Background
On June 24, 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned abortion rights. We are updating this fact sheet as states implement and enforce abortion bans.
Definitions
Last menstrual period (LMP): The beginning of pregnancy calculated from the start of the most recent menstrual period. An average pregnancy lasts approximately 40 weeks from this point.
Postfertilization: The beginning of pregnancy calculated from the date of conception; 20 weeks postfertilization is equivalent to 22 weeks LMP.
Postimplantation: The beginning of pregnancy calculated from the date of embryo implantation; 24 weeks postimplantation is equivalent to 27 weeks LMP.
General health: Defined by an individual doctor and includes the patient’s mental and emotional health.
Physical health: Applies only to the physical function of the patient’s body and may even be restricted to major bodily functions.
Viability: The point at which a fetus can sustain survival outside the uterus. Determined based on the fetus’s developmental progress and may vary by pregnancy. A fetus generally reaches viability between 24 and 28 weeks LMP.
Visit our state legislation tracker for policy activity on all sexual and reproductive health topics.
Highlights
- 44 states prohibit some abortions after a certain point in pregnancy.
- 9 states ban abortion.
- 3 states ban abortion at 6 weeks LMP.
- 1 state bans abortion at 15 weeks LMP.
- 9 states ban abortion at 22 weeks LMP (20 weeks postfertilization in state law) on the unscientific grounds that a fetus can feel pain at that point.
- 4 states ban abortion at 24 weeks LMP.
- 18 states impose a ban at viability.
- 1 state imposes a ban in the third trimester (beginning at 25 weeks LMP)
For more information
Topic
United States
Geography
- Northern America: United States
- Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming