Post-Roe: The Fight for Reproductive Justice Continues

Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, the implications for women have been profound and far-reaching, with many states implementing restrictive abortion bans; bans that force women to travel long distances, face significant financial burden, or risk unsafe procedures to access care.

Almost Completely Illegal Abortion States (12):

• Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.

Six-Week Bans (“Fetal Cardiac Activity” Bans):

• Florida, Georgia, Iowa, and South Carolina enforce abortion bans after approximately six weeks of pregnancy, making access highly restrictive. Abortions are still allowed if the pregnancy is under six weeks.

Exceptions in Abortion Bans:

• All states with near-total bans allow exceptions to prevent the death of the pregnant person.
• Some states permit exceptions for health risks, rape, incest, or lethal fetal anomalies, though interpretations of these exceptions vary.

Reported Consequences:

• At least two women in Georgia have died due to abortion bans (ProPublica report).

Other Substantial Restrictions:

• 12-Week Bans: Nebraska and North Carolina.
• 18-Week Ban: Utah.

These restrictions disproportionately impact low-income women, women of color, and those in rural areas. And it looks like the U.S. is likely to remain a patchwork of abortion access in 2025; state-level restrictions will affect women in more restrictive areas and those without resources to travel or access online medications; efforts to ban medical abortion and eliminate access to medication could invoke laws like the Comstock Act; Federal judicial appointments could increasingly favor anti-abortion positions, complicating legal challenges to restrictive laws; and preventative reproductive healthcare – like access to birth control and vaccines – may also face new threats, particularly if federal leadership shifts to individuals with ant-vaccine stances. ACS takes a deeper look at these possible implications in our What to Watch Part 2 newsletter, coming out soon.

ACS is not backing down, despite these threats. Through the ACS Fund for Women & Girls, ACS is supporting reproductive justice by making grants to organizations that provide abortion access, as well as other essential reproductive health care. Anyone who cares about ensuring access to reproductive justice can contribute to the Fund.