HEALTHCARE
Which US states have a ban on abortion?
It has been over a year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, leading many states to enact laws to curtail access to abortion.
Each time the curtailing of abortion rights, or the protection of them, has been put to the voters, the population has walked away with more protections for their reproductive freedoms.
The latest state to watch this playout is Ohio, where 56 percent of voters approved a constitutional amendment to enshrine the right to an abortion in the state’s founding document. Ohio is a state that went for Donald Trump twice, and Tuesday’s election shows that protecting the right to an abortion transcends party politics.
States with the most restrictive abortion laws
Since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, sixteen states have seriously curtailed abortion access. According to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights research and advocacy organization, thirteen states have imposed ‘near-total bans.’ However, in Texas and West Virginia, the constitutionality and legality of these laws are currently being challenged in the courts.
States with near total bans on abrotion
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Oklahoma
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas - legal challenge pending in federal court
- West Virginia - legal challenge pending in state court
In some of these states, exceptions are made in cases where the life of the mother is at risk or in cases of rape or incest. However, this is far from the case in all the states listed. For instance, this year, lawmakers in Louisana failed to pass a bill that would have carved out an exception for rape and incest.
In Florida, a 6-week abortion law has been passed by the state legislature but is currently being challenged by the courts. Currently, abortions are available up to 15 weeks of pregnancy. In Georgia, abortion has been banned after six weeks, which is not a full ban, but it can have the same effects, with some people not even realizing that they are pregnant at the 6-week mark.
In addition to the strict laws on abortion, North Dakota does not have a single abortion clinic operating in the state.
States that ban abortion between 15 and 18 weeks
Arizona bans abortion at 15 weeks. Utah bans abortion after 18 weeks. Lawmakers in Utah have attempted to pass a total abortion ban, but its implementation has been blocked by the courts.