In the daily din of scandal and turmoil that has dominated President Trump’s first year in office, it can be easily overlooked how transformative he has been in using his executive powers to curtail abortion rights.

As thousands of anti-abortion marchers gathered on the National Mall in Washington in the annual March for Life on Friday, Mr. Trump ordered his administration to make it easier for states to cut off money for Planned Parenthood clinics that offer health care to low-income women.

The move capped a week of action by the White House that helped to further seal its relationship with the anti-abortion movement.

In just the last few days, the president has expanded religious freedom protections for health care providers who object to performing procedures like abortion and gender reassignment surgery; created a new entity within the Department of Health and Human Services called the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division; ordered the department to more vigorously enforce existing laws that shield people in government-funded programs from violating their religious beliefs; and declared Monday “National Sanctity of Human Life Day.”