Following the Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which eliminated a constitutional right to abortion nationwide, nearly two dozen US states have banned or limited access to the procedure. States where abortion is most limited report higher rates of maternal and infant mortality, as well as greater economic insecurity.
The fight over abortion is well underway in state legislatures and courts.
Most recently on April 9, Arizona’s Supreme Court reinstated a 1864 law, rooted in the Civil War era, barring abortion in nearly all circumstances. The ruling, however, has been stayed for two weeks, and the current 15-week ban remains in place in the meantime.
In other news, the US Supreme Court heard arguments in a case against the abortion pill in March and will hear a challenge to Idaho’s near-total ban in late April. In Florida, a six-week ban will replace the state’s current 15-week ban on May 1.
Here’s where abortion access currently stands in the United States, as legal challenges make their way through the courts:
- Red=banned
- Brown=Legal with gestational limit of 6-18 weeks
- Green=legal
CNNHere’s where abortion access currently stands in the United States (Red=banned; Brown=Legal with gestational limit of 6-18 weeks; Green=legal)
