After President-elect Donald Trump won the Presidential election on Nov. 5, 2024, several University of Oregon campus organizations, students and faculty shared their thoughts on how they feel women’s rights will be affected under Trump’s campaign.

UO College Republicans

Cassidy Perkins, president of UO College Republicans, said she “supported Trump back in 2016,” and she “still supports Trump now.”

“I am very satisfied that he was reelected and I am really looking forward to seeing how the next four years go,” Perkins said. 

Perkins said she does not believe Trump’s presidency will result in the loss of any human rights and that his policies would strongly protect human rights. 

“He’ll [Trump] bring us into a better economy where people are able to more freely live their lives and express themselves. I think that in that way, Trump has improved women’s rights and just human rights in general,” Perkins said. 

Perkins also said she feels Trump will protect people’s human rights as stated in the Constitution of the United States. 

“We will be more free under a Trump presidency. [He] has vowed to protect our First Amendment rights. He has vowed to protect our rights of free speech,” Perkins said. 

Perkins, who is also pro-life, said she believes “every unborn child has the right to life” and has the right to be “born no matter the circumstances under which they were conceived.” 

“For me personally, I think it would be good to not have any abortion access period,” Perkins said.

Students for Choice

Audrey Tirrill and Karlie Windle, leaders of Students for Choice, a pro-choice group on campus, discussed their concerns about women’s rights following the election. 

“People had such a problem with a Black woman being the president that they elected a convicted felon and known liar,” Windle said. 

Following the election, both Tirrill and Windle grew concerned about women’s access to abortions. 

“It’s not just about abortion, and I think people center things around abortion,” Windle said. 

According to the World Health Organization, “Around 73 million induced abortions take place worldwide each year. Six out of 10 of all unintended pregnancies, and three out of 10 of all pregnancies, end in induced abortion.”

“Abortion is needed and needs to be accessible,” Tirill said. “We have seen time and time again that numbers [abortion-related deaths and unsafe abortions] go down when abortion is completely accessible all over the country.” 

Tirrill said she felt it was “dehumanizing” that some people would prioritize the life of a fetus over a woman. 

“The vast majority who get abortions are already mothers,” Windle said. 

According to Pew Research Center, most abortion procedures in 2021 were “women who had already given birth.” 

Tirrill and Windle said they were concerned that in states where abortion was illegal, people would be left to seek help at crisis pregnancy centers.

“They’re not trained medical professionals,” Windle said. “They’re not only pushing a child on you but also a religion,” Tirrill said. 

Both Tirill and Windle also said they were concerned about Trump’s proposals to close the Department of Education.

“The Department of Education affects reproductive health because that affects how we teach our kids’ health class[es],” Windle said.

UO Student

Lauren, a Christian student who wished to not share her last name because of concerns surrounding her political views, said she is aware that her political views “aren’t the norm on campus.” 

Lauren said she disagreed with the extent of the changes Trump had planned to push for once he entered office. 

“I don’t agree with the level of social reform Trump wants to implement,” Lauren said. “At the same time, I do agree with a good chunk of his policies and believe in the positive impacts of his election.” 

Similar to Perkins, Lauren said she does not believe that Trump’s policies will impact women’s rights. 

“[I do not] feel strongly that Trump is taking away women’s rights by his policies,” Lauren said. “I believe his attitude toward women on stage has not been respectable by any means, but that doesn’t impact my rights as a woman.” 

When it comes to abortion, Lauren said her “stance as a Christian and right-leaning individual is to protect kids.” 

“I don’t believe abortion should be offered to anyone everywhere, but I also do not agree that it should be banned entirely for medical and safety reasons,” Lauren said.

UO Faculty and Staff

Donella-Elizabeth Alston Cleveland, a faculty support specialist, said she was “devastated” by the election results but “not overly surprised.” 

“I think I’m disappointed, in the sense that I dared to hope this country was not who I know this country to be,” Cleveland said.

Cleveland said that after she found out President Biden would be stepping down from the election, she recalled telling her wife that the country would not elect a woman for president. 

“If you think this misogynist, racist country is going to have the first woman president be a woman of color and a Black woman, then you’re out of your mind. It’s not gonna happen,” Cleveland said. 

She said she began to have “some hope” when she saw people around her supporting Harris, but after the election, she realized she may have been right with her initial judgment. 

Similarly to Tirril and Windle, Cleveland said she believed Trump’s motives were mostly based on gaining power.

“With the president-elect [Trump], one does not know where his values are because, in all honesty, he does not value anything other than power in my personal opinion,” Cleveland said.

Jimmy Howard, UO Interim Dean of Students, said there are policies in place on campus to protect women who may have concerns about equality and access to reproductive care. 

“Some of [them are] the recent changes to Title IX, which include protections for folks who are pregnant and continued reminders of making sure that our universities are free from sexual harassment and sexual misconduct,” Howard said. 

According to Howard, he believes that students should know that the state of Oregon is a place that protects and values the rights of women. 

“Oregon, the state and then the University of Oregon are two places that value women’s rights and make sure women have access to healthcare but also ensure that they have a safe place to attend school free of harassment and sexual violence,” Howard said.

Howard said that when “really any [UO] administration change” occurs, more students come to the Dean of Students’ office with concerns. 

“My staff have been consistently thinking about what we communicate to students and continue to support students in a way that helps them feel like they have agency and choice,” Howard said. “We are consistently trying to reiterate that Oregon law hasn’t changed and that there are still protections at the state and federal level.”