Tracking Abortion Bans Across the U.S. After Supreme Court Ruling

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Nineteen states currently enforce abortion bans or impose restrictions earlier in pregnancy than the standards established by Roe v. Wade, which had governed reproductive rights for nearly 50 years until its overturning by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022.

As the legal battles surrounding these bans unfold, advocates in some states are actively fighting to block these measures in courtrooms. At the same time, several states are moving to expand abortion access through additional legal protections, highlighting the ongoing national debate on reproductive rights.

The New York Times has initiated a comprehensive tracking system of abortion laws across the United States following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which ended the constitutional right to an abortion. Many states that have enacted bans or restrictions find that abortion remains legal, at least temporarily, as judicial proceedings evaluate the enforceability of these new laws.

In states where abortion is restricted, the legal framework often centers around fetal viability, typically defined around 24 weeks of gestation, when a fetus can potentially survive outside the uterus. The legal landscape remains dynamic, with advocates on both sides continuing to challenge and defend abortion access.

More details on the current abortion status in each state can be found in the ongoing tracking efforts by The New York Times. Of note, a series of corrections have been made to earlier reports to clarify the legal status of abortion in specific states. For instance, on June 24, 2022, an initial error regarding Utah‘s abortion ban was rectified after the state attorney general issued conflicting statements on its enforcement.

Furthermore, a correction on June 28, 2022, clarified that abortion rights supporters are challenging a pre-Roe ban in Texas, not the state’s current trigger ban. In a subsequent update on August 2, 2023, Indiana was incorrectly reported as having enacted an abortion ban; however, the law did not take effect as expected.

The landscape of abortion rights in America remains fragmented and contentious, with both legal restrictions and protections influencing access to reproductive health care in various states.