Humanist Society interview series: Maggie Ardiente of the Secular Coalition for America on reproductive rights under Trump
March 13, 2025
As anti-abortion campaigners mark Lent with protests influenced by US Christian nationalism, Maggie Ardiente, Board President of the Secular Coalition for America, talks us through the threat to reproductive rights posed by Trump and JD Vance’s government.
Hi Maggie, please introduce yourself
I’m a board member of Humanists International and President of the Secular Coalition for America, a coalition of 20 national secular, humanist, and atheist groups in the United States. Previously I was Director of Development and Communications at the American Humanist Association (AHA). I’m currently Vice President of Development and Philanthropic Partnerships at PFLAG National, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organisation. I live in Washington DC.
What is the current attitude to reproductive rights within the US government?
Misinformation is rampant in the United States, especially regarding reproductive health and freedom. It’s how we ultimately lost Roe v. Wade and how Trump and Vance were elected, despite the majority of women and pregnant people in America supporting abortion access.
We’ve seen success in some states where anti-abortion laws have been defeated, but what about women in other states? It makes no sense to me that, in a country that claims to be the land of the free, women and pregnant people lack freedom over their own bodies.
In Idaho, which has the most restrictive abortion laws, they literally put pregnant women in emergency rooms who are at risk of dying on planes to different states for emergency abortions.
What are some of the dangers for women and pregnant people in the USA?
The biggest danger is lack of access to reproductive health, particularly in poorer and rural communities. The fact is, more pregnant people die when abortion access is restricted. Unplanned pregnancies increase because comprehensive sex education programs in schools are defunded. In Idaho, which has the most restrictive abortion laws, they literally put pregnant women in emergency rooms who are at risk of dying on planes to different states for emergency abortions. It’s horrific.
How can abortion rights campaigners in Europe and the USA support each other?
We can learn from each other’s successes and speaking out as often as possible, from sharing personal stories that impact real people to engaging with elected officials through advocacy and education. We can change hearts and minds on this issue, and it starts with families and communities understanding the need for reproductive privacy, safety, and freedom.
The 20 member groups of the Secular Coalition for America are fighting hard to slow down the Trump administration’s attacks through every means necessary.
How are you fighting back against the new Christian nationalist paradigm in the USA?
The 20 member groups of the Secular Coalition for America are fighting hard to slow down the Trump Administration’s attacks through every means necessary. We’re grateful to have champions of true religious freedom through members of the Congressional Freethought Caucus, which gained three new members in the new Congress.
But I recognise our very limited ability to achieve wins on secular issues in the next four years. Our fundamental freedoms (free speech, the right to assemble, and the freedom of and from religion) are at risk, and so our focus must be protecting and defending what Americans still have, for now.
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