Abortion has already been banned or severely restricted in 21 US states, after the Supreme Court revoked the constitutional right to this medical procedure, a decision that opened legal “battles” throughout the country.
Arkansas, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Alabama and Missouri are the states where abortion was banned less than a week after the Supreme Court’s decision to strip away guaranteed abortion rights since Roe v. Wades from 1973.
In Arkansas, Alabama, Missouri, and South Dakota, the ban is total, with no exceptions for rape or incest. In the state of Oklahoma there are exceptions for rape and incest and civil law enforcers. In Wisconsin, the law prohibits abortion in almost all cases and criminalizes its performance.
Three other states tried to ban abortion, but state courts temporarily blocked the laws. This is the case in Kentucky, Louisiana and Utah.
In Arizona, the attorney general will request the unblocking of a law that had been prescribed in the courts in 1973 and that prohibits all abortions without exception, criminalizing their execution. During this process, the ban is expected to take effect in 15 weeks, starting in September.
Seven more states are expected to ban abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest in the coming weeks: Idaho, Mississippi, North Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Access to abortion is prohibited from six weeks in three states – Ohio, South Carolina and Georgia – and in Florida from 15 weeks, with the possibility of future restrictions on the table.
In all, 21 states banned or severely restricted access to abortion following the Supreme Court decision.
In a group of nine states, abortion remains legal but the future is uncertain. Here are Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. These are states where it is possible (and in some cases likely) that restrictions or bans will be passed.
On the other hand, there are 20 states where access to abortion must remain legal, 14 of which have legally codified the right to terminate a pregnancy.
These are California, New York, Nevada, Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, Colorado, and Washington.
In Alaska, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Minnesota, access to abortion was deemed a constitutional right by state Supreme Courts.
In New Hampshire and New Mexico, abortion must remain legal, although it is not expressly protected by law.
In DC (District of Columbia), the nation’s capital, local laws protect access to abortion. However, these can be changed by Congress.
The various legal processes that have entered the court system and the mixed messages in the states are creating uncertainty and confusion among doctors, abortion clinics and clients.
President Joe Biden met with nine Democratic governors on July 1 and indicated that the federal government will protect women’s right to travel between states for abortions and to receive FDA-approved abortion pills.
Source: Observadora
