Abortion in New York

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Abortion in New York is legal, although abortions after the 24th week of pregnancy require a physician's approval. Abortion was legalized up to the 24th week of pregnancy in New York in 1970, three years before it was legalized for the entire United States with the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade in 1973. Roe v. Wade was later overturned in 2022 by the Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization . The Reproductive Health Act, passed in 2019 in New York, further allows abortions past the 24th week of pregnancy if a pregnant woman's life or physical or mental health is at risk, or if the fetus is not viable. However, since these exceptions are not defined by the law, and the law carries no criminal penalties for the pregnant individual, abortion is effectively legal throughout pregnancy.

Contents

The number of abortion clinics in New York (for which more than half of all patient visits are for abortion) declined from 302 in 1982 to 95 in 2014, but increased to 113 in 2017, according to Guttmacher Institute. [1] The abortion rate decreased from an estimated 39 abortions per 1000 women aged 15–44 in 1992 to 22 per 1000 in 2016, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

History

Madame Restell opened a business that performed abortions in the 1830s in New York City. Her business remained open for around 35 years, and openly advertised its services in newspapers. She had branches in several other cities, including Boston and Philadelphia, and employed traveling agents working for the company that sold her "Female Monthly Pills". [2] [3] New York state saw many women dying during the 1860s and 1870s due to using unskilled abortion providers. Some of these deaths were highly publicized, which turned the public's attitude against abortions. [4] In 1918, Margaret Sanger was charged under the New York law against disseminating contraceptive information. On appeal, her conviction was reversed because contraceptive devices could legally be promoted to cure and prevent disease. [5] [6]

A group of science, health, and medical experts met in 1955 in New York; their purpose was to discuss abortion in the United States. Their belief was that between 200,000 and 1.2 million illegal abortions took place annually. [7] Planned Parenthood Federation of America had a conference at Arden House in New York in 1955. The conference's purpose was to review the knowledge framework in the United States as it related to abortion. One of the accomplishments of the conference was that it published the "first objective and quantitative estimates of illegal abortions". The conference also provided participants with a first-hand perspective on the state of abortion in the country, from a presentation by a physician who had performed over 5,000 abortions. [7]

In 1955, Sloane Hospital in New York created a hospital review board to approve all abortion requests. Consequently, the number of abortions performed at the hospital in the next five-year period for therapeutic reasons was half what it was prior to 1955. [8] According to Dr. Alan F. Guttmacher of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, hospital review committees taught doctors to only refer cases they thought would be approved, saying: "Many physicians are discouraged by telephone conversations or corridor consultation with a single Committee member." [8]

At Harlem Hospital, before the legalization of abortion in New York in 1970, there was a positive correlation between neonatal and perinatal mortality and the number of clandestine and non-medical community abortions. [7] In the 1940s and 1950s, abortions would be given to some women on mental health waivers at Mount Sinai if they indicated they had attempted to commit suicide as a result of the pregnancy. [9] At one New York City hospital, in the pre-Roe v. Wade period, a teenage girl asked for an abortion, citing suicide attempts as the reason; the hospital committee initially turned her down and hospitalized her, and the girl continued to try to kill herself. The waiver was finally granted, in order to stop the disruption the girl caused at the hospital. [9]

Because of the nature of their abortion laws, New York City and the District of Columbia became destination centers for women in 1971 who were seeking legal abortions. [7]

Legislative history

The first statute to criminalize abortion in New York State was enacted in 1827. This law made post-quickening abortions a felony, and made pre-quickening abortions a misdemeanor. [4] [10] New York later allowed abortions up to the 24th week of pregnancy. [11] New York was the first state to create a therapeutic exemption that allowed women to have abortions if their life was at risk by continuing the pregnancy. [4] In 1845, New York passed a statute that said women who had abortions could be given a prison sentence of three months to a year. They were one of the few states at the time to have laws punishing women for getting abortions. [4] Susannah Lattin's death led to an investigation that resulted in regulating maternity clinics and adoptions in New York City in 1868. [12] [13] In 1872, New York state made it a penalty to perform an abortion, with a criminal sentence of between 4 and 20 years in prison. [4]

