Roe v Wade: Which US states are banning abortion?
explainer
Protesters gather inside the South Carolina House as members debate a new near-total ban on abortion with no exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest at the state legislature in Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. August 30, 2022. REUTERS/Sam Wolfe
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Abortion pills have become the latest battleground in the fight over reproductive rights in the U.S.
LONDON - Legal battles over abortion have erupted across the U.S. following a shock Supreme Court ruling last year that gave states free rein to ban pregnancy terminations.
More than a dozen Republican-led states have outlawed all or almost all abortions since the court reversed the Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized the procedure nationwide in 1973.
Many had passed so-called trigger bans before the top court's decision, which were designed to go into effect if abortion protections were scrapped.
About half the country's 50 states could ultimately outlaw or heavily limit abortion, according to reproductive rights groups. Numerous bans are facing challenges in the courts.
Abortion pills, often used by women to terminate pregnancies at home, have become a legal battleground.
Anti-abortion activists in Texas are seeking to block nationwide access to the drug mifepristone, which is used to end pregnancies in the first 10 weeks.
In a separate lawsuit, 12 Democratic-led states are pushing to expand access to mifepristone.
The slew of state abortion bans has left women in swaths of the South and Midwest without nearby access.
Supporters of abortion say the restrictions will hit women from poorer and minority communities hardest.
Here is a list of states introducing bans and restrictions:
ALABAMA - The state passed a law banning abortion in 2019, but it only came into force after the Supreme Court ruling. Anyone convicted of carrying out an abortion faces up to life in prison.
The 2019 Human Life Protection Act compares abortion to historical genocides. Exceptions are allowed if a woman's life is at risk.
ARIZONA - A ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy went into effect in September. An attempt to enforce a near-total ban has been blocked by a state appeals court.
ARKANSAS - A trigger ban came into effect in June. Anyone who performs an abortion faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $100,000, or both. There is an exception if the mother's life is in danger.
FLORIDA - Republican lawmakers introduced bills in March to ban abortion after six weeks, before many women know they are pregnant.
The bills include exceptions for rape and incest, but not explicitly for the life and health of the mother.
Florida outlawed abortion after 15 weeks last July, with no exceptions for rape or incest. The state had previously allowed terminations until 24 weeks.
Many women travel long distances to end pregnancies in Florida because of stricter laws in surrounding states.
GEORGIA - A 2019 law banning abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected, usually at around six weeks, took effect in July. There are exceptions for medical emergencies and cases of rape or incest if a police report has been filed.
IDAHO - Idaho has introduced a total ban. Anyone breaking the law is liable to up to five years in prison.
A separate law allows people who would have been relatives of an aborted fetus to sue the doctor who carried out the termination.
Lawmakers have also introduced legislation that would make it illegal to help a minor get an abortion in another state without a parent or guardian's permission.
INDIANA - In September, Indiana became the first state to introduce a new law banning abortion following the Supreme Court ruling. But enforcement has since been blocked while Indiana's supreme court considers whether it violates the state constitution.
KENTUCKY - A trigger ban took effect in June. There are no exceptions for rape or incest. Anyone performing an abortion risks up to five years in prison.
However, voters in Kentucky rejected a proposal in November to amend the state's constitution to say that residents do not have a right to abortion.
LOUISIANA - A trigger ban went into effect in June. Anyone providing an abortion could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of between $10,000 and $100,000. There is an exception when a woman's life is in danger.
Confusion around the new law was highlighted after a woman who was pregnant with a baby with no skull said doctors refused her an abortion in a case that made headlines worldwide.
MISSISSIPPI – A trigger ban went into effect in July. Anyone who performs an abortion risks up to 10 years in prison. There are exceptions if a woman's life is in danger or in cases of rape or incest that are reported to police.
MISSOURI - A trigger ban took effect in June with exceptions for medical emergencies, but not for rape or incest.
Anyone performing an abortion could face up to 15 years in prison. Medical professionals could also lose their licenses.
NEBRASKA - A bill introduced by Republican lawmakers, which would ban abortion at six weeks, looks likely to pass. Abortion is currently legal up to 22 weeks.
NORTH DAKOTA - A judge has temporarily blocked the state's trigger ban pending a legal challenge. Although terminations remain legal up to 22 weeks, abortion care is unavailable as the state's sole clinic has moved to Minnesota.
OHIO - A fetal heartbeat ban, which came into force in July, has been blocked pending a legal challenge by abortion providers.
The law made headlines in July when a 10-year-old rape victim was forced to travel to Indiana to get an abortion.
OKLAHOMA – Last May, Oklahoma became the first state to ban abortion from the moment of fertilization. The law, passed in defiance of Roe v. Wade, also allows private citizens to sue anyone who helps a woman terminate a pregnancy.
A separate trigger ban that came into force in August carries penalties of up to 10 years in jail and a $100,000 fine.
SOUTH CAROLINA - In January, South Carolina's Supreme Court struck down a "fetal heartbeat" abortion ban, ruling it violated the right to privacy in the state constitution.
Abortion is currently legal up to 22 weeks, but Republican lawmakers have introduced two new bills this year - a near-total abortion ban and a six-week ban.
SOUTH DAKOTA - A trigger ban, which took effect after the Supreme Court ruling, outlaws all abortion except where a woman's life is in danger.
TENNESSEE - A trigger ban took effect in August, with exceptions where a woman's life is in danger or there is risk of permanent damage.
TEXAS – Anyone providing an abortion can face up to life in prison.
Texas had already outlawed most abortions before the Supreme Court ruling. It made headlines in 2021 when, in defiance of Roe v. Wade, it banned terminations once a fetal heartbeat could be detected.
The law also unusually grants citizens the right to sue doctors who perform abortions beyond the cut-off mark. Citizens can collect $10,000 for successful lawsuits. President Joe Biden's administration has called this a "bounty".
Republican state representatives are now seeking to force internet providers to block websites that provide abortion pills or information on how to obtain an abortion.
UTAH - A trigger ban has been blocked pending a legal challenge by abortion provider Planned Parenthood, which says the new law violates rights under Utah's constitution.
The legislature also passed a bill in March that would prohibit the licensing of abortion clinics.
WEST VIRGINIA - West Virginia passed a ban in September, with exceptions for medical emergencies, rape or incest.
WISCONSIN - Clinics have stopped providing abortions due to uncertainty over whether the state can enforce its pre-Roe abortion ban, which was first enacted in 1849.
WYOMING - A judge has temporarily blocked the state's trigger ban following a legal challenge. She said it appeared to violate Wyoming's constitution which protects a person's right to make their own health decisions.
The contested ban carries punishments of up to 14 years in prison.
The Republican-led legislature passed a bill in March banning the use of abortion pills.
This article was updated on March 17, 2023, to include the latest developments since the court ruling
SOURCES: Reuters, U.S. state documents, Guttmacher Institute, ACLU
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