And it’s just the beginning.
One year later, we celebrate that half the country – 25 states – honored the will of their people and put pro-life protections in place for both mom and child. We have a long way to go but at least now Americans can come together to build a pro-life consensus – at least now we have a seat at the table.
Learn more about the pro-life landscape as we move into the new Dobbs era.
In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson overruled Roe v. Wade. For the first time in nearly 50 years, the ability to set abortion policy was taken out of the hands of unelected judges and returned to the American people. Since then, nearly half the states have worked to enact popular pro-life protections that protect babies at or before 15 weeks’ gestation, the point when science shows that they can feel pain. Some of those protections are currently blocked or working their way through the courts, but many are in effect, protecting women and saving babies’ lives. This map shows each pro-life state’s legal protections and the approximate number of abortions impacted by these laws.
The Estimated Impact on abortions reflects 2020 CDC data or more recent state numbers. For states that protect life at fertilization, numbers reflect all abortions reported in the state. For states with heartbeat laws and pain-capable laws, numbers reflect estimates of abortions that would be prohibited under the law using gestational age data from the states and CDC.
Her PLAN is a nationwide effort to connect the thousands of providers who walk alongside women and their babies, strengthening the pro-life safety net.
For the first time in nearly 50 years, states have the ability to protect life throughout pregnancy. Lives are being saved, and now more than ever, women need love and support to choose life with confidence. Her PLAN (Her Pregnancy and Life Assistance Network) helps fill this need by connecting and growing the pro-life safety net of medical, social, and material support to empower women and their babies to thrive. Through an online directory and Pathways to Life guide, Her PLAN connects providers, churches, and community organizations across seven categories of care and helps them find their place within the pro-life safety net. Her PLAN operates nationally and in 21 states, shown in the map above.
Even under Roe v. Wade, the majority of states enacted policies to limit abortion at or before viability, the point when a baby can survive outside the womb.
For almost 50 years, Roe v. Wade prevented states from fully reflecting the will of the people in their abortion laws. Because of Roe, states were unable to enforce laws protecting life before viability. However, there was still great variation in abortion laws across the country, with some states protecting life as early as possible while other states allowed elective abortion up to the moment of birth. Sadly, some states chipped away at their own viability laws by carving out broad exceptions that swallow the rule, creating what are labeled on this map as “no effective limits.” By looking at pre-Dobbs abortion laws, we can see how much progress states have made in protecting life – and how others have chosen to pass even more extreme abortion laws in the wake of the Dobbs decision. This table shows the status of each state’s abortion laws immediately before Dobbs.
Recognizing that they cannot win in many state legislatures, the abortion lobby is trying to overturn pro-life laws by creating a right to abortion in state constitutions.
For almost 50 years, Roe v. Wade prevented states from fully reflecting the will of the people in their abortion laws. In 2022, states could finally enforce strong lifesaving laws and half the states in America acted to protect life. Because the abortion lobby and the ACLU do not have support to enact their policies through the legislative process, they are attempting to use deceitful campaigns to advance them through constitutional amendments. These amendments use broad language like “promote reproductive freedom,” but what they really do is get rid of pro-life laws, including popular laws like preventing abortion pills from being sent through the mail and making sure mom and dad are involved if their teenage daughter seeks an abortion. The abortion lobby has set its sights on nine pro-life states, shown on this map, where they plan to spend millions of dollars to promote their extreme abortion-on-demand agenda.
Despite the reversal of Roe, polls continue to show the American people want strong abortion limits. The American people recognize that the Democrat platform of taxpayer funded late-term abortion on demand is inhumane. Americans acknowledge that scientific advancements continue to point to the humanity of the child in the womb and they reject abortion extremism. Unfortunately, we’re seeing abortion extremism shape the Left’s post-Roe politics today.
SEE MORE POLLINGDemocrats want to override the will of the people in favor of abortion at all costs. They want no limits on abortion-in line with only 7 other countries in the world, alongside human rights abusers like China and North Korea. (bold)This position is deeply unpopular with the American people.
Today, nearly 3,000 health and pregnancy centers support mom and baby, as they outnumber Planned Parenthood facilities fourteen to one. They offer women loving support and real choices. Pregnancy resource centers and maternity homes help both mother and child, not pit one against the other. They provide multi-year support through food, housing, job training, child care, clothing and so much more. Over that last year, pro-life states passed hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to meet the needs of both mother and child.
Last Updated: July 21, 2023