The New York State legislature amended their abortion-related statute in 1965 to allow for more therapeutic exceptions. [4]

On April 10, 1970, the New York Senate passed a law legalizing abortion until the 24th week of pregnancy. [14] Republican Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller signed the bill into law the next day. [15] At the time, New York State was a Republican "trifecta", meaning both chambers of the legislature and the governorship were Republican-controlled. [14] The 1970 law did several things. First, it added a consent provision requiring a physician to obtain the woman's consent before performing an abortion. [16] Second, it permitted physician-provided elective abortion services within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, or to preserve the woman's life. [16] Third, it permitted a woman, when acting upon the advice of a duly licensed physician, to perform an "abortional act" on herself within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, or to preserve her life. [16] New York was the second state, after Hawaii, to enact landmark abortion law legislation. [17] Unlike Hawaii, however, New York's abortion law did not have a 90-day residency requirement.

Between 1970 and 1973, the New York General Assembly attempted to repeal their law that made abortion legal. Governor Rockefeller successfully vetoed the repeal attempt. [18]

Cities like Baltimore, Austin, and New York passed legislation to require Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) to disclose that they did not offer abortion services, but organizations representing the CPCs have been successful in courts challenging these laws, principally on the argument that forcing the CPCs to post such language violated their First Amendment rights, and constituted compelled speech. [19] [20] Whereas the previous attempts at regulating CPCs in Baltimore and other cities were based on having signage that informed the patient that the CPC did not offer abortion-related services, the FACT Act instead makes the patient aware of state-sponsored services that are available, rather than what the CPCs did or did not offer. [21] The law went into effect January 1, 2016. [22] The state legislature was one of five states nationwide that tried, and failed, to pass a "fetal heartbeat" bill in 2014. [23] The terminology of these bills is largely contested, and considered to be inaccurate by medical professionals. This is because at the proposed time (as early as 6 weeks), the conceptus is not yet considered a fetus, [24] [25] and is actually an embryo. Additionally, there is no heart present in the embryo; it would more accurately be called a cluster of cells with electrical activity. [25] [24]

As of May 14, 2019, the state prohibited abortions after the fetus was viable, generally some point between week 24 and 28. This period uses a standard defined by the US Supreme Court in 1973, with the Roe v. Wade ruling. [23] In 2019, New York passed the Reproductive Health Act (RHA), which repealed a pre-Roe provision that banned third-trimester abortions, except in cases where the continuation of the pregnancy endangered a pregnant woman's life. [26] [27] [28] The law said: "The legislature finds that comprehensive reproductive health care, including contraception and abortion, is a fundamental component of a woman's health, privacy, and equality." [28] The bill also allowed qualified health practitioners to perform abortions, not just licensed medical doctors. [28] [29] [30]

In November 2024, New York voters passed a referendum to amend the state constitution to protect the right to abortion. [31] [32] [33] [34] and will take effect on January 1, 2025. [35]

Judicial history

The US Supreme Court's decision in 1973's Roe v. Wade ruling meant the state could no longer regulate abortion in the first trimester. [4] However, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization , No. 19-1392 , 597 U.S. ___(2022) later in 2022. [36] [37] Schenck v. Pro-Choice Network of Western New York was before the US Supreme Court in 1997. Two abortion clinics in western New York had obtained injunctions to prevent anti-abortion rights protesters from blockading their facilities, or engaging in other types of disruptive protests. [38] The Court ruled in a 6–3 decision that "floating buffer zones" preventing protesters approaching people entering or leaving abortion clinics were unconstitutional, though "fixed buffer zones" around the clinics themselves remained constitutional. The Court's upholding the fixed buffer was the most important aspect of the ruling, because it was a common feature of injunctions nationwide. [39]

Clinic history

Number of abortion clinics in New York by year Number of abortion clinics in New York by year.png
Number of abortion clinics in New York by year

