State Abortion Policy Landscape | A Pro-Choice nation hostile to women

State Abortion Policy Landscape

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY DC

Most Restrictive Middle Ground Most Protective

According to Pew, 61% of Americans believe that abortion should be legal in most or all cases. Despite that, 58% of our states are hostile or very hostile to reproductive freedom and 90% of Americans live in a county without an abortion provider.

The Guttmacher Institute categorizes each state from “Very Hostile” to “Very Supportive” based on six categories of abortion restrictions or protections.

Six abortion restrictions:

  • Ban pre- or post viability abortions in violation of constitutional protections.
  • Require in-person abortion counseling followed by a waiting period before the procedure (thereby requiring at least two trips to the facility).
  • Restrict Medicaid coverage for abortion.
  • Prohibit the use of telemedicine to provide medication abortion.
  • Limit access to abortion for those younger than 18 without parental involvement.
  • Impose unnecessary and onerous abortion clinic regulations.

Six protective policies:

  • Affirm a right to abortion in the state constitution.
  • Establish a legal standard that protects access to abortion.
  • Guarantee abortion coverage through Medicaid.
  • Allow advanced practice clinicians to provide abortion by law or Attorney General Opinion.
  • Mandate private health insurance plans cover abortion.
  • Protect access to abortion clinics.

To learn more about this research, visit The Guttmacher Institute website.