Governance Like Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) has no constitution and is governed by an Organic Act, which was first enacted in 1954.[1]48 U.S.C. § 1541 et seq. Despite convening five different constitutional conventions, the USVI has not adopted a local constitution. In 1968, Congress amended the Organic Act to extend both due process […]
Restrictions On March 21, 2023, Wyoming enacted a total abortion ban with an immediate effective date; currently, the law is subject to a preliminary injunction and is not in effect.[1]Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 35-6-120 et seq.; Johnson v. State, No. 18853 (Wyo. Dist. Ct. of Teton Cnty. Mar. 22, 2023) (order granting motion for temporary […]
Restrictions After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the Wisconsin Attorney General, the Department of Safety and Professional Services, and the Medical Examining Board filed a lawsuit seeking a declaratory judgment that the 1849 pre-Roe criminal abortion ban is unenforceable.[1]Kaul et al. v. Kapenga et al., Case No. 2022-CV-001594 (Wis. Cir. Ct. June 28, 2022) (complaint). […]
Restrictions Washington law generally prohibits abortion at viability.[1]WASH. REV. CODE § 9.02.110. Washington law includes reporting requirements.[2]WASH. ADMIN. CODE § 246-490-100. Individuals who violate Washington’s post-viability ban may face criminal penalties; however the state cannot take adverse actions against individuals based on pregnancy outcomes or against anyone who assists “a pregnant individual in exercising their […]
Restrictions Virginia law generally prohibits abortion after viability, unless performed by a licensed physician in a licensed hospital with three physicians certifying that the continuation of the pregnancy will result in death of the pregnant person or impair their mental or physical health.[1]VA. CODE ANN. §§ 18.2-71, 18.2-74 It also prohibits the D&X method of […]
Governance The United States Supreme Court has held that inhabitants of Puerto Rico enjoy due process and equal protection rights.[1]Examining Bd. of Engineers, Architects & Surveyors v. Flores de Otero, 426 U.S. 572, 600 (1976). Abortion has been legislated in Puerto Rico since at least 1879, and it was prohibited without exception until 1937, when […]
Restrictions In June 2022, Utah began enforcing its trigger ban,[1]Utah Code Ann. § 76-7a-201; @UtahSenate, Twitter (Jun. 24, 2022, 8:17 PM) https://twitter.com/utahsenate/ status/1540489331583766528?cxt=HHwWgMCi1dO49eAqAAAA; Becky Jacobs, Utah’s abortion trigger … Continue reading which bans all abortions except in the case of rape, incest, or the threat to the life of the pregnant person, following the U.S. Supreme […]
Restrictions Texas’s trigger ban, which criminalizes abortion, took effect on August 25, 2022,[1]Tex. Health & Safety Code §§ 170A.001-7 (stating that the ban will take effect thirty days after “the issuance of a United States Supreme Court judgment in a decision overruling, wholly or … Continue reading following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade […]
Restrictions On August 25, 2022, Tennessee began enforcing its trigger ban, which prohibits abortion at all stages of pregnancy with limited medical emergency exceptions,[1]Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-15-213 (stating that the ban will take effect thirty days after “the issuance of the judgment…of the United States Supreme Court” which took place on July 28, 2022); … […]
Restrictions South Carolina is enforcing a 6-week abortion ban[1]S. 474, 125th Gen. Assemb., Spec. Sess. (S.C. 2023). after the South Carolina Supreme Court declared the ban to be constitutional.[2]Planned Parenthood S. Atl. v. South Carolina, No. 2023-000896 (S.C. Aug. 23, 2023) (order vacating the preliminary injunction and declaring the act constitutional), Planned Parenthood S. Atl […]
