States can ban abortions now.
In a historic ruling, the Supreme Court has decided to overturn the 1973 decision of Roe v. Wade. What does this mean? states can create their own laws on abortion. Congressional Black Caucus members want President Joe Biden to declare a national emergency. In a letter, the members said, “Every day we wait to respond is a day wasted in mitigating the public health crisis that Roe’s dismantling will catalyze.”
Reported on The Hill, “the ruling upholds Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban, which directly clashed with Roe’s requirement that states permit abortion up to the point of fetal viability, around 24 weeks. More than two dozen states, primarily in the South and Midwest, are expected to tighten abortion access as a result of Roe falling, including 13 states with “trigger bans” set to take effect automatically or through minimal effort by state officials.”
What it means for you.
- Some states that will trigger laws banning or severely limiting abortion include: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming according to the Guttmacher Institute.
- Politico details each state’s laws and limits after this decision.
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In 2019, New York passed the Reproductive Health Act, which enshrined Roe v. Wade into state law and allows an abortion to be performed up to 24 weeks of pregnancy. New York Attorney General Tish James made a statement on the decision. “Today’s ruling is a vicious, dangerous, and deliberate attack on our most basic freedom as humans,” she said. “Every single person in this country should have the right to make their own decisions about their own bodies. Regardless of the situation at the national level, New York will always be a safe haven for anyone seeking an abortion.”
- Abortion will remain legal in New Jersey after the passing of the Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act which was signed by Governor Phil Murphy on January 13.
- Justice Kavanaugh rules that states cannot block residents from perusing an abortion in a state where it is legal.
We will continue to provide updates as available.