Legal abortion rates in decline in the US

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The abortion rate in the U.S. has been in steady decline since the 1990s, and both proponents of abortion and anti-abortion activists credit this to the passing of laws restricting women’s access to the procedure, according to reporting by Reuters.

Legal abortion rates in decline in the US

Despite the landmark decision of Roe v. Wade making it a constitutional right in 1973, abortion has remained a battleground in U.S. politics, with states and courts fighting over expanding and restricting access over the years. The Supreme Court, newly stacked with conservative judges, is now set to overturn its own precedent, according to a draft opinion obtained by Politico. Given the option to outlaw abortions, about half of U.S. states are expected to do so.

 

State restrictions had in the past often targeted the availability of abortions, especially in more rural areas, by limiting the number of clinics that could offer the procedure. More recently, states have started to pass laws to move forward the cutoff date for legally obtaining an abortion – to 15 weeks of gestational age in Mississippi and six weeks of gestational age in Texas (even though the later law has a special setup, calling upon citizens to enforce it). The Mississippi law in question is the one triggering the upcoming Supreme Court decision, as its earlier cutoff date is at odds with the fetal viability standard as the limit for abortions first introduced by Roe v. Wade.

 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which publish U.S. abortion rates, it was predominantly teenagers 15-19 years old who were having fewer abortions, thereby causing the abortion rate to sink. The group having most abortions in the U.S. is women in their 20s. Roughly 60 percent of women getting an abortion have had a child before. Two thirds of abortions were performed at eight weeks of gestation or earlier.

 

This article originally appeared on Statista.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.

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States where legal abortion rights would survive the end of Roe v Wade

 

The Supreme Court is set to overturn its own precedent in Roe v. Wade, according to a draft opinion obtained by Politico. This would end federal protection of legal abortions in all states and instead, each state would vote on whether to permit legal abortions.

Given the option to outlaw abortions, about half of U.S. states are expected to do just that. According to the Guttmacher Institute and the Pew Charitable Trust, abortions would be banned in many states across the South, Midwest and Western United States upon such a decision.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, this would severely limit abortion coverage for women in these areas. The next provider would be more than 200 miles driving distance away in Michigan and Georgia, more than 300 miles away in Montana and Alabama, more than 500 miles away in Texas and Florida and more than 600 miles away in Louisiana in case of the Supreme Court overturning the precedent.

In many Northeastern states and West Coast states, abortion rights are protected by state laws. Some states are currently scrambling to codify abortion rights, for example Vermont.

 

Bill Chizek / iStock

 

The case the court is hearing at the moment centers around a Mississippi abortion law that outlaws abortions after 15 weeks. As part of Roe v. Wade and later Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the Supreme Court has established fetal viability as a standard for when abortions can be performed. This had previously set the precedent for states allowing abortions up until 22 to 26 weeks of gestational age, which is when a fetus becomes viable outside the womb. Alternatively, states have simply cited viability as a rule – a fact that the Mississippi law is now challenging.

Another possible outcome of the Supreme Court ruling could be that abortion rights will be upheld but the viability standard will fall. This would allow states to set shorter time limits on the procedure. In that case, the same states that would ban abortions can be expected to shorten the time in which an abortion is possible. A recent Texas law has set the cutoff at just six weeks of gestation, which is an example of how drastically some states want to limit abortion time frames. For now, the Texas law has an unprecedented setup, calling on citizens to enforce it, but such a workaround would become unnecessary should the Supreme Court decide to undermine Roe v. Wade.

The Mississippi law actually comes closer to abortion limits set in most European countries (at 14 weeks of gestational age or the end of the first trimester), while the Texas law is far from international standards. Six weeks of gestation equal just four weeks of pregnancy and just three weeks after a missed period.

 

Here’s how the ruling will likely be reacted to in every state:

 

Depositphotos

 

Would ban abortion

 

Sean Pavone

 

Not expected to ban abortion within a year.

 

Chilkoot

 

Would ban abortion

 

Sean Pavone / iStock

 

Would ban abortion

 

wellesenterprises / istockphoto

 

Abortion rights protected by law

 

mlauffen

 

Not expected to ban abortion within a year

 

Postoak at English Wikipedia

 

Abortion rights protected by law

 

 

DenisTangneyJr

 

Abortion rights protected by law

 

 

DepositPhotos.com

 

Likely to ban abortion

 

 

eyfoto / iStock

 

Would ban abortion

 

 

suesmith2 / istockphoto

 

Abortion rights protected by law

 

Art Wager

 

Would ban abortion

 

 

knowlesgallery

 

Abortion rights protected by law

 

 

venemama / istockphoto

 

Likely to ban abortion

 

 

DepositPhotos.com

 

Would ban abortion

 

 

Pixabay

 

Not expected to ban abortion within a year

 

Tiago_Fernandez / istockphoto

 

Would ban abortion

 

DepositPhotos.com

 

Would ban abortion

 

 

DepositPhotos.com

 

Abortion rights protected by law

 

 

DepositPhotos.com

 

Abortion rights protected by law

 

 

Feverpitched / istockphoto

 

Abortion rights protected by law

 

 

Rolf_52

 

Would ban abortion

 

 

DepositPhotos.com

 

Not expected to ban abortion within a year

 

JoeChristensen

 

Would ban abortion

 

 

SeanPavonePhoto/istockphoto

 

Would ban abortion

 

DepositPhotos.com

 

Likely to ban abortion

 

 

DepositPhotos.com

 

Likely to ban abortion

 

 

marekuliasz

 

Abortion rights protected by law

 

 

Byelikova_Oksana / istockphoto

 

Not expected to ban abortion within a year

 

DenisTangneyJr

 

Abortion rights protected by law

 

 

DepositPhotos.com

 

Not expected to ban abortion within a year

 

DepositPhotos.com

 

Abortion rights protected by law

 

 

DepositPhotos.com

 

Not expected to ban abortion within a year

 

DepositPhotos.com

 

Would ban abortion

 

 

DepositPhotos.com

 

Would ban abortion

 

DepositPhotos.com

 

Would ban abortion

 

Tiago_Fernandez

 

Abortion rights protected by law

 

 

DepositPhotos.com

 

Not expected to ban abortion within a year

 

weaver1234

 

Abortion rights protected by law

 

 

DepositPhotos.com

 

Would ban abortion

 

 

DepositPhotos.com

 

Would ban abortion

 

 

DepositPhotos.com

 

Would ban abortion

 

NathanMerrill

 

Would ban abortion

 

 

DepositPhotos.com

 

Would ban abortion

 

 

DepositPhotos.com

 

Abortion rights protected by law

 

 

” DonLand”

 

Not expected to ban abortion within a year

 

WilliamSherman

 

Abortion rights protected by law

 

 

DepositPhotos.com

 

Would ban abortion

 

DepositPhotos.com

 

Would ban abortion

 

DepositPhotos.com

 

Likely to ban abortion

 

This article originally appeared on Statista.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.

 

AnujSahaiPhotography

 

Featured Image Credit: Bill Chizek / iStock.

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