Here’s where abortions are now banned or strictly limited, and where they may be soon

By Sarah Knight (NPR)
July 25, 2022 7:08 p.m.

Updated July 25, 2022 at 2:31 PM ET

Abortion is now illegal or heavily restricted in at least 12 states following the Supreme Court's historic decision in June to overturn Roe v. Wade. At least ten other states have laws in place that pave the way to quickly ban or severely restrict access to abortion.

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State laws shown here include those with near-total bans on abortion and states with bans after the detection of fetal cardiac activity, or roughly at six weeks gestational age.

Some of these laws are currently blocked by courts while legal challenges make their way through the courts. Some states have older laws on the books that leave the current legal status of abortion unclear.

Several additional states not depicted here have pre-viability gestational age restrictions, ranging from 15 to 22 weeks. And some states appear likely to pass new laws to completely outlaw abortion.

Here are more details on the current legal status of abortion in U.S. states.

Ban in effect

Alabama — A near-total ban on abortion is in effect. On June 24, a U.S. district court lifted an injunction on the state's 2019 law banning abortion. (Last updated July 23)

Arkansas — A near-total ban on abortion is in effect. On June 24, the state's attorney general implemented a trigger law originally passed in 2019 which bans abortion. (Last updated July 23)

Georgia — A law banning abortions after roughly six weeks is in effect. The 2019 law had been challenged, but a judge ruled it can take effect July 20. (Last updated July 23)

Mississippi — The state's near-total ban on abortion was enacted in 2007 and went into effect on July 7. Mississippi's bid to ban abortion after 15 weeks was at the center of the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on June 24. (Last updated July 23)

Missouri — A near-total ban on abortion has been in effect since June 24. (Last updated July 23)

Ohio — A ban on abortion at roughly six weeks is in effect. A lawsuit has been filed to overturn the ban. On July 1, Ohio's Supreme Court denied motions to temporarily block the ban. (Last updated July 23)

Oklahoma — A near-total ban on abortion went into effect June 24. On August 25, 2022, another law with stricter penalties is set to take effect. (Last updated July 23)

South Carolina — Abortion is banned at roughly six weeks. A bill to totally ban abortion is under consideration in the South Carolina legislature. (Last updated July 23)

South Dakota — A near-total ban on abortion took effect on June 24. On July 1, the governor also signed a ban on telemedicine abortions. (Last updated July 23)

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Tennessee — Abortion is banned at roughly six weeks. In addition, a trigger law almost totally banning abortion is set to take effect in mid August. (Last updated July 23)

Texas — A six-week ban is in effect. In addition a pre-Roe ban is in effect and can be enforced with civil penalties. A 2021 trigger law banning nearly all abortions is set to take effect this summer. (Last updated July 23)

Wisconsin — A near-total ban on abortion is in effect; it's a pre-Roe law from 173 years ago. The state's attorney general has said he does not plan to enforce it, and filed a lawsuit challenging the ban. (Last updated July 23)

Ban pending

Idaho — A near-total ban on abortion passed in 2020 is set to go into effect this summer. A lawsuit to block the ban will be heard by the courts in early August. (Last updated July 23)

North Dakota — A near-total ban will take effect on July 28, as certified by the state's attorney general. The law is a trigger banned passed in 2007. The state's only abortion clinic has sued to delay the ban. (Last updated July 23)

Wyoming — A near-total ban on abortion will take effect this summer. (Last updated July 23)

Ban on hold

Iowa — A six-week abortion ban from 2018 was blocked by the courts. On June 28, Iowa's governor asked a district court in Iowa to lift the injunction against the law. Iowa also has a law in effect banning abortion at 22 weeks or later. (Last updated July 23)

Kentucky — Kentucky's near-total abortion ban went into effect on June 24, but a judge blocked enforcement of the ban pending a court case. Kentucky's attorney general has asked the state's Supreme Court to reinstate the abortion ban. A six-week ban is also blocked by the court. A law banning abortion after 15 weeks is in effect. (Last updated July 23)

Louisiana — A near-total ban is on hold. On June 24, Louisiana's 2006 trigger ban went into effect but a lawsuit challenging the law was filed. A judge has blocked enforcement of the ban until the case is decided. (Last updated July 23)

Utah — A near-total ban is blocked by the courts and abortions is currently legal, with restrictions. A law banning abortion after 18 weeks is in effect. (Last updated July 23)

West Virginia — A judge has blocked enforcement of an abortion ban from 1849. A law banning abortion after 20 weeks is in effect. (Last updated July 23)

Ban status unclear

Arizona — Abortion is legal, but restricted. A recently-passed 15-week ban will take effect in September. A near-total abortion ban from 1901 is still on the books and Arizona's attorney general filed a motion to lift an injunction against enforcing it. (Last updated July 23)

Michigan — Abortion is currently legal, however a pre-Roe, near-total ban on abortion from 1931 is still on the books. A judge blocked enforcement of the ban but this been appealed. A constitutional amendment affirming a right to "reproductive freedom" may appear on ballots in Michigan this fall. (Last updated July 23)

States protecting abortion

Sixteen states and the District of Columbia currently have laws that explicitly protect the right to abortion, mostly before the point of fetal viability, according to the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation.

Note: This map and story relies on research from the Center for Reproductive Rights, the Guttmacher Institute, and news reports from the Associated Press and local news outlets.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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