What Donald Trump becoming president today actually means for women

Today (20 January), Donald Trump will become president of the USA, but what does this mean for women's rights?

Trump's inauguration ceremony is due to take place today, making him the 47th president of the United States.

His election win will affect a number of demographics, but there is particular concern regarding his views towards women, namely surrounding reproductive rights.

As he becomes the first convicted felon to serve as president in the US - accused of sexual assault and harassment by dozens - what does this mean for the women of America?

Trump on the abortion ban

What will Trump's presidency mean for women? (Guy Smallman/Getty Images)

His first term in office offers some clues as to what Trump could do in his second term, and a federal restriction on abortion is not yet ruled out.

Since the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022, which generally protected a woman's right to have an abortion, multiple states made abortions completely illegal.

These include Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.

During is term as president from 2017-2021, he supported a House bill that would have banned abortion nationwide after 20 weeks.

Despite this, there have been inconsistencies in his view on abortion rights.

During the final stages of his campaign in 2024, Trump said he thought individual states should determine their own abortion policies.

Trump and Project 2025

Trump is set to become president today (20 January). (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Known as the 'right wing wish-list', Project 2025 was created by the Heritage Foundation, one of Washington's most prominent right-wing research institutions.

And while Trump previously denied his support for the project, dozens of former officials from Trump's last administration - including many whomay be called to serve in his current one - contributed to the proposals laid out in the project.

Some of the proposals include withdrawing the abortion pill mifepristone from the market, increasing the funding for a wall on the US-Mexico border, cutting federal money for research and investment into renewable energy, and more.

Trump on women's healthcare

As well as abortion rights, general medical care for women in America could be seriously under threat.

There is currently an alarming increase in maternal mortality rates.

The Commonwealth fund reported: "In 2022, there were 22 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births in the US - more than double, sometimes triple, the rate for most other high-income countries in this analysis."

In response, Nancy L. Cohen, president of the Gender Equity Policy Institute, stated: "There’s only one explanation for this...all the research points to Texas’ abortion ban as the primary driver of this alarming increase."