On June 24th, 2022, the US Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned nearly 50 years of precedent protecting the right to an abortion prior to viability. Previously under Roe v. Wade, the existing legal landscape of abortion was a complex patchwork of state laws and court decisions regulating access to the procedure. The Dobbs decision further compromised abortion access by allowing states to ban all or most abortions.
While some states moved quickly to ban abortion, others have strengthened protections for abortion as a response to Dobbs. New “shield laws” attempt to limit the liability of abortion providers and patients who travel to another state to receive care that is increasingly becoming criminalized.
This dataset provides a high-level overview of state abortion restrictions and protections enacted post-Dobbs, tracking key legal developments from June 1, 2022 through June 1, 2023. The dataset was conceptualized by Temple University’s Center for Public Health Law Research and the Society of Family Planning to serve as a resource for researchers seeking to better understand the impact of the Dobbs decision, and is a companion resource to the Society of Family Planning's #WeCount project. For additional relevant data, please visit the LawAtlas State Abortion Laws database, which comprehensively tracks legal developments across state-level abortion restrictions.
PLEASE NOTE: The information contained herein does not constitute legal advice. If you have questions regarding your legal rights or obligations, contact an attorney.
The law on the ground is complex and changing rapidly—this resource may not be fully up to date and may contain errors. If you have media requests or other questions regarding this dataset, please reach out to Adrienne.ghorashi@temple.edu.