Roe v Wade: Which US states are banning abortion?

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About half of U.S. states have banned abortion or taken steps to limit access since a shock Supreme Court ruling just over a year ago upended reproductive rights in the country.

The top court handed states a free rein to make their own laws after overturning a 1973 ruling known as Roe v. Wade that had legalized abortion nationwide.

Reproductive rights groups say the slew of restrictions unleashed by last year's June 24 ruling will hit women from poorer and minority communities hardest.

Some 16 million women now live more than 300 miles (483 km)away from the nearest abortion clinic. 

States imposing total bans include Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.

Reproductive rights in liberal states could also be under threat with anti-abortion activists seeking to block nationwide access to the drug mifepristone, which is used to end pregnancies in the first 10 weeks.

Here is a list of states introducing bans and curbs. An asterisk denotes the 13 states that had passed so-called trigger bans prior to the ruling which were designed to take effect automatically if Roe v Wade fell.

ALABAMA - Banned The Human Life Protection Act - which compares abortion to historical genocides - was passed in 2019, but only came into force after the Supreme Court ruling. Anyone convicted of performing an abortion faces up to life in prison. There are no exceptions for rape or incest.

ARIZONA - Abortion is banned beyond 15 weeks. The Arizona Court of Appeals has said a 19th century law banning all abortion will not be repealed but doctors cannot be prosecuted under it.

ARKANSAS* - Banned Anyone who performs an abortion faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $100,000, or both. There are no exceptions for rape or incest.

FLORIDA - Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed a six-week abortion ban in April, with exceptions for rape and incest. 

But the law cannot take effect until Florida's Supreme Court rules on the constitutionality of the current 15-week ban.

A ban on terminations after six weeks - before many women know they are pregnant - would impact women in more restrictive states across the Southeast who often travel long distances to Florida to access abortions.

GEORGIA - A 2019 law banning abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected, usually at around six weeks, took effect last year. There are exceptions for rape or incest if a police report has been filed.

A judge declared the law unconstitutional in November, but it remains in place while the state challenges the ruling. 

IDAHO* - Banned Lawbreakers face up to five years in prison. People who would have been relatives of an aborted fetus can also sue those who carried out the termination.

A separate ban on what the state calls "abortion trafficking" makes it illegal to help a minor get an abortion in another state, or access abortion pills, without parental consent - the first law of its kind in the country.

INDIANA - Set to be banned? In August 2022, Indiana became the first state to pass a new law banning abortion following the Supreme Court ruling, but it was put on hold during a legal challenge by abortion providers. The Indiana Supreme Court upheld the ban in June, but it is not clear when it will come into force. The law allows exceptions for rape, incest, lethal fetal anomalies and to protect the mother's health.

KENTUCKY* - Banned Anyone performing an abortion risks up to five years in prison. There are no exceptions for rape or incest.

Voters in Kentucky, however, rejected a proposal to amend the state's constitution to say that residents do not have a right to abortion.

LOUISIANA* - Banned Anyone providing an abortion could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of between $10,000 and $100,000. There are no exceptions for rape and incest.

The new law made headlines worldwide after a woman who was pregnant with a baby with no skull said doctors refused her an abortion. Louisiana senator Katrina Jackson has since stated that the law provides exceptions for such cases.

MISSISSIPPI* – Banned Anyone who performs an abortion risks up to 10 years in prison. There are exceptions in cases of rape reported to police.

MISSOURI* - Banned Anyone performing an abortion could face up to 15 years in prison. Medical professionals could also lose their licenses. There are no exceptions for rape or incest.

NEBRASKA - The state banned abortion after 12 weeks in May. There are exceptions for rape and incest. 

NORTH CAROLINA - A law banning abortion after 12 weeks took effect in July. It was previously legal up to 20 weeks.

Women wanting to end a pregnancy with abortion pills will also have to undergo an in-person consultation 72 hours beforehand, making it harder for women in more restrictive states to seek an abortion in North Carolina.

NORTH DAKOTA* - Banned There are exceptions in cases of rape and incest, but only for the first six weeks of pregnancy. 

OHIO - A "fetal heartbeat" ban went into force after the Supreme Court ruling, but has since been blocked pending a legal challenge by abortion providers.

The law made headlines last year when a 10-year-old rape victim was forced to travel to Indiana to get an abortion

OKLAHOMA* – Banned In May 2022, 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 2022 carries penalties of up to 10 years in jail and a $100,000 fine.

There are no exceptions for rape or incest.

SOUTH CAROLINA - A "fetal heartbeat" ban took effect in May, but has been temporarily blocked.

In January, South Carolina's Supreme Court ruled a similar 2021 ban was unconstitutional. But the make-up of the court has changed, leaving it unclear how it would rule on the new law.

SOUTH DAKOTA* - Banned There are no exceptions for rape or incest.

TENNESSEE* - Banned There are no exceptions for rape or incest.

TEXAS* – Banned Anyone providing an abortion can face up to life in prison. There are no exceptions for rape or incest.

Texas made headlines in 2021 when it passed a "fetal heartbeat" ban in defiance of Roe v. Wade. A full ban came into force in 2022.

Citizens can also sue doctors who perform abortions, potentially collecting $10,000.

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 Utah judge has blocked a trigger ban pending a legal challenge by abortion provider Planned Parenthood. In May, he also temporarily blocked a law that would prohibit the licensing of abortion clinics. 

WEST VIRGINIA - Banned There are exceptions for rape and incest.

WISCONSIN - Banned? Clinics have stopped providing abortions due to uncertainty over whether the state can enforce its 1849 abortion ban following last year's Supreme Court ruling.

WYOMING* - A judge has temporarily blocked a near-total ban following a legal challenge, meaning abortion is still permitted until about 24 weeks. In June, the same judge temporarily blocked another law banning the use of abortion pills which was due to take effect in July and would have been the first such ban in the country.

This article was updated on July 10, 2023, to include the latest developments.

SOURCES: Reuters, Guttmacher Institute, ACLU, U.S. state documents

(Reporting by Emma Batha; Editing by Helen Popper)