Roe v. Wade Decision

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The United States Supreme Court handed down their decision on Friday to overturn the decision of the 1973 ruling of Roe v. Wade, which now allows states to ban abortions. This decision comes nearly 49 years after it was established as a constitutional right for women to have abortions in the United States.

Joining us today on Arizona Horizon to talk about this breaking news is Dr. Swapna Reddy

What States Have Banned Abortions?

With Roe v. Wade being overturned, there are now 22 states with laws that could ban most abortions, if not all abortions. In five of those states it’s illegal to have an abortion, including Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas.

Eight of those states are soon to make abortion illegal, including Arkansas, Idaho, Missouri, Mississippi, North Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming.

Three states are sitting at likely to be banned: Alabama, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

What States Still Allow Abortions?

16 states still have laws in place that still protect the right to an abortion. That includes California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

What does this mean for Arizona?

Arizona is still currently undecided on whether to ban abortions or not, leaving us with unanswered questions about the future of abortion in the state.

Who’s Impacted?

Since the Roe v. Wade decision was overturned, how are women being impacted by this decision? Though abortion is still legal in 16 states, not all women can afford to take a trip out of state to receive an abortion.

“Who does this disproportionally impact? Low income women, rural women and women of color, where this challenge and removal of this right is really going to impact their ability to seek and receive the services that they need,” Reddy said.

These women might find it harder to seek this type of service after the abortion ban. As for the women who can afford to take the trip, it might be more of an inconvenience.

“What we know is women of needs, women that have resources, while it is incredibly inconvenient, while they might not agree, etc, if they are seeking an abortion, usually if you have resources and needs, you can go to a different state and receive those services,” Reddy said.

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