Abortion and the Law in the US

On Friday, June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that "the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion." Overturning Roe v. Wade, the Court returned the question of abortion rights to the states to decide.

Many states had "trigger bans" in place, intended to abolish abortion rights as soon as Roe was overturned. As of June 16, 2023, "[m]ost abortions are now banned in 14 states." According to New York Attorney General Letitia James, abortion remains "legal and protected" in New York State.

This page is intended to chronicle changes to abortion laws, as well as guide novice researchers in their exploration of the topic.

Additional resources are available on reproductive justice, the Black feminist social movement that asserts the right to have children, the right to not have children, and the right to parent one's children in safe and sustainable communities.

Where is abortion legal?

A number of news sites are tracking the status of abortion rights throughout the US since the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade:

A number of advocacy organizations are tracking similar information:

Facts about abortion

Abortion in the US

Abortion in New York State

History of abortion rights in the US

The legal history of abortion in the US is complex. Typically, the timeline has been divided as follows:

• Prior to 1880s: abortion was widespread and largely unregulated (see Zoila Acevedo's article "Abortion in early America")
• 1880s to 1973: abortion was criminalized (laws varied; initially, only criminalized up until "quickening"; see Leslie Reagan's book When Abortion Was a Crime).
• 1973 to 2022: abortion was legalized (1973 Roe v. Wade; 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey).
• June 24, 2022 to present: the Supreme Court overturned Roe in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, leaving the question of abortion rights up to the states to decide.