The US Supreme Court voted to overturn the landmark case of abortion rights in the U.S. in a leaked draft opinion. The leaked draft of the final opinion of the Court has sparked a wave of reactions from both abortion rights and pro-life advocates. The draft opinion would change abortion rights in America.
If the landmark ruling is overturned, here are answers to questions.
Each state would have its own laws regarding abortion if the case was thrown out. There are laws in more than 20 states that could restrict access to abortion. 13 states havetrigger laws that would make abortion illegal if the law is changed.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, 26 states are certain or likely to ban abortion in the event that Wade is overturned. There are 22 states that already have laws in place that make it very likely that they will ban abortion. These states include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
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According to the Guttmacher Institute, Florida, Indiana, Montana and Nebraska are likely to ban abortion in light of recent actions to limit access to abortion.
16 states have laws in place to protect the right to abortion, with the District of Columbia being the only one that doesn't.
People can cross state lines to get abortion care in a state that allows it if they have the time and resources to do so. The New York Times reported that in the months after Texas passed a near- complete abortion ban, 1,400 pregnant women traveled to Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Oklahoma to get an abortion.
Missouri has already tried to restrict out-of-state abortions.
Private citizens in Missouri would be able to file lawsuits against anyone who helps a state resident have an abortion, if the legislation is passed. The law was initially blocked in the legislature, but it could gain traction again if the Supreme Court overturns the decision.
According to Whole Woman's Health, self-managed abortions are a situation where someone induces their own abortion outside of a medical setting. The World Health Organization says that self-managed abortions involve taking abortion pills called mifepristone and misoprostol, which can be taken alone or in combination. Taking pills for abortion is called medication abortion.
The WHO states that the combination regimen involves taking a pill under the tongue or in the cheek and waiting 24 to 48 hours. According to Whole Woman's Health, Mifepristone and misoprostol can cause bleeding, uterus pain, and even a miscarriage, if they are taken too early.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, medication abortion is a highly effective method of abortion. The pregnancy is terminated successfully 99.6% of the time, with a 0.4% risk of major complications, and an associated mortality rate of less than 1%.
The Whole Woman's Health website states that the combination regimen is approved by the FDA.
Within 10 weeks of a person's last menstrual period, the FDA has approved the use of Mifeprex. The New York Times reported that the agency has allowed people to receive these medications by mail, rather than having to go to a specialized clinic. The pills can be prescribed and mailed after an appointment with the patient.
Several states restrict access to abortion pills by forbidding the mailing of pills, requiring pills to be picked up in-person, or setting an earlier limit on when the pills may be taken. Telemedicine appointments for abortion care are not allowed in some states. In the past, pregnant people in states with restrictions have traveled to a state that was more open and received the pills by mail, according to the Times.
The Kaiser Family Foundation has a map of which states have restrictions on abortion pills.
It's not clear how much abortion rates would fall after Wade is overturned. According to The New York Times, pregnant people who live in states where abortion is illegal may still order pills online or seek potentially dangerous illegal abortions. It is possible that more clinics would open in areas where abortion is legal to treat patients from out of state.
According to the Times, legal abortions in the country would decline. Research shows that the effects of abortion clinic closings make it more difficult for patients to receive in-clinic abortions. The average distance a person would need to travel to get an abortion would increase if the law is changed.
Studies show that preventing people from obtaining abortions can have serious consequences. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco analyzed information from 1,000 U.S. women who sought abortions or were denied an abortion because they were beyond their states' gestational limit. The study found that women who were denied an abortion and gave birth were more likely to have serious problems than women who received an abortion.
After six months, the increases in stress, anxiety and self-esteem associated with being denied an abortion were gone.
The increase in household poverty that lasted at least four years was experienced by people who were denied an abortion.
It was originally published on Live Science.
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