In the 1940s, police would raid suspected illegal abortion clinics. [40] Between 1982 and 1992, the number of abortion clinics in the state decreased by thirteen, going from 302 in 1982 to 289 in 1992. [41] The number of abortion providers in New York was 266 in 1996. [42] In the period between 1992 and 1996, the state ranked third in the loss of number of abortion clinics, losing 23 to have a total of 266 in 1996. [42] In 2008, the states with the most providers were California with 522 and New York with 249. [43] In 2014, there were 95 abortion clinics in New York, [44] and 44% of the counties in the state did not have an abortion clinic. That year, 10% of women in the state aged 15–44 lived in a county without an abortion clinic. [45] In 2017, there were 58 Planned Parenthood clinics, of which 49 offered abortion services, in a state with a population of 4,718,933 women aged 15–49. [46]

A study was done involving 300 women approached by anti-abortion protesters at an abortion clinic in Buffalo, New York. It found that while some women were upset by the protesters, none of the 300 women changed their minds as a result of protester's actions in relation to their decision to get an abortion. [47]

Statistics

In 1972, an estimated 100,000 women traveled to New York to have legal abortions. Over half of them traveled more than 500 miles to get a legal abortion in the state. [6] In 1990, 2,443,000 women in the state had a reported unintended pregnancy. [41] The highest number of legal induced abortions by the state in 2000 occurred in New York (94,466), while Florida was second (88,563), and Texas was third (76,121). [48] In 2001, New York had the highest number of induced abortions (91,792), while Idaho had the lowest induced abortion to live birth ratio, at 36 per 1,000 live births. [49] In 2010, the state of New York had 45,722 publicly funded abortions, of which none were federally funded and all were state-funded. [50]

State abortion estimates differ depending on the data source (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) versus the Guttmacher Institute). According to Guttmacher Institute, there were 105,380 abortions in 2017, 110,840 in 2016, and 119,940 in 2014. [51] According to the CDC, there were 87,325 abortions in NY in 2016, [52] 93.096 in 2015, [53] and 96,711 in 2014. [54]

In 2012, New York City reported abortions (31,328) outnumbered live births (24,758) for black children. Black and Hispanic abortions combined (54,245) account for 73% of the total abortions in the city in 2012, according to a report by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Office of Vital Statistics. [55] In 2013, among white women aged 15–19, there were 2,660 abortions, 5,860 abortions for black women aged 15–19, 4,670 abortions for Hispanic women aged 15–19, and 760 abortions for women of all other races. [56]

Number of reported abortions, abortion rate, and percentage change in rate by geographic region and state in 1992, 1995, and 1996 [42]
Census division and stateNumberRate % change 1992–1996
199219951996199219951996
Middle Atlantic300,450278,310270,22034.632.732–8
New Jersey55,32061,13063,1003134.535.816
New York195,390176,420167,60046.242.841.1–11
Pennsylvania49,74040,76039,52018.615.515.2–18
Number, rate, and ratio of reported abortions, by reporting area of residence and occurrence and by percentage of abortions obtained by out-of-state residents, US CDC estimates
LocationYearResidenceOccurrence% obtained by

out-of-state residents

Ref
No.Rate^Ratio^^No.Rate^Ratio^^
New York1992------164,274395823.2 [57]
New York City1992------114,700--9092.8 [57]
New York State1992------49,574--3184.1 [57]
New York1995------139,68634525-- [58]
New York CIty1995------95,205--7854.8 [58]
New York State1995------44,481--3075.1 [58]
New York1996------152,99137580-- [59]
New York City1996------109,331--8896.1 [59]
New York State1996------43,660--3104.9 [59]
New York201493,98423.226496,71123.92713.3 [60]
New York City2014------67,62034.85757.9 [60]
New York State2014------29,09113.81225.2 [60]
New York201588,7622237493,09623.13925.1 [61]
New York City2015------63,64632.8544-- [61]
New York State2015------29,45014.1245-- [61]
New York201682,84120.735487,32521.83735.6 [62]
New York City2016------59,85431.1519-- [62]
New York State2016------27,47113.2213-- [62]
^number of abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44; ^^number of abortions per 1,000 live births

