Current Abortion Laws in the United States
In the current political climate, abortion laws are constantly changing on a state-by-state basis. Therefore, it can be difficult to see the whole picture of what abortion access looks like in the United States without truly understanding what access looks like in different areas and for different groups of people.
With the legal landscape so complicated, states have been grouped into the following categories to aid understanding: Unrestricted, Restricted, Highly Restricted, and Banned.
DISCLAIMER: the data listed on this page was compiled in January 2023. Due to the instability of the current abortion laws, it is possible that some states may have adopted new legislature since then.
Unrestricted
These states have the most progressive abortion laws, with some taking steps to include the right to abortion as part of their state constitution. States with an asterisk follow Roe v. Wade guidelines, with abortion legal until the fetus is considered viable, which is at the end of the second trimester.
Alaska
California
Colorado
Connecticut*
Delaware*
District of Columbia
Hawaii*
Illinois*
Maine*
Maryland*
Michigan*
Minnesota*
Montana*
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York*
Oregon
Rhode Island
Vermont
Virginia*
Washington*
Wyoming*
Restricted
While in these states, abortion is not completely unrestricted, their laws are more progressive than some others. Generally, abortion is legal until some point in the second trimester of pregnancy.
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Massachusetts
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
North Dakota
Ohio
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Highly Restricted
Abortion is not completely banned in these states, but highly restrictive laws make it difficult or nearly impossible to access. In these states, laws ban abortions within the first few weeks after the first trimester of pregnancy.
Arizona
Florida
Georgia
Utah
North Carolina
Banned
These states have the most restrictive abortion laws, with abortion being completely banned in most cases. States with an asterisk include exceptions only in a medical emergency.
Alabama
Arkansas*
Idaho*
Kentucky*
Louisiana*
Mississippi*
Missouri*
Oklahoma*
South Dakota*
Tennessee*
Texas*
West Virginia*
Wisconsin
The following images from a recent New York Times article provide an easy-to-understand visual detailing which states provide exceptions to restrictive abortion laws for cases of rape or incest and which states provide exceptions for protecting the mother's life.
