In the United States, the rhetoric of “family values” is echoed loudly in political speeches and campaign promises. But beneath the surface, a tangled web of policies is leaving millions of women, families, and especially marginalized communities facing a reproductive landscape fraught with contradictions, dangers, and heartbreak. Recent actions at the federal and state levels—ranging from executive orders on fertility treatments to sweeping Medicaid cuts and aggressive immigration crackdowns—have exposed deep fissures between the promise of support for families and the reality on the ground.
In February 2025, President Trump signed an executive order pledging to expand access to in vitro fertilization (IVF), claiming a commitment to helping families grow. Just a month later, he dubbed himself the “fertilization president,” making IVF and fertility treatments a centerpiece of his administration’s pro-family image. Yet, as reported by The New York Times, this executive order stopped short of creating a federal mandate requiring insurers to cover IVF, leaving many would-be parents still struggling to afford treatment.
Meanwhile, the same administration has been rolling back critical protections that underpin reproductive health. One of the starkest examples is the handling of PFAS—so-called “forever chemicals” known to cause cancer, hormone disruption, and reproductive harm. In April 2024, the Biden administration established the first national drinking water standards for six PFAS chemicals, requiring water systems to be monitored by 2027 and to meet strict limits by 2029. The rules included a Hazard Index to capture cumulative risk, a move hailed by public health advocates.
Fast forward to February 2025: President Trump issued an executive order banning paper straws in all federal facilities, citing the dangers of PFAS. The Domestic Policy Council’s report even asserted, more strongly than previous administrations, that these chemicals are linked to cancer and reproductive harm, referencing EPA research from as far back as 2021. But by May, the Environmental Protection Agency under Trump reversed course. According to The Washington Post, enforceable drinking water limits for two of the most dangerous PFAS—PFOA and PFOS—were delayed until 2031, the Hazard Index was scrapped, and protections against other PFAS chemicals were withdrawn. The contradiction is glaring: PFAS in paper straws are too hazardous for the lips, yet PFAS in drinking water—the main route of exposure for pregnant women and children—are allowed to linger for years longer. The chemicals left in the water are also linked to reduced sperm counts and increased risk of miscarriage, undermining the very fertility outcomes the administration claims to champion.
Healthcare coverage is the bedrock of reproductive health, but here too, policy is moving in the wrong direction. Medicaid finances 42 percent of U.S. births and covers two-thirds of women of reproductive age. On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which slashes nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid over the next decade. Analysts estimate that between 100,000 and 200,000 new parents could lose postpartum coverage as a result. The impact will be most acute in the nation’s 1,100 maternity care deserts—regions where hospitals have shuttered, obstetric units have closed, and clinics have vanished, leaving 2.3 million women of reproductive age without local labor and delivery services.
For many, these cuts are not just numbers on a spreadsheet—they are a matter of life and death. The United States already has the highest maternal mortality rate in the developed world, and the gap is growing. States that did not expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act have maternal mortality rates 35 percent higher than those that did. In 2023, California reported 10.2 deaths per 100,000 live births, while Alabama’s rate soared to 36.2. Women of color, especially Black and Latine mothers, fare the worst. According to Truthout, Texas, which has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the nation, disproportionately affects these communities.
Before 2021, most states terminated postpartum Medicaid coverage after just 60 days. Now, nearly all states offer 12 months of coverage, but this progress is under threat from the looming Medicaid cuts. Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), including postpartum depression, are among the most common complications of childbirth and a leading cause of maternal death. One in five new mothers experiences a PMAD, and Medicaid is the largest single payer for postpartum mental health treatment. Women with unintended or unsupported pregnancies are twice as likely to experience postpartum depression, while those denied abortions face higher rates of anxiety and lower life satisfaction. As more women are forced to carry high-risk pregnancies to term without adequate prenatal care, complications such as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and postpartum hemorrhage are expected to rise.
These dangers are compounded for immigrants and people of color. In the summer of 2025, a 28-year-old pregnant woman was detained by immigration authorities in California, highlighting a disturbing trend under the current administration’s crackdown on immigrants, asylum seekers, and even U.S. citizens. As reported by Truthout, immigrant and reproductive rights advocates have raised alarms about the impact of these raids on the reproductive health of those arrested and separated from their families. The harms inflicted—medical neglect, abuse, and forced family separation—are not just an immigration crisis, but a reproductive justice crisis as well.
Organizations like Fund Texas Choice have seen the fallout firsthand. In the past six months, they have supported more than 600 clients, purchasing plane tickets, arranging rides, and providing funds for basic necessities as people travel an average of 1,400 miles to access abortion care. Texas is home to more than 2.9 million Latine people of childbearing age, with 1.9 million economically insecure. The average cost to travel out of state for abortion care ranges from $500 to $1,000, not including the procedure itself. For many, the compounded impact of anti-immigration laws, surveillance, and the threat of deportation makes traveling for abortion care impossible.
The challenges are even greater for Muslims and Latine Muslims, who represent 9 percent of the U.S. Muslim population. Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, 17 states have total abortion bans or restrict access to the first six weeks of pregnancy, affecting at least 824,000 Muslims. Racial profiling and anti-Muslim bias, combined with fears of surveillance and data tracking, make interstate travel for abortion care especially fraught. Black Muslim immigrants face heightened state-sanctioned violence and some of the worst childbirth outcomes in the country.
The legal landscape is shifting rapidly. In September 2025, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed HB 7 into law—the fourth anti-abortion measure in the state. The law aims to cut off access to medication abortion inside and outside Texas, creating a chilling effect that extends beyond state borders. The post-Roe era has also opened the door for law enforcement to use data like license plates, phone records, and geolocation to pursue individuals seeking abortion care across state lines.
In the so-called “triple threat states”—Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas—near-total abortion bans, refusal to expand Medicaid, and the rejection of PFAS drinking water standards create a perfect storm. The difference in maternal mortality rates, healthcare access, and outcomes for mothers and infants between these states and others is stark. For many, birth is compulsory, but care remains expendable.
True family values require more than slogans and symbolic gestures. Until policy places mothers and children at the center—not as props, but as the purpose—the reproductive hypocrisy at the heart of America’s laws will persist. The stories unfolding across the country make clear: the fight for reproductive justice is inseparable from the fight for healthcare, environmental safety, and immigrant rights.