Abortion financing

Seventeen states, including New York, use their own funds to cover all or most "medically necessary" abortions sought by low-income women under Medicaid, thirteen of which are required by state court orders to do so. [63]

Women's abortion experiences

In the 1920s, women in the New York City metro area would sometimes try to induce abortions using botulism. In some cases, doctors would refuse to treat women who were suspected of attempting abortions. [40] Mary Parker of Brooklyn died after her illegal abortion in 1929, and left behind three children. Her cause of death was listed as gangrene, not botulism poisoning. [40]

Around 1947, a young nurse and her boyfriend with some medical training borrowed an apartment in New York City from friends. While the friends were gone, the boyfriend performed an illegal abortion on his girlfriend, leaving blood on the floor and kitchen table. [40]

During the 1940s and 1950s, nurses attended to women in Bellevue Hospital who were admitted after botched abortions. These dying women often gave evidence to the police about the procedures in order to prosecute people performing illegal abortions. A few women withheld the names of the abortion providers. [40]

In the 1960s, a woman named Mason attending Ohio State visited a Planned Parenthood clinic to seek information on getting an abortion. At the time, the Ohio-based clinic was providing information on birth control and offering reproductive health care. They referred her to a clinic in New York City, who told her that the procedure would cost around US$150. With help from her boyfriend and her best friend, she worked covertly to raise the money for the procedure; she stole glass bottles from a neighbor, so she could turn them in for US$0.05 a piece to fund her abortion. Her friend also collected glass bottles from her own mother to raise money for the abortion. Mason and her boyfriend then drove through the night to Manhattan. She attributes her ability to obtain an abortion to geography. [64]

Then 18-year-old Connecticut resident Vikki Wachtel traveled to New York City to obtain an abortion at Bellevue Hospital in October 1970, where she had post-abortion complications. Her abortion took place 5 months after New York State legalized the procedure. She said that bans would make abortions more dangerous. [65]

Christine Marinoni had an abortion in 2010. She made the decision with her wife, Cynthia Nixon, after doctors told the couple that the fetus Marinoni was carrying was not viable. [66]

Illegal abortion injuries and deaths

In 1962, around 1,200 women were admitted to hospitals in New York City's Harlem Hospital as a result of incomplete attempted abortions. [6] In the period between 1972 and 1974, Texas and New York State had the largest number of illegal abortion deaths. Texas recorded 14 in this period, while New York had 11 in a period where 63 deaths from illegal abortions were reported nationwide. In 1972, New York had 10 illegal abortion deaths. In 1973, it had 1. In 1974, the state recorded no illegal abortion deaths. The deaths in the District of Columbia and New York in this period demonstrated that even where abortion is legal, women face circumstances that drive them to have irregular, non-physician-assisted abortions. There are a variety of factors for this, including lack of education, poverty, and distrust of the medical establishment. [67]

Fallen gravestone of Susannah Lattin (1848-1868) in Powell Cemetery in 2002. Farmingdale, New York. Fallen gravestone of Susannah Lattin (1848-1868) in Powell Cemetery in 2002.jpg
Fallen gravestone of Susannah Lattin (1848–1868) in Powell Cemetery in 2002. Farmingdale, New York.

Susannah Lattin was an American woman who died of a postpartum infection at an illegal maternity clinic at 6 Amity Place in New York City, operated by Henry Dyer Grindle. [68] Lattin became pregnant by George C. Houghton, a clerk at Whitehouse's boot and shoe store on Fulton Street, Brooklyn. Houghton paid $50 to Dr J.C. Harrison to perform an abortion, but Lattin did not go through with it. She was still hoping that Houghton would marry her. Houghton then quit his job and moved to Philadelphia to escape the situation. Lattin next went to her cousin, George H. Powell, who worked as a butcher at the Washington Market. Powell pretended to be her husband and arranged for her, as "Mrs Smith", to see Dr Henry D. Grindle, who ran an unauthorized "lying-in" hospital that allowed the pregnant woman to have their children and have them illegally adopted. The doctor wanted her to pay $150, but she could only pay $100 and he accepted it. [13] Lattin checked into the lying-in hospital on August 5, 1868; then, a few weeks later, she delivered a healthy baby boy who was adopted anonymously, without any record kept of the adoptive parents. Around August 18, 1868, she developed a postpartum infection. The medical student who attended to her realized Lattin was in serious condition and was not likely to survive, and he persuaded her to tell him her real name, so he could notify her family. The message got to her parents after she had died. Coroner Aaron B. Rollins investigated the death. [13]

