Entering Four Months Post-Overturning Roe v. Wade

What’s going on?

by AVA POETA ★ OCTOBER 24, 2022

I’m sure most people can easily recollect where they were on July 24, 2022, when it was reported that the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. I was sitting in a hotel room in Italy, and the moment I read the words, everything else in my world felt so insignificant. I mean, these are our rights. 
On October 24, we will be entering four months post the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, the case that overturned Roe v. Wade, and it’s hard to stay up to date when so much is happening in the world. Here’s an update about what’s happening in which states, where the right to privacy is protected, and just a general look at where we are a whole four months later.

What’s Happening on a National Scale?

A lot of states had “trigger laws” in effect before the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision. Trigger laws, for reference, are laws that are written and ready to go only after a certain event (in this case, the overturning of Roe v. Wade) occurs. Once it happened, the abortion bans went straight into effect. 

Biden stepped in after this and passed an executive order to protect access to reproductive health services. While this is a great step, executive orders are not an end-all-be-all. It is up to whoever is elected next to keep the executive order, or possibly get rid of it.

Regardless, these are the basics of the order:

Roe v Wade protected patient confidentiality, so without that protection, there is a concern about states being able to access patient medical records whenever the states feel necessary. The executive order steps in to protect that confidentiality.

Most importantly, the executive order protects and expands access to abortion and contraception. The jury’s out on if contraception is under fire everywhere, but some states have gone after it. 

Speaking of states, what is going on there?

Where Abortion is Banned:

As of October 13, there at 13 states where abortion is banned in its entirety. These states are Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Idaho, and, most recently, West Virginia. 

In every state except Idaho, Mississippi, Wisconsin, and West Virginia, there is absolutely no exception for abortion. Not even when the mother’s health is at risk. Some states have decided not to sue doctors for performing the abortion, but the general consensus in these states is that absolutely nothing even close to abortion can be legal for any reason.

Where Abortion is Limited:

Some states may not outright ban the medical practice, but they definitely will restrict it. The common argument regarding abortion, concerning how far along the pregnancy is and how old the fetus is, helped the crafting of these restrictions. Georgia takes the cake for the most restrictive, with abortion being banned after six weeks, even though some women don’t even know they’re pregnant then. Next up are Florida and Arizona at 15 weeks, Utah at 18, North Carolina at 20, and Indiana, Iowa, and North Dakota at 22 weeks. 

Everywhere else in the nation, abortion is either legal or slightly restricted. In states such as New York and California, rights to abortion and medical privacy were enacted years prior to this decision. But that doesn’t mean abortion isn’t still on the ballot. 

Where is Abortion on the Ballot?

This is when it all goes up in the air. Abortion may be banned in some states, but depending on who is elected in November this year, that could definitely change. In these states, changing the party of either the state legislature, governor, and/or attorney general could completely change the laws of that state. 

Most importantly are the states where abortion is protected but still on the ballot. This includes Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Just one tiny change and the right to privacy could completely change. 

It’s intense, long story short.

Obviously, this is a very tough topic to keep track of and a very scary one. Our rights are being thrown around, on the basis of religion and politics. If you want any more information, especially on where your state stands, resources such as the New York Times and the Center for Reproductive Rights are extremely helpful and good places to start!