The news about the long-standing law granting women access to abortions getting overturned by the Supreme Court has taken the media outlets by storm. After concluding that abortion is a fundamental women's right back in 1973, the Supreme Court repealed Roe v. Wade, allowing states to choose whether they wish to impose restrictions on abortion procedures.
States like California and New York made it clear they stand by their decisions to allow women access to abortions, and they won't be implementing any bans. However, the states have chosen different routes. It is July 5, 2022, and there are currently eight states that banned abortions. There are other states where the abortion ban is in process, but it has been temporarily blocked by judges.
Eight States with Active Abortion Ban
The states which banned abortions are Alabama, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
New York Times prepared a very thorough and helpful table showing the description of how severe the ban is (not sponsored or affiliated).
There are different levels of abortion ban: some have no exceptions, while others do.
Ban with No Exceptions for Incest and Rape
Out of eight mentioned states, five imposed a total ban with no exceptions at all, neither for rape or incest. These states are Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
Texas isn't far behind as they will introduce a total ban later in the summer.
West Virginia's total ban is also in effect, but The American Civil Liberties Union recently filed a lawsuit attempting to block it. No decision was made yet. Wisconsin is experiencing a similar scenario.
The governor and attorney general of Wisconsin filed a lawsuit to block the ban as well. We would have to wait for the judge's verdict. The situation is slightly complicated in Wisconsin as they have conflicting laws going back to 1849 regarding abortions.
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