On June 24, 2022, I found myself in a room of 2,500 women at a leadership convention during the very moment Roe V. Wade was overturned. I saw women fall to the ground crying as others tried to hide the smiles creeping across their faces, and others didn’t hide their satisfaction, celebrating as if they had personally just achieved some victory. Two years later, the election having come and gone, I can’t help but feel the same astonishment at the stark differences in women’s reactions to President-elect Donald Trump’s win. The harsh reality of the situation, though, is that reproductive health outcomes couldn’t care less about who you voted for. Even those with a closet of MAGA merchandise won’t be protected from the sweeping attacks on abortion access the government is likely to place under Trump’s office. No matter how you voted in November, now is the time to have an open mind, open heart, and open support for continued access to abortion, for when healthcare is denied, it sees no political affiliation. Trump’s moderate supporters have underscored his recent statement that he wouldn’t sign a national abortion ban but will instead continue to leave these policies up to the states. The President-elect’s stance on abortion has varied immensely over the years though as seen byhis support for a House bill during his last presidency that would have banned abortion nationwide after 20 weeks gestation, and his recent quote, “We’ll pick something that’s going to be very, very good for pro-life.” The culmination of these inconsistencies leaves the state of abortion access in precocious hands.  A national abortion ban would override any state-level protections, and if said ban were to end up on President Trump’s desk, it’s unclear whether he would sign it. ut if history tells us anything, it won’t be in favor of women’s health. For the government, these policies aren’t just about the moral qualms of abortion many care about the issue for. They are about power. Power structures are inevitably at play when the government is making personal medical decisions for its constituents.Ruqaiijah Yearby touches on this saying, “Attention to power is not just about who is harmed, but about who benefits from systems of inequity.” Restricting abortion access benefits those in power by controlling the decision-making capabilities of over 50% of the population and limiting the potential economic mobility and autonomy over one’s life through forced childbirth. The harms from these ongoing inequities can be seen best over the last two years since Roe V. Wade was overturned, as women and families in states limiting access to abortion have been forced to go through situations straight out of most nightmares. Abortion bans have caused both maternal and infant mortality deaths to rise at disproportionate rates. While many women are still able to access abortions by traveling to a different state, those who lack the resources are left with very limited options. Insufficient health insurance and disposable income disproportionately affect Black, Latino, and Indigenous people, leaving these groups to suffer the consequences of inaccessible reproductive health care more than their white counterparts. Additionally, Black women are more likely to experience the effects of weathering that lead Black birthing individuals to die from pregnancy and birth-related complications at a rate of three times of white individuals. These groups have less access to abortions but are more likely to need this often life-saving medical care due to their disproportionate rates of poor health outcomes caused by this country’s history and ongoing presence of both structural and interpersonal racism. These disparities are unjust and are being continuously perpetuated through restrictions to reproductive health care. Furthermore, the focus of the Republican party on abortions during the last trimester, accounting for just 1% of all abortions, works to reap the benefits of stigmatization. Most individuals getting an abortion after 21 weeks gestation plan to have a baby but go through with an abortion because of a fetal anomaly or life-threatening complications for the mother. Focusing on this specific group exploits the pain they go through during this often traumatizing experience in efforts to stigmatize abortions as a whole. This stigmatization gives power to those who gain benefits from abortion restrictions and capitalizes on people’s pain during an often heartbreaking moment. Political affiliations aside, abortion is life-saving healthcare and any effort to restrict its access will have negative health impacts on everyone, especially the most vulnerable. No matter what circle you filled on your ballot last month, you have the opportunity to use this knowledge of disparities to change your mind. A variance of opinions on most topics is beneficial but when it comes to the health of women in this country, we must use this knowledge and empathy to unify and prioritize access to reproductive health to save women and mothers everywhere. Bethany Pavel is a Student at the Yale School of Public Health.