It’s been four years since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, overturning Roe v. Wade and eliminating the federal constitutional right to abortion. The ruling threw out almost 50 years of precedent—and marked the first time in history that the Court has ever taken away a fundamental right.

Dobbs has changed the lives of millions across the country, stripping them of control over their bodies and putting their health and futures at risk. It’s incited legal battles between states and opened the door for more rights to be taken away.

Here’s what the U.S. looks like without Roe v. Wade.

20 states with bans/restrictions

1. 20 states have totally banned or severely restricted abortion.

When Roe v. Wade was overturned, 13 states already had “trigger” laws on the books—legislation outlawing abortion that was ready to promptly go into effect. Today, 20 states have total bans or severe restrictions on abortion.

63 million women & girls

2. Nearly 63 million women and girls live in states with abortion bans.

For those women and girls, it’s not just abortion that’s harder to access. As reproductive health clinics shutter and providers flee, all kinds of essential reproductive health care are now further out of reach. The consequences are worst for those who already face barriers to care, such as people with low incomes, people of color, and LGBTQIA+ people.

2x more likely to die

3. Women in states with abortion bans are 2X as likely to die during pregnancy.

Abortion bans are worsening the ongoing U.S. maternal health crisis. They’re also deepening racial disparities in pregnancy outcomes—Black women in ban states are 3.3X as likely to die during pregnancy, during childbirth, or shortly after giving birth than their white counterparts. While most abortion bans include exceptions for life- and health-threatening situations, we’ve seen time and again that these exceptions don’t protect people in practice. Miscarriage care, which relies on the same medications and procedures as abortion, is also worsening.

142,000 people traveling for care

4. In 2025, around 142,000 people traveled out of state to access abortion care.

This number is up from 81,000 in 2020—a 75% increase. In response, anti-abortion extremists are pushing for abortion travel bans in areas bordering ban states, such as in Texas counties near New Mexico. Some states have also made it a crime to help young people get abortion care, even in a state where it’s legal. Courts have largely rejected these efforts so far.

63% of all U.S. abortions

5. Medication abortion now represents 63% of all U.S. abortions.

In the post-Roe U.S., medication abortion has become a lifeline for millions. Abortion pills, prescribed via telehealth and sent through the mail, can give people greater privacy and flexibility and expand access for those who are far away from clinics. Over a quarter of abortions in the U.S. are provided by telehealth—a twofold increase since Roe was overturned.

The popularity of medication abortion by telehealth has put it in the crosshairs of anti-abortion extremists. Many states have imposed unnecessary restrictions on medication abortion, including requirements that the pills be prescribed or taken in person. Three separate cases that seek to limit access to the abortion pill mifepristone are currently working their way through federal court.

60% of Americans support abortion

6. 60% of Americans continue to believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

Anti-abortion extremists may be winning some legal and legislative victories—but they’re not winning over the public. Today, a majority of the American public believes that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. This flies in the face of one of the Supreme Court’s key arguments in the Dobbs ruling, which claimed that Roe “short-circuited the democratic process.”

10 state constitutional amendments

7. Voters in 10 states have amended their state constitutions to protect the right to abortion.

Voters across the U.S. have shown their support for abortion at the polls, with 10 states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New York, Ohio, and Vermont) amending their constitutions to explicitly protect abortion rights. Similar amendments will be on the ballot in Nevada and Virginia this year. That’s the democratic process in action.

19 states with shield laws

8. 19 states (+ Washington, D.C.) have “shield laws” in place to protect abortion providers from out-of-state legal action.

Shield laws are legal protections put in place to stop hostile states from punishing abortion providers beyond their borders. Since Roe was overturned, the total number of abortions in the U.S. has not declined because of the significant increase in telehealth, including from providers in states with shield laws. Attempts by hostile states to punish alleged out-of-state providers are already fueling a new wave of litigation, and these battles are likely to keep coming.

113% increase in death threats

9. From 2024 to 2025, death threats against abortion providers increased 113% and stalking increased 111%.

Across the U.S., abortion providers are facing increased threats of violence and harassment. Trump greenlit this behavior in early 2025 when he pardoned 23 people convicted of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act—legislation passed in 1994 with strong bipartisan support to protect abortion clinics, providers, and patients from violence. His administration has since been directed to dismiss pending abortion-related FACE Act prosecutions. The Center is suing over this decision.

27 bans on gender-affirming care

10. 27 states have enacted bans on gender-affirming care for minors—24 of which were passed post-Dobbs.

Abortion rights are only the beginning of the legal chaos unleashed by Dobbs. The decision poses a threat to a range of other personal liberties, including trans rights. The Supreme Court extended its flawed reasoning from Dobbs into its 2025 Skrmetti ruling, which opened the door for the enforcement of state bans on gender-affirming care. The retrograde constitutional analysis from Dobbs has also already been used to undermine the right to contraception, and could be weaponized against rights like gay marriage.