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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Carter Sherman

Is it safe to have a child? Americans rethink family planning ahead of Trump’s return

a photo of a woman with the child she is holding cut out of the picture
‘While I have always wanted kids, that choice has become tinged with a level of despair and anger that I didn’t have two years ago.’ Composite: The Guardian/Getty Images

Chris Peterson wasn’t surprised that Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election. But he was surprised by how quickly he and his wife started asking one another: should we try to have another baby before a possible nationwide abortion ban takes effect? Or should we give up on having a second child?

Peterson and his wife, who live in North Carolina, are thousands of dollars in debt because their first child needed to spend weeks in the hospital after being born prematurely. They had wanted to pay off that debt and wait a few years before having a second baby. But now, reproductive rights are again in the balance – Trump has said he would veto a nationwide abortion ban, but his allies are emboldened to push through more restrictions.

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