[ad_1]
This year has been marked by an unprecedented wave of new laws that only allow abortions at the beginning of pregnancy, if at all.
Most new laws – known as prohibitions on early abortion – explicitly prohibit abortions when they are performed after a certain point in the early stages of pregnancy. The laws vary, some banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy and others after eight weeks. The law of Alabama is the most extreme: it aims to prohibit abortion at any time unless the woman's health is seriously threatened. So far, in 2019, nine US states have passed laws of this type and other states are considering adopting similar legislation.
Do not see the graph above? Click here.
None of the laws passed this year are in force, either because it has a later date for adoption, or because the judges have suspended it as a result of legal proceedings, or both.
These new prohibitions pose a direct challenge to the precedent created by the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, who claimed that a woman has the right to seek an abortion until the fetus can be "viable" outside the womb. Viability should be determined on an individual basis but is usually between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy.
"We want to stop the abortion of unborn children, and the only way to do that is to go back and see the child again. roe decision, "told NPR's Ari Shapiro, Eric Johnston, president of the Alabama Pro-Life coalition.He helped draft the Alabama law banning almost all abortions.
"This law is actually a way to do it," he added.
Some states already have existing laws that prohibit abortion earlier than expected in pregnancy by the Roe standard, banning it as early as 18 or 20 weeks. According to the Guttmacher Institute, abortion bans at this stage of pregnancy have always been overturned in court. But all these laws have not been challenged in court, so they are kept. There is currently no law in force prohibiting abortion before 20 weeks.
Two states, New York and Vermont, have moved in the opposite direction. Both states have passed laws this year that enshrine the legal right to abortion in every state, even if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.
These early abortion bans differ from another common type of state regulation known as the TRAP – law for targeted regulation of abortion providers. TRAP laws place special restrictions on doctors or clinics that perform abortions, and the Supreme Court has allowed some of these laws to come into force while canceling others.
Do not see the graph above? Click here.
Here are some details on the latest bans, by state.
* Important note: Reproductive rights advocates have filed numerous lawsuits against this type of law. None of these early abortion bans are currently in effect or in effect.
Alabama – No abortion after 0 weeks. Allow exceptions if the woman's life is threatened. No exception for rape or incest.
Arkansas – No abortion after 18 weeks. Permits exceptions in the event of rape, incest or medical emergencies.
Georgia – No abortion after 6 weeks. Allows exceptions if the woman's life is in danger, if the pregnancy is deemed "medically futile" and in case of rape or incest if the woman files a police report.
Kentucky – No abortion after 6 weeks. No exception for rape or incest. Allow exceptions if the woman's life is in danger.
Louisiana – No abortion after 6 weeks. No exception for rape or incest. Permits exceptions if the woman's life is in danger or if the pregnancy is considered "medically futile".
Mississippi – No abortion after 6 weeks. No exception for rape or incest. Allow exceptions if the woman's life is in danger.
Missouri – No abortion after 8 weeks. No exception for rape or incest. Allow exceptions if the woman's life is in danger.
Ohio – No abortion after 6 weeks. No exception for rape or incest. Allow exceptions if the woman's life is in danger.
Utah – No abortion after 18 weeks. No exception for rape or incest. Allow exceptions if the woman's life is in danger.
Carrie Feibel, Sarah McCammon and Carmel Wroth of NPR contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link