By Leila Franklin
In recent years, women’s rights in the United States have faced significant setbacks, particularly under the Trump administration, which has actively undermined progress made in the fight for gender equality. Drawing a stark parallel to the Civil Rights Movement, which sought to secure equal rights for marginalized groups, today’s struggles for women’s rights are at risk of being rolled back. Central to these challenges are attempts to end policies aimed at promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), as well as the erosion of key protections under the 14th Amendment, which guarantees equal protection under the law for all American citizens. News incidents, from attempts to restrict access to reproductive health care to policies that discriminate against women in the workplace, reflect a broader trend of rolling back key protections that were fought for over decades. In this critical moment, it is essential to recognize the dangerous effects these actions have on the fundamental rights of women in America.
The Trump Administration’s approach to women’s rights has been defined by a consistent pattern of policy reversals and rhetoric that not only devalues women’s contributions to society, but actively undermines their autonomy and safety. The one most spoken about and harming, the overturning of Roe v. Wade. By the primarily Conservative Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the Trump Administration wasted no time for a widespread abortion ban across the nation. This not only strips away the control women have over their bodies, but also puts their health, economic security, and ability to fully participate in society. There are no laws limiting what men can and cannot do with their bodies, so why implicate them on women? What is the difference between females and males other than the difference of anatomy? There is no justifiable reason why women have disproportionately less access and opportunities in comparison to men.
Beyond reproductive rights, the Trump Administration took major steps to weaken workplace protections. Key provisions of Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs, were rolled back, particularly those related to sexual assault on college campuses. Wil Del Pilar, Ph.D., senior vice president of Ed Trust, stated, “this rule does not protect women-it actively undermines their rights and safety” to defend themselves
against sexual assault and harrasment (EdTrust). Freightingly, “this executive order furthers the harm by defining “women’s rights” so narrowly that it ignores the real, systemic challenges” numerous women and girls face everyday at school, particularly Black, Latina, and Native American girls (EdTrust). Many people have emphasized the importance of the rights of survivors, and the challenges for women seeking justice. These changes alarm a disregard for the lived experiences of women and a willingness to return to an era where institutional silence and complicity prevailed.
Equally troubling was the Trump Administration’s bitterness toward DEI initiatives. Efforts to ban or defund diversity training programs across federal agencies, under the claim of combating “divisive concepts,” sent a clear message across the nation: the promotion of equity and inclusion was not only unimportant but undesirable. For women, particularly women of color, LGBTQ+ women, and disabled women, these programs provided critical lifelines that address systemic inequality in hiring, advancement, and workplace culture. Due to these rollbacks, people will and have been experiencing a scarcity amongst opportunities, and will continue to do so until federal change occurs.
Additionally, the administration’s stance on healthcare access broadly endangered women’s well-being. Efforts to end the Affordable Care Act, cut funding for Planned Parenthood, and expand religious exemptions for employers to deny contraception coverage disproportionately hurt low-income women and women of color. Rather than political, these actions are personally opinionated by one side, that have no thought or consideration as to how this will affect women’s lives.
The 14th Amendment promises “equal protection of the law,” a pillar of civil rights (Constitution). Despite this Constitutional right, the Trump Administration’s policies and judicial decisions have repeatedly ignored and undermined that promise for women. This regression cannot be ignored or dismissed as politics as usual. It reflects a deeper ideological movement to restore traditional power structures that exclude and marginalize women. This goes back to the time during the 1800s when Republican Motherhood was popular, for women to “stay in their place” in the house and only do certain things, while men did everything else.
This is not only an issue that addresses women, it is a nationwide issue that affects everyone. When half the population is denied equal access to healthcare, education, and economic opportunity, society as a whole suffers. We must not ignore and stay silent about these policy shifts, yet advocate forcefully for the restoration and advancement of women’s rights. We shall not go back in time as this current administration is trying to do, rather push forward and advance as a country for the better. Why go back when there is a future ahead?
As the next important election approaches in the near future, voters must go out and take advantage of this election to ensure a critical long-term implication of leadership that treats women as human and equals. Under the 14th Amendment, women have the right to receive equal protection and rights as any other human being living in the United States of America. Women’s rights are human rights. A woman should not have the government tell her what she can and cannot do with her own body – she should. It is her choice, not his. It is her choice, not theirs. It is her body, it is her choice. It is her life, her body, her choice. The choice remains hers. Protecting women should not be an obligation, it is a moral imperative.