State Policies Protecting or Restricting Legal Status of Abortion

For the latest information on abortion, visit our Abortion in the U.S. Dashboard.  On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, overturning Roe v. Wade, eliminating the federal standard protecting the right to abortion. Across the nation, states are reacting by implementing…

In the 17 states without explicit laws prohibiting or protecting abortions, we present a number of indicators to assess abortion access, including abortion restrictions, the number of clinics and women of reproductive age per clinic, as well as State Supreme Court rulings interpreting the right to abortion in that state.

If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, states will set their own abortion policies without any federal constitutional standards. Access to abortion care will be protected in 16 states and DC, while abortion will likely become illegal for 18 states.

This poll analyses the general public’s understanding of abortion access and reproductive health following a leaked draft of the U.S Supreme Court opinion on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Center. The poll also looks at how the aftermath of the leaked opinion may affect voting in the upcoming midterm election. This KFF poll also finds that there are significant knowledge gaps on the prevalence and the overall safety of abortions.

Majorities Oppose State Laws Criminalizing Abortion, Even Those Living In States Where Abortion Will Become Illegal If Roe Is Overturned Misconceptions Around Abortions Persist With Most Women of Reproductive Age Unaware Of Medication Abortion And Many Confusing It With Emergency Contraception More than a third (37%) of voters say that…

On June 9, KFF released findings from a national public opinion survey on abortion. The event highlighted key issues including awareness and attitudes of the impending Supreme Court opinion, its potential impact on abortion access, the importance of abortion policy to voting preferences in this year’s midterm elections, and knowledge of abortion and related health care.

Many states impose a jail sentence for doctors who perform abortions past state established gestational limit. Here’s the breakdown of the jail time and state established gestational limits in effect as of May 2022.

If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v Wade, the landmark decision that established the right to abortion, then individual states can regulate abortion without any federal requirement to protect abortion access. While about half of the states in the U.S. will move to either ban or highly restrict abortion access…

This Policy Watch gives an overview of employers offering to cover travel expenses for workers who need to go out of state for an abortion in the context of increasing restrictions on abortion around the country. We discuss who is offering these benefits, the implications for workers, and some of the legal and political concerns for employers.