Restrictions on abortion are most often accomplished by prohibiting abortions at specific gestational limits, usually defined in state law by either a certain number of weeks post-fertilization, or from a woman’s last menstrual period (LMP). Further limitations on abortions in state-level regulation include restrictions based on a woman’s reason for seeking an abortion, and bans on certain types of procedures used in late-term abortions.
This dataset includes laws from all 50 states and the District of Columbia in effect as of August 31, 2020 that ban abortion, as well as case law and attorney general opinions that affect the enforceability of these laws.
This map was created as part of the Abortion Law Project, a collaboration between the Policy Surveillance Program, Guttmacher Institute, Resources for Abortion Delivery (RAD), American Civil Liberties Union, Center for Reproductive Rights, National Abortion Federation, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America.