Trump presidency could do 'a lot of damage to abortion'

Washington - A second Donald Trump presidency could amplify efforts by conservative politicians to restrict abortion access across the United States.

Here's a closer look at the legal tools available to a future administration intent on limiting abortion access - and how abortion rights defenders are preparing to fight back.

For advocates of abortion rights, the nightmare scenario is a Republican-controlled Congress enacting sweeping national restrictions or an outright ban.

Vice-President Kamala Harris has championed a federal law protecting abortion, but that would require Democratic control of the House, Senate and presidency.

If Trump wins but Republicans do not control Congress, he could still "do a lot of damage to abortion access" through federal actions and judicial appointments, said American University law professor Lewis Grossman.

The Republican former president's Supreme Court picks were pivotal in dismantling decades of legal precedent protecting the national right to abortion.