For decades, the Center for Reproductive Rights has pursued cases in state courts to build strong abortion protections at the state level independent of federal law. Positive outcomes in these cases show how state constitutions can robustly protect abortion rights – and have shielded abortion access in highly restrictive parts of the country.

A new report just issued by the Center, titled “State Constitutions and Abortion Rights: Building protections for reproductive autonomy,” outlines 11 states in which high courts have recognized that their state constitutions protect abortion rights and access independently from and more strongly than the U.S. Constitution or have struck down restrictions that were upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

>> View the report’s interactive page here with case highlights, underlying legal principles, and U.S. state map.

U.S. Abortion Rights at Risk

As the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether to overturn decades of precedent holding that the U.S. Constitution protects abortion in the Center’s case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, state constitutions and courts matter more than ever.

The Center’s report provides and in-depth look at  cases in seven states brought by the Center that have not only resulted in broader protections for abortion rights and access—but have in many instances influenced outcomes in other cases and courts. The Center’s analysis also considers how this jurisprudence can expand and shape efforts to secure reproductive rights.

View the report and more information here:

• Interactive page with case highlights, legal principles, and map

Photo: Diane Bondareff/AP Images for Center for Reproductive Rights