Intersections with religion and religious figures

In 1990, John O'Connor, archbishop of New York, suggested that, by supporting abortion rights, Catholic politicians risked excommunication. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi said that, "There is no desire to fight with the cardinals or archbishops. But it has to be clear that we are elected officials, and we uphold the law, and we support public positions separate, and apart, from our Catholic faith." [69]

Abortion rights activities

Activities

"Go Mo" (Morris Udall) balloons and a Keep Abortion Legal sign (with a Morris Udall sign behind it) at the 1976 Democratic National Convention "Go Mo" (Morris Udall) balloons and a Keep Abortion Legal sign (with a Morris Udall sign behind it) at 1976 DNC.jpg
"Go Mo" (Morris Udall) balloons and a Keep Abortion Legal sign (with a Morris Udall sign behind it) at the 1976 Democratic National Convention
Calls to Save Planned Parenthood at 2017 New York City Women's March Calls to Save Planned Parenthood (32411383296).jpg
Calls to Save Planned Parenthood at 2017 New York City Women's March

Café Altro Paradiso in New York City held a fund-raiser for Planned Parenthood on May 19, 2019, to support the organization's abortion services. [70]

Protests

Since 2018, NYC For Abortion Rights has held a counter-protest to an anti-abortion protest in Manhattan on the first Saturday of every month. [71]

#StopTheBans was created in response to six states passing legislation in early 2019 that would almost completely outlaw abortion. Women wanted to protest this activity, as other state legislatures started to consider similar bans as part of a move to try to overturn Roe v. Wade. One protest as part of #StopTheBans took place at Foley Square in New York City on May 21. [72]

Following the overturn of Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022, AM New York Metro estimated that 17,000 protesters gathered in Washington Square Park, in New York City, to demonstrate against the ruling, with thousands more in Union Square. [73] Others were spread throughout Grand Central Station, Bryant Park, and city streets. [74] On July 7, an anti-abortion protester was charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly preventing access to a clinic in Hempstead, and an abortion rights rally in support of the clinic was held on July 21 in Mineola. [75] On December 3, seven people were arrested when anti-abortion protesters clashed with abortion rights protesters outside of a clinic in Manhattan. [76]

On February 4, 2023, anti-abortion protesters clashed with abortion rights protesters outside of a clinic in Manhattan. [77] On May 6, 2023, four people were arrested after anti-abortion protesters clashed with abortion rights protesters outside of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral in Manhattan. [78]

On March 23, 2024, 7 people were arrested during an abortion rights counter-protest of an anti-abortion march in Manhattan. [79]

On September 28, 2024, a rally and vigil for Amber Thurman and Candi Miller was held in Washington Square Park in Manhattan. [80]

On November 9, 2024, an anti-Trump rally was held in Manhattan. [81]

Anti-abortion views and activities

Activism

In 1873, Anthony Comstock created the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice, an institution dedicated to supervising the morality of the public. Later that year, Comstock successfully influenced the United States Congress to pass the Comstock Law, which made it illegal to deliver, through the U.S. mail, any "obscene, lewd, or lascivious" material. It also prohibited producing or publishing information pertaining to the procurement of abortion, or the prevention of conception or venereal disease, even to medical students. [82]

Activities

In April 1992, anti-abortion activists organized the "Spring of Life" protests in Buffalo. This was one of three large anti-abortion protests that received extensive media coverage. [47]

