United States | Rulings have consequences

Abortions have become 6% rarer since the end of Roe v Wade

That overall number disguises a huge variation between states

Demonstrators rally in support of abortion rights outside the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, April 15, 2023. - The Court on April 14 temporarily preserved access to mifepristone, a widely used abortion pill, in an 11th-hour ruling preventing lower court restrictions on the drug from coming into force. (Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images) — Image: Getty Images

Apr 18th 2023

After the Supreme Court issued its ruling in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organisation last June, which reversed its decision in Roe v Wade and let states ban abortion, the biggest remaining question was what effect the change would have. On paper, Roe established a nationwide right to abortion. However, conservative states had already implemented rules before Dobbs that made abortions, though technically legal, very hard to obtain. Liberal states, in contrast, were unlikely to impose new restrictions. Were Roe’s protections worth as much in practice as in principle?

This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “Rulings have consequences”