What Donald Trump's presidential win actually means for women

The news broke earlier this afternoon (6 November) that Donald Trump has won the 2024 presidential election after beating the Democrat candidate, Kamala Harris, to the leadership.

Trump's win will impact a number of different demographics, both domestically and throughout the wider world - given his 'America First' foreign policy, hardline stance on immigration with the travel ban, and his extremely controversial views on the climate crisis, which he dubs an 'expensive hoax'.

The 78-year-old, who is the first convicted felon to serve as president in the US, has also caused immense concern regarding his views towards women, namely surrounding reproductive rights.

So, how will Trump's win actually affect women?

Trump on the abortion ban

Women and people who can conceive were severely impacted when the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade, which generally protected a right to have an abortion, in 2022.

After the overturning of Roe v Wade, over a dozen states have almost banned all abortions.

With Trump having called these laws as a 'beautiful thing to watch', it could be possible that federal restrictions on abortion are next.

While Trump, who has also been accused of sexual assault and harassment by dozens of women, which he's denied, once suggested he might veto any anti-abortion ban that lands on his desk, many worry that Project 2025, a 900-page right-wing policy 'wish list', could be where the real fear lies.

What does Trump's presidential win mean for women? (KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / Contributor / Getty Images)

What is Project 2025?

Project 2025 proposes using the 1873 Comstock Act, which bans the mailing of abortion-related materials.

In short, this stops people from shipping abortion pills, which is extremely significant given that such medication accounts for around two-thirds of abortions in the US.

If the Comstock Act is enacted to its fullest extent, then Americans could see not only a ban on abortion pills, but also on the equipment that clinics need to carry out the procedure.

Trump could also potentially use such legislation to roll out a nation-wide 'de facto' abortion ban.

Trump on women's healthcare

Trump's election will impact abortion accessibility in several states (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Extending beyond what is traditionally discussed as abortion, the medical care for women in America is seriously under threat, given the alarming increase in maternal mortality rates, with the Commonwealth fund reporting: "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."

Nancy L. Cohen, president of the Gender Equity Policy Institute, states: "There’s only one explanation for this staggering difference in maternal mortality.

"All the research points to Texas’ abortion ban as the primary driver of this alarming increase.”