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Abortion ruling prompts variety of reactions from states

Supreme Court
Posted at 4:31 PM, Jun 30, 2022
and last updated 2022-06-30 16:31:39-04

The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that had provided a constitutional right to abortion.

The June 24 ruling is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states.

In anticipation of the decision, several states led by Democrats have taken steps to protect abortion access.

The decision also sets up the potential for legal fights between the states over whether providers and those who help women obtain abortions can be sued or prosecuted.

Here is a breakdown of every state's abortion legislation:

Alaska

Abortion is still legal in the state, primarily due to the right to privacy being written into the state’s constitution. The state's Supreme Court has ruled several times that under the right to privacy, abortion rights are guaranteed.

Arizona

Arizona law allows abortion through about 22 weeks, but in March, the Legislature passed a 15-week abortion ban, which would take effect 90 days after the Legislature adjourns. That happened on Saturday.

Republican Gov. Doug Ducey has said the law he signed in March takes precedence over a pre-statehood law that would ban all abortions, which was not enforced since the Supreme Court's decision.

Kentucky

The state’s near-total abortion ban was temporarily blocked by a judge, which had been triggered after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Florida

The state's new law that would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy was temporarily blocked by a judge who said the state constitution guarantees the right to the procedure.

Tennessee

A federal court ruled that Tennessee can ban abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy.

Texas

A state judge has temporarily blocked enforcement of that state’s ban on virtually all abortions.

Click here to see a complete list of all the states' stances on abortion.