appointments all confirm that Project 2025 was indeed the blueprint from the start, and the concerns we saw about it were legitimate,” said Amy Williams Navarro, director of government relations at Reproductive Freedom for All.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, Trump’s pick to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is a former television talk show host accused of selling dubious medical treatments and products. He expressed conflicting views on abortion during his failed Senate run in 2022.
Describing himself as “strongly pro-life,” Oz praised the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, claimed that “life begins at conception” and called abortion “murder.” But he has also adopted Trump’s approach to states’ rights, arguing that the federal government should not be involved in abortion decisions.
“I want women, doctors and local political leaders to bring the best ideas to the democracy that has always allowed our nation to thrive so that states can decide for themselves,” he said during a Senate debate two years ago.
A number of reproductive rights groups opposed his Senate candidacy. As CMS administrator, Oz would be in a key position in determining Medicaid coverage for family planning services and investigating potential EMTALA violations.
As Florida attorney general, Pam Bondi defended abortion restrictions, including a 24-hour waiting period. Now she is Trump’s choice for attorney general.
Her nomination is being celebrated by abortion opponents but condemned by abortion rights groups who fear she could revive the Comstock Act, an anti-vice law passed by Congress in 1873 that, among other things, bans the shipment of abortion drugs or instruments.
David Weldon, a former Florida congressman who is anti-abortion and anti-vaccine, has been chosen to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which collects and monitors abortion data across the country.
Former Republican congressman Doug Collins is Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs amid a political battle over abortion access and funding for troops and veterans. Collins consistently voted to restrict funding and access to abortion and celebrated the overturn of Roe v. Wade.
“This is a team that the pro-life movement can work with,” said Kristin Hawkins, president of the national anti-abortion organization Students for Life.
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