4 things to know about state abortion laws if Roe is overturned

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Friday, May 06, 2022

Pro-abortion and pro-life demonstrators gather outside of the U.S. Supreme Court on May 02, 2022, in Washington, D.C. In an initial draft majority opinion obtained by Politico, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito allegedly wrote that the cases Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern v. Casey should be overruled. | Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

2. Abortion will definitely remain legal in 16 states and DC

As the possibility of Roe’s reversal has loomed large following former President Donald Trump’s appointment of pro-life justices to the Supreme Court, several states have taken action to ensure that abortion remains legal within their borders. In early 2019, New York passed the Reproductive Healthcare Act, which codifies the finding of Roe v. Wade into state law and allows women to have an abortion at any point during their pregnancy up until the moment of birth.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, the other states that have codified Roe include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. While Colorado, New Jersey, Oregon and Vermont protect the right to abortion throughout pregnancy, the remaining states have codified the right to abortion up to the point of viability, when the fetus can survive outside the womb.