Violence

There was an arson attack at an abortion clinic in New York in 1979 that caused around US$250,000 in damage. [47] An incident of anti-abortion violence occurred at an abortion clinic in New York City on December 10, 1985. [47] Another occurred at an abortion clinic in Syracuse, New York, on May 23, 1990. [47] Another act of violence happened at an abortion clinic in Buffalo, New York, on April 18, 1992. [47] Dr. David Gandell of Rochester, New York, sustained serious injuries on October 28, 1997, after being targeted by a sniper firing through a window in his home. [83]

Between 1993 and 2015, 11 people were killed at American abortion clinics. [84] Dr. Barnett Slepian was shot to death with a high-powered rifle at his home in Amherst, New York, on October 23, 1998. His was the last in a series of similar shootings against providers in Canada and northern New York state which were all likely committed by James Kopp. Kopp was convicted of Slepian's murder after being apprehended in France in 2001. [85] [84]

See also

Related Research Articles

Abortion in Oklahoma is illegal unless the abortion is necessary to save the life of a pregnant individual.

Abortion in Arkansas is illegal except when it is necessary to save the life of the pregnant individual. Doctors determined to have performed an abortion face up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $100,000.

Abortion in Connecticut is legal up to the point of fetal viability, or after that if necessary to preserve the life or health of the pregnant individual. A poll by the Pew Research Center found that 67 percent of adults in the state believed that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. The 2023 American Values Atlas reported that, in their most recent survey, 72% of people from Connecticut said that abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

Abortion in Delaware is legal up to the point of fetal viability. As of June 2024, Civiqs polling found that 72% of Delawareans believed that abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 23% believed it should be illegal in all or most cases. There was a therapeutic exceptions in the state's legislative ban on abortions by 1900. Informed consent laws were on the books by 2007. In 2017, Senator Bryan Townsend, D-Newark introduced legislation to try to make clear that abortion would remain legal in the state in case 1973's Roe v. Wade ruling was overturned. The legislation was subsequently updated. Attempts have been made to introduce mandatory ultrasound laws, but they failed to get out of committee. State legislators tried to move ahead the week at which a woman could get a legal abortion in 2019.

Abortion in the District of Columbia is legal at all stages of pregnancy. In 1971, in United States v. Vuitch, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a law saying abortion was allowed for health reasons, which include "psychological and physical well-being". Consequently, the District of Columbia became a destination for women seeking abortions starting that year.

Abortion in Idaho is illegal from fertilization. Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022, abortion in Idaho was criminalized by the trigger law which states that a person who performs an abortion may face two to five years of imprisonment. The ban allows exceptions for maternal health, rape and incest within the first trimester. The law took effect on August 25, 2022. Minors need parental consent to travel out of state for an abortion.

Abortion in Maine is legal, although terminations after fetal viability can only be performed if a physician determines it to be medically necessary. According to a poll by the Pew Research Center, 64% of adults said that abortion should be legal, with 33% stating that it should be illegal in all or most cases.

Abortion in Massachusetts is legal, although terminations after the 24th week can only be performed if a physician determines it to be medically necessary. Modern Massachusetts is considered to be one of the most pro-abortion rights states in the country; a 2014 Pew Research poll found that 74% of residents supported the right to an abortion in all or most cases, a higher percentage than any other state in 2014. Marches supporting abortion rights took place as part of the #StoptheBans movement in May 2019. The 2023 American Values Atlas reported that, in their most recent survey, 78% of people from Massachusetts said that abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

Abortion in Michigan is legal throughout pregnancy. A state constitutional amendment to explicitly guarantee abortion rights was placed on the ballot in 2022 as Michigan Proposal 22–3; it passed with 57 percent of the vote, adding the right to abortion and contraceptive use to the Michigan Constitution. The amendment largely prevents the regulation of abortion before fetal viability, unless said regulations are to protect the individual seeking an abortion, and it also makes it unconstitutional to make laws restricting abortions which would protect the life and health, physical and/or mental, of the pregnant individual seeking abortion.

