Abortion Laws
When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey in June 2022, it made state governments the ultimate authority on abortion rights. States have responded in a variety of ways: some explicitly amended their constitution to make abortion legal and created laws to expand access. Others created new laws or revived old ones that restrict abortion or ban it outright. A few don't have clear laws on abortion at all, leaving its legal status nebulous.
States of Democracy divides states into four groups based on their abortion laws:
- Bad (0): abortion is completely banned
- Below Average (1): abortion is restricted (either by time limits or limited exceptions), or its legal status in unclear
- Good (2): abortion is legal
- Very Good (3): abortion is legal, and there are additional laws that protect patients and medical providers
Data Source