While Republicans disagree about whether to pursue a national abortion ban that would face long odds in Congress, a GOP president may be able to unilaterally curb access to medication abortion across the country using an obscure 19th-century law.
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How the next Republican president could stop most abortions without Congress
The next Republican president could effectively ban most abortions through a simple policy change at the Department of Justice, experts and advocates on both sides of the abortion debate say.
The big picture
At issue is the meaning of the 1873 Comstock Act.
Between the lines
The overturning of Roe left the GOP in knots over how to handle abortion, and the topic has become a major liability for the party.
Go deeper
Trump's allies are pre-screening the ideologies of thousands of potential foot soldiers, as part of an unprecedented operation to centralize and expand his power at every level of the U.S. government if he wins in 2024, officials involved in the effort tell Axios.
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