American women woke up in a terrifying new world Wednesday morning. And for progressives,????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ?? ????? ????? the crushing despair of Hillary Clinton's defeat by Donald J. Trump turned into fresh horror at his proposed agenda.
Though women believe abortion rights are theirs to keep, Trump has promised to appoint a Supreme Court justice who would overturn that constitutional guarantee. Women in same-sex relationships who wed their partner, or want to, have a different reason to fear Trump's appointment: he's pledged to nominate someone opposed to marriage equality.
SEE ALSO: Hillary Clinton's devastating loss spells heartbreak for women everywhereThese possibilities are but a glimpse of how Trump's America would fundamentally change for women. His presidency threatens to undo years of progress while undermining institutions that work to achieve gender equality. Expect Planned Parenthood, for example, which provides millions of women with essential reproductive health care, to become a prime target of a Republican-led Congress backed by Trump.
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Some women welcome these changes. After all, the majority of white female voters cast ballots for Trump. But others are downright terrified -- with good reason.
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By Wednesday morning, Twitter advice to quickly get an IUD, a long-lasting form of birth control, became the subject of news coverage given the very real possibility that Republicans will repeal the Affordable Care Act, which covers the cost of contraception. Losing that coverage would hit low-income women particularly hard.
Despite the collective angst, the truth is that women will endure the election outcome differently. Those who have fought on the front lines for police accountability in their communities, may see President-elect Trump try to enforce a nationwide stop-and-frisk policy. Undocumented immigrants who came here as children may lose a special standing to stay in the U.S. that President Barack Obama created through executive action.
For too many, the future looks bleak. Here is a breakdown of what women in particular stand to lose:
1. Abortion rights
Vice president-elect Mike Pence is one of government's staunchest anti-abortion-rights conservatives. As governor of Indiana he passed a bill requiring the proper burial of fetal remains, even from miscarriages. Along with Congressional Republicans, he has the power to radically shape policymaking on abortion rights. And while they're chipping away at access, Trump may succeed in appointing a Supreme Court justice committed to overturning Roe v. Wade.
Our mission—to fight for & defend access to legal, affordable & accessible abortion + birth control—is as urgent today as it has ever been.
— NARAL (@NARAL) November 9, 2016
That nightmare scenario has abortion rights advocates distraught.
"Our country now stands perilously close to a return to the dark days when women were forced to put their own lives at risk to get safe and legal abortion care," Nancy Northup, president and CEO at the Center for Reproductive Rights, in a statement.
2. Planned Parenthood
Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund,vowed on Wednesday to ensure the non-profit healthcare provider stays open to provide reproductive health care to millions of Americans.
Since Pence led the fight in Congress to defund Panned Parenthood and Trump has promised to do just that, it's entirely likely that it will lose hundreds and millions of dollars in federal funding that pay for birth control, preventive health care and cancer screenings. (No federal funds are currently used to fund abortion services.)
These doors stay open. pic.twitter.com/YqrMBnWflM
— Planned Parenthood (@PPFA) November 9, 2016
3. Criminal justice reform
While there is bipartisan interest in passing comprehensive criminal justice reform, Trump has repudiated the Black Lives Matter movement and suggested he would try to revive discriminatory stop-and-frisk policing tactics.
Any criminal justice reform that a Republican-led Congress passes is unlikely to fundamentally challenge systemic and institutional racism. And don't expect Trump to issue measured responses to police-involved shootings of men of color. These are significant setbacks, particularly for women of color who have led the movement against police violence.
4. Marriage equality
Trump and Pence are outspoken opponents of the Supreme Court decision that guaranteed marriage equality for same-sex couples. While it would take time, it's possible that Trump could play a pivotal role in overturning that decision with his Supreme Court justice appointment.
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LGBT activists are preparing for that and other battles to protect people from discrimination.
"Lambda Legal will hold the line when our rights are under attack," said the advocacy organization's CEO Rachel B. Tiven in a statement. "We will fight back in our beautiful diversity and without compromise."
5. Obamacare
This election may be Obamacare's demise. Trump has committed to repealing the legislation, which has made it possible for 20 million people to obtain health insurance. It requires insurers to cover patients with pre-existing conditions and cover the cost of birth control. Repealing or drastically overhauling the law will be a long, bureaucratic process. Either way, the benefits for women, such as free access to contraception and coverage regardless of pre-existing conditions, may change or vanish.
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6. Transgender rights
President Obama has worked hard to protect transgender people from prejudice through executive actions and administrative rulings. Those include Department of Education rules that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex and a directive that requires public schools to let students use bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity.
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Additionally, upcoming federal court cases on bathroom access and employment law will determine how the government will — or won't — protect transgender Americans from discrimination.
7. A path to American citizenship
Trump staked his campaign on deporting undocumented immigrants, denying most, if not all, of them a chance at American citizenship. Immigrant women are not only at the forefront of advocating for comprehensive immigration reform, they also constitute a large portion of those who are not authorized to be in the country. Trump and Congress now have the power to decide their fate, and it probably won't mean staying in the United States.
"We will be eternally vigilant every single day of your presidency."
Though Trump may feel emboldened by his electoral upset, liberals and progressives have already announced they're determined to fight him until the end.
The executive director of the ACLU told Trump on Wednesday to rethink his "unlawful and unconstitutional" proposals.
"If you do not reverse course and instead endeavor to make these campaign promises a reality, you will have to contend with the full firepower of the ACLU at every step," he wrote. "One thing is certain: We will be eternally vigilant every single day of your presidency."
If women want to join that fight to save their rights, now is the time to stand up.