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On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, eliminating the federal constitutional standard that had protected the right to abortion. Without any federal standard regarding abortion access, states will set their own policies to ban or protect abortion. The Abortion in the United States Dashboard is an ongoing research project tracking state abortion policies and litigation following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Click on the buttons or scroll down to see all the content. It will be updated as new information is available.
This brief reviews current state and federal policies, ongoing litigation, and potential federal actions that may impact access to telehealth for medication abortion.
This policy watch provides an update on the status of abortion restrictions in states that passed a constitutional amendment protecting abortion, or where a state court previously interpreted the state constitution as protecting abortion access.
To improve the affordability of abortion services, many states have passed laws that require state-regulated plans to cover the full cost of abortion services for their enrollees. This data note documents the costs associated with abortion care in private plans. Also, KFF analyzes how out of pocket spending has been affected by state laws that require full coverage of abortion services.
This policy watch outlines SCOTUS’ June 27, 2024, decision dismissing the case, Moyle v. United States, where the Court had been asked to determine if a federal law called the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act preempted Idaho’s abortion ban. The decision returns the case to the lower courts and reinstates a court order blocking enforcement of the Idaho ban where it prohibits abortion care for pregnant people having medical emergencies.
The Supreme Court will be hearing oral arguments for the case FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine. This brief explains the issues at stake before the court and their implications for the drug regulatory process and medication abortion access throughout the country.
This brief provides background on the Comstock Act, reviews how it has been interpreted by the Biden Administration’s DOJ, and considers how it could be enforced by an administration that is hostile toward abortion to severely restrict the distribution of drugs and supplies used for abortion, with implications for abortion access in all states across the country.
While all eyes were on Texas and the recent case of Kate Cox, a woman seeking a court order allowing her abortion under an exception to the Texas abortion ban, the conflict could have played out in many states. The risk to doctors is so high that many doctors are hesitant to provide life-saving abortion care unless the threat to life is imminent.
This brief explains why individuals may seek abortions later in pregnancy, how often these procedures occur, and the various laws which regulate access to abortions later in pregnancy across the country.
Ten of the 21 states with abortion bans or gestational limits do not have an exception for pregnancies resulting from sexual assault. In the 11 states with rape and incest exceptions, the details and fine print make can make access to abortion care unattainable for pregnant survivors of sexual assault. Law enforcement reporting requirements, early pregnancy gestational limits, and the lack of provider availability present major barriers to abortion access, even when the state has an exception.
This State and Federal Reproductive Rights Litigation tracker aggregates information about ongoing litigation regarding abortion bans and restrictions, FDA approval of Mifepristone (an abortion pill) and other federal regulations.
This brief examines the legal considerations for physicians providing abortion care, including criminal and professional penalties, as well as the potential for medical malpractice lawsuits for delayed care to patients due to bans and prosecution for violation of abortion bans across state lines.
This brief examines what the November election and prior efforts to enshrine abortion rights at the ballot box mean for those states and what’s next, including the future of abortion restrictions in states where voters enshrined abortion rights where abortion was banned or restricted, as well as those that do not have abortion bans.
Presidential candidate Trump claims credit for SCOTUS’ Dobbs decision and says that as a result, the “states are voting.” States are making decisions on abortion policy, but it’s mostly been state legislatures, not voters. Few states with abortion bans have a process for citizen-initiated constitutional amendments. In those states, lawmakers and anti-abortion activists have attempted to block abortion measures from qualifying for the ballot or put roadblocks in their place.
Over four in ten (45%) abortions occur by six weeks of gestation, 36% are between seven and nine weeks, and 13% at 10-13 weeks. Just 7% of abortions occur after the first trimester.
This brief reviews the different sources of abortion data in the United States, the factors that have affected abortion rates across the U.S, before and after Roe v. Wade, and what we may see as the Trump administration, Republican majorities in the House and Senate, and a conservative federal judiciary shape policy in the coming years.
This factsheet provides an overview of medication abortion, with a focus on federal and state regulations pertaining to its provision and coverage, and the role of the drug in self-managed abortions.
This brief reviews current state and federal policies, ongoing litigation, and potential federal actions that may impact access to telehealth for medication abortion.
Several states have enacted private plan restrictions and have also banned abortion coverage from ACA Marketplace plans. Currently, there are 10 states that restrict abortion coverage in private plans and 25 that ban coverage in any Marketplace plans.
This Policy Watch takes a look at employers ability to access abortion information when their health plan covers abortion services. With some states criminalizing entities who assist in abortions, employers and providers face legal jeopardy and existing privacy laws such as HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) may be limited in their privacy protections.
This brief looks at Medicaid reimbursement rates for abortion services across states, including D&C and D&E procedures, and medication abortion. There is tremendous variability in how much states reimburse for abortion services.
This brief details the federal programs that are affected by the Hyde Amendment and laws and regulations that have a similar goal, provides estimates on the share of women insured by Medicaid affected by the law, reviews the impact of the law on their access to abortion services, and discusses the potential effect if the law were to be repealed.
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.
This brief presents findings from the 2023 KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey on coverage of abortion services in large employer-sponsored health plans, changes employers made to abortion coverage since the 2022 Supreme Court ruling, and employers’ provision of financial assistance for travel out of state to obtain an abortion.
This brief examines pregnancy loss management in the Dobbs era and explores how limiting or banning abortion may have negative consequences on people experiencing miscarriage or stillbirth.
This report, based on a nationally representative survey of office-based OBGYNs practicing in the United States, examines the provision of sexual and reproductive health care provided by OBGYNs before and after the Dobbs decision, comparing the experiences of OBGYNs practicing in states where abortion is fully banned, states with gestational restrictions, and states where abortion remains available under most circumstances.
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaskan Native and Black people are more likely to die while pregnant or within a year of the end of pregnancy compared to White people
Six in ten of Black (60%) and AIAN (59%) women ages 18-49 live in states with abortion bans or restrictions. Just over half (53%) of White women ages 18-49 live in states with bans or restrictions, while less than half of Hispanic (45%) and about three in ten Asian (28%) and NHPI (29%) women ages 18-49 live in these states
This poll finds 1 in 8 voters say abortion is the most important issue to their vote. They are younger, lean Democratic, and generally want abortion to be legal in all or most cases. The poll also gauges the public’s views on abortion-related policies, including a national 16-week abortion ban and allowing abortion for pregnancy-related emergencies.
Our latest poll finds one in five women of reproductive age in states with abortion bans say either they or someone they personally know has had difficulty obtaining an abortion. Majorities of women across states—including in those with abortion bans—think abortion should be legal in all or most cases and support a range of policies that protect abortion access.
This brief provides new information from the 2024 KFF Women’s Health Survey about women’s experiences with abortion, the fallout of overturning Roe v. Wade, women’s knowledge about abortion laws in their states including medication abortion, as well as their opinions on the legality of abortion.
This brief provides information about abortion experiences, awareness, and attitudes of Florida women ages 18 to 49, based on findings from the 2024 KFF Women’s Health Survey, a nationally representative survey on health care issues.
This brief provides information about abortion experiences, awareness, and attitudes of Arizona women ages 18 to 49, based on findings from the 2024 KFF Women’s Health Survey, a nationally representative survey on health care issues.
Share of abortions by age, gestational age and method type.
