Abortion in the United States Dashboard

This brief reviews some of the possible actions of the incoming Trump administration and new Congress based on campaign statements, policies implemented by the first Trump administration, and proposals forwarded by allied conservative think tanks and antiabortion advocacy groups.

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.

Abortion is currently banned in 14 states and 6 states have early gestational limits between 6 weeks and 15 weeks in effect. Nearly all of these bans include exceptions, which generally fall into four categories: to prevent the death of the pregnant person, when there is risk to the health of the pregnant person, when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, and when there is a lethal fetal anomaly.

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.

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 issue brief explains why constitutional amendment ballot measures have become so popular with advocates on both sides of the abortion issue, reviews the current initiatives that are in progress and may appear in on state ballots the next general election, and outlines the processes states have available to them to use to place initiatives on the ballot.

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.

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 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 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.