A quick update on what’s happened in the states since Friday:
The Bad
- Abortion bans went into effect in 7 states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. Laws were blocked by state courts in Louisiana and Utah.
- Strict 6-week or “heartbeat” restrictions went into effect in Ohio, Texas and South Carolina, making abortions very hard to access in those states.
- Thousands of patients in these states had their appointments canceled while they were in clinic waiting rooms, and many will now be forced to give birth.
The Good
- California, Oregon and Washington announced they would serve as abortion “sanctuary” states, by further codifying abortion rights and releasing more state funding for abortion services.
- Governors and legislatures in states with strong protections, including Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont, moved to further protect abortion rights.
- Democratic attorneys general in Michigan, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, and prosecutors in Atlanta, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Indianapolis, Nashville, New Orleans and St. Louis, vowed not to prosecute people under anti-choice state laws.