After Roe Fell: U.S. Abortion Laws by State

Protected

Rhode Island

Abortion will remain legal in Rhode Island. In 2019, Rhode Island enacted a law to protect abortion and repealed various existing abortion restrictions.

State Legal Details

Bans in Effect

  • Gestational Ban, Viability

Restrictions in Effect

  • Parental Involvement, Parental Consent Requirement

State Protections

In 2019, Rhode Island enacted express statutory protections for abortion.1 The Rhode Island Constitution guarantees equal protection of the laws, but it specifies that this language does not “grant or secure any right relating to abortion or [its] funding.”2 Although Rhode Island restricts the provision of surgical abortion to licensed physicians, it otherwise allows licensed physicians and other healthcare practitioners to provide abortion care within their scope of practice.3 Rhode Island provides public funding for abortion care.4

In 2022, the governor of Rhode Island issued an executive order with interstate shield protections that prohibit executive agencies from cooperating with out-of-state investigations and legal actions (including extradition) that arise from the provision of reproductive health care that is legal in Rhode Island.5 The order further directs the Rhode Island Department of Health to work with boards of professional licensure to protect providers from out-of-state sanctions.6

Rhode Island enacted statutory protections shielding providers, patients, and people who help others access abortion from professional licensure consequences7 and out-of-state investigations,8 and legal actions,9 including extradition,10 regardless of the patient’s location. Rhode Island allows anyone sued for providing, accessing, or helping someone access abortion to file their own legal action for tortious interference with legally protected health care activity.11 The state prohibits courts from giving effect to foreign judgements in connection with hostile litigation where there is not personal jurisdiction, subject matter jurisdiction, or due process of law.12 Rhode Island prohibits malpractice insurers from taking adverse action against a health care provider for providing health care legally protected in the state.13

Restrictions

Rhode Island law allows abortion until viability and only allows post-viability abortions where it is necessary, in the opinion of a physician, to preserve the health or life of the pregnant person.14 Abortions may only be provided after the pregnant person has given their written informed consent.15 The state requires that a parent, legal guardian, or judge consent to a minor’s abortion.16

Providers who violate Rhode Island’s abortion restrictions may face civil penalties.17

Historical Restrictions

Rhode Island repealed its pre-Roe ban in 1973.18 In 2019, the state repealed its unconstitutional post-Roe criminal ban in 2019,19a law prohibiting abortion on a “quick child,”20 an unconstitutional ban on D&X procedures,21 and limitations on private insurance coverage of abortion.22

Conclusion

Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe, abortion remains legal in Rhode Island. In 2019, Rhode Island enacted a law to protect abortion and repealed various existing abortion restrictions.

  1. 23 R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-4.13-2(a). ↩︎
  2. R.I. Const. art. 1, § 2 (codified in 1986). ↩︎
  3. 216 R.I.C.R. § 20-10-6.3. ↩︎
  4. 42 R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-12.3-3. ↩︎
  5. R.I. Exec. Order, No. 22-28 (July 5, 2022) https://governor.ri.gov/executive-orders/executive-order-22-28. ↩︎
  6. R.I. Exec. Order, No. 22-28 (July 5, 2022) https://governor.ri.gov/executive-orders/executive-order-22-28. ↩︎
  7. 5 R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 5-37.8 et seq. (protections for providers of legally protected healthcare activity); § 23-17-53 (discussing requirements for physician contracts). ↩︎
  8. 23 R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 23-101-6 (expenditure of public resources); 23-101-7 (noncooperation with investigations). ↩︎
  9. 23 R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 23-101-4 (foreign judgments); 23-101-5 (subpoenas for testimony and documents). ↩︎
  10. 23 R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-101-7; 12 R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-9-36. ↩︎
  11. 23 R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-101-3. ↩︎
  12. 23 R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-101-4. ↩︎
  13. 5 R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-37.8-2. ↩︎
  14. 23 R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-4.13-2(a), (d). ↩︎
  15. 23 R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-4.7-2. ↩︎
  16. 23 R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-4.7-6. ↩︎
  17. See, e.g., 23 R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 23-4.7-6, 23-4.7-7. ↩︎
  18. 11 R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-3-1 (1956), repealed by 1973 R.I. Pub. Laws 68, ch. 15 § 1. ↩︎
  19. 11 R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 11-3-1–11-3-55, repealed by 2019 R.I. Pub. Laws, ch. 27, § 2, codified at 23 R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-4.13-1; see Doe v. Israel, 358 F. Supp. 1193 (D.R.I. 1973). ↩︎
  20. 11 R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-23-5, repealed by 2019 R.I. Pub. Laws, ch. 27, § 4. ↩︎
  21. 23 R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 23-4.12-1˗6, repealed by 2019 R.I. Pub. Laws, ch. 27, § 6; R.I. Med. Soc’y v. Whitehouse, 239 F.3d 104, 106 (1st Cir. 2001). ↩︎
  22. 27 R.I. Gen. Laws § 27-18-28, repealed by 2019 R.I. Pub. Laws, ch. 27, §7; Nat’l Educ. Ass’n of R.I. v. Garrahy, 598 F. Supp. 1374, 1384 (D.R.I. 1984), aff’d, 779 F.2d 790 (1st Cir. 1986). ↩︎