Over 60 clinics in 15 U.S. states ceased abortion care post-Roe

By Gabriella Borter

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Greater than 60 abortion clinics throughout 15 states have stopped offering abortions for the reason that U.S. Supreme Court docket overturned Roe v. Wade in June, in line with a examine by the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights advocacy analysis group.

The examine, printed on Thursday, discovered that 14 states not have any clinics offering abortions as of Oct. 2, which marked 100 days for the reason that Supreme Court docket gutted the 1973 ruling that had assured federal abortion rights.

Within the wake of the courtroom’s June 24 determination, greater than a dozen states have enforced near-total abortion bans. All abortion clinics in these states – Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia – have stopped offering abortion providers.

Wisconsin’s suppliers have additionally ceased abortion providers amid authorized uncertainty over an 1849 state ban that took impact after the Supreme Court docket overturned Roe.

In Georgia, the place abortion is banned after six weeks, one abortion supplier has closed down, the examine discovered.

Practically a 3rd of American girls of reproductive age now stay in these 15 states the place abortion is unavailable or severely restricted, in line with Guttmacher.

Texas and Louisiana had probably the most closures, with 12 of 23 clinics closing in Texas and all three of Louisiana’s clinics shutting down.

Some clinics within the 15 states surveyed by Guttmacher have continued to supply different gynecological providers. However restrictive state legal guidelines have compelled 26 clinics to shut for good, limiting entry to abortion and different healthcare providers, mentioned Rachel Jones, Guttmacher’s principal analysis scientist.

“If they’ve to shut their doorways, that signifies that group loses entry not simply to abortion however to different forms of healthcare as nicely,” Jones mentioned.

Authorized battles over state abortion restrictions will decide the destiny of clinics in a number of different Republican-led states which have tried to ban the process, together with Arizona and Indiana. Jones mentioned extra clinics are more likely to stop abortion providers or shut down within the coming weeks.

The Nov. 8 midterm election outcomes may even decide the way forward for abortion entry in states like Michigan and Kentucky, the place voters will likely be requested to find out if the state structure protects abortion rights. Abortion is anticipated to be a outstanding subject within the elections to resolve management of Congress, and different key U.S. races.