Abortion in Nevada is legal up to the 24th week of pregnancy, under the Nevada Revised Statutes chapter 442, section 250; and after 24 weeks if the pregnancy could be fatal for the mother. 62% of adults said in a 2014 poll by the Pew Research Center that abortion should be legal while 34% said it should by illegal in all or most cases. The 2023 American Values Atlas reported that, in their most recent survey, 76% of Nevadans said that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Legislation by 2007 required informed consent. Attempts were successfully made to pass abortion legislation in May 2019, being pushed through a largely Democratic controlled state legislature. The number of abortion clinics in Nevada has declined over the years, with 25 in 1982, seventeen in 1992 and thirteen in 2014. There were 8,132 legal abortions in 2014, and 7,116 in 2015. Due to the high level of support for abortion rights in the state, continued access to abortion is supported by all parties, including the Republicans.

Abortion in Oregon is legal at all stages of pregnancy. The Center for Reproductive Rights classifies Oregon as highly protective of abortion rights.

Abortion is legal in Pennsylvania up to the 24th week of pregnancy. 51% of Pennsylvania adults said in a 2014 poll by the Pew Research Center that abortion should be legal and 44% said it should be illegal in all or most cases. The 2023 American Values Atlas reported that, in their most recent survey, 63% of Pennsylvanians said that abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

Abortion in Rhode Island is legal up to the point of fetal viability. On June 19, 2019, the legal right to abortion was codified into Rhode Island law by passage of the Reproductive Privacy Act.

Abortion in South Dakota is illegal. Anyone who induces an abortion is guilty of a Class 6 felony. An exception is included to "preserve the life of the pregnant female," given appropriate and reasonable medical judgment.

Abortion in Tennessee is illegal from fertilization except to "prevent the death of the pregnant woman or to prevent serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman". Tennessee is one of four states which prohibit abortion in their state constitution; alongside Alabama, Louisiana, and West Virginia.

Abortion in Utah is legally performed under a temporary restraining order blocking enforcement of the state's trigger law, which bans abortion. According to HB136, which is effective state law from June 28, 2022, abortions are banned following 18 weeks of gestation. Abortion was banned following the Supreme Court case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization on June 24, 2022. Utah State Legislation enacted SB 174 in May 2020, which, upon the overturn of Roe v. Wade, made inducing an abortion a second-degree felony. The law includes exceptions for pregnancies "caused by rape or incest," pregnancies that put the mother's life at risk, or "if two doctors say the fetus has a lethal defect." Rape and incest exceptions will only be viable if the crimes were previously reported to law enforcement officials.

Abortion in Vermont is legal at all stages of pregnancy. A 2014 Pew Research Center poll showed 70% of adults in the state believed abortion should be legal in most or all cases, the second highest percentage in the country. The 2023 American Values Atlas reported that, in their most recent survey, 76% of Vermonters said that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. The state funds abortions deemed medically necessary for low-income women via Medicaid.

Abortion in the U.S. state of Virginia is legal up to the end of the second trimester of a pregnancy. Before the year 1900, abortion remained largely illegal in Virginia, reflecting a widespread trend in many U.S. states during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Abortion was viewed as a criminal act and subject to state laws that prohibited it. However, by 1950, Virginia introduced a legal therapeutic exception, allowing for abortion under specific circumstances, primarily when a woman's physical or mental health was at risk. Notably, the University of Virginia Hospital established a review board in 1950 responsible for evaluating and approving abortion requests, particularly those grounded in psychiatric reasons. This thorough approval process resulted in a significant decrease in the number of abortions performed at the hospital.

Abortion in West Virginia is illegal except in cases of rape or incest, fatal fetal abnormalities, and when the mother’s life is at risk from a pregnancy.

Abortion in New Mexico is legal at all stages of pregnancy. The number of abortion clinics in New Mexico has declined over the years, with 26 in 1982, 20 in 1992 and 11 in 2014. There were 4,500 legal abortions in 2014. There were 7 facilities providing abortion in New Mexico in 2017, and 6 of those were clinics. In 2017, 91% of New Mexico counties had no clinics that provided abortions, and 48% of New Mexico women lived in those counties.

References

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