Overturning Roe V. Wade: What Would States Do?

Terminating a pregnancy, voluntarily, is commonly referred to as an elective abortion. For many women, this decision is made based upon personal reasons and often does not include a partner. With federal law permitting abortion, many women turn to this service in lieu of carrying a pregnancy to term.

While there are many states that would prefer to ban abortion, most have found the fight to be tedious and unsuccessful. While the Roe v. Wade decision continues to be a matter up for debate before many courts, and even the Supreme Court, it is not anticipated the decision will be overturned.

What would occur if Roe v. Wade was overturned and states were permitted to ban abortion procedures? With approximately one-third of the states reportedly still carrying abortion prohibition laws, should Roe v. Wade be overturned, many states would find they carry no law on the books to prohibit such action and, as a result, the practice of abortion would continue.

For women who favor pro-choice, this is important to know. While you may reside in a state that, one day, may have the ability to prohibit abortion under state law, there will most likely be states that will permit such services if you have a willingness to travel to those destinations.

For women who are pro-life, the lack of state mandates on abortion prohibition is deemed as quite frightening. As a result, some pro-life activists are continuing to take steps to place abortion prohibition laws into effect in the state. While these state laws would not be enforceable, as over-ridden by the federal laws, pro-life activists still seek to place the state laws into effect should Roe v. Wade ever be overturned.

A state that continues to prohibit abortion, for example, is the state of Alabama. While federal law permits abortion to be done, should Roe v. Wade be overturned, this state law would then prohibit such action within the state lines. As a result, women in Alabama would need to venture out of Alabama to find services in a state that does permit abortion under state law.

Whatever your opinion regarding the right of a woman to terminate pregnancy, it is clear the impact of Roe v. Wade will long be a legal matter up for debate. With abortion prohibition laws lacking in many states, the Roe v. Wade decision, at the federal level, may, ultimately, have no impact on a woman's ability to obtain abortion services at the state level.