Roe v. Wade leads to division at the state level

Shawn Thew, EPA, NTB via Common Creative License

Anti-abortion protesters outside the Supreme Court 21 January 2022.

Roe v. Wade, the 50-year-old law that protected the right to abortion, was overturned by the Supreme Court on June 24, 2022, which has led to chaos at the state level. 

This led states to enact their own policies regarding abortions. 

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham proposes a bill to ban abortions after 15 weeks. (Gage Skidmore)

The states that have the strictest laws for abortion and banned abortion past 6 to 8 weeks include: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin and, Wyoming.

Bills, such as the one introduced by the Sen. of South Carolina, Lindsey Graham, on Tuesday, the 13th of September, seek to ban abortion after 15 weeks of development.

The current laws in Massachusetts allow abortion up to 24 weeks and allow late termination under some circumstances. In Massachusetts, abortion is highly protected, and the Massachusetts House of Representatives recently approved a bill that protects abortion providers and people seeking abortion from prosecution by other states.

On August 3rd, 2022, President Biden signed an Executive Order that makes it legal for people to get out-of-state abortions without the risk of being prosecuted by their home state.