13 States Have Laws That Will Instantly Criminalize Abortion If Roe v. Wade Is Overturned in Trump's America

Donald Trump and Mike Pence have made it very clear they intend to nominate Supreme Court justices devoted to taking away women’s right to abortion should openings on the bench arise. With many states already banning the procedure as much as possible, abortion would instantly be criminalized in 13 states should Roe v. Wade be overturned, according to a new study released by NARAL Pro-Choice America.

The 50-state report points out that 11 states currently have laws on the books criminally banning abortion and two more have near-total criminal bans. That means if Roe is overturned after Trump puts an anti-choice justice on the bench, women seeking abortions in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, West Virginia could be criminally punished.

Of course, the downfall of the law guaranteeing women have a right to abortion at least up until viability would drastically jeopardize women in every state’s access to the safe medical procedure, but these 13 states would be even worse. On top of just not being able to go to a clinic to end a pregnancy, women and doctors could literally be fined, go to jail, and/or have a criminal record if they attempt to get or perform the procedure.

“This report paints a grim picture of the current status of reproductive freedom in the United States, and if Donald Trump succeeds in appointing Supreme Court justices who overturn Roe v. Wade, our data shows that women will be even worse off,” NARAL President Ilyse Hogue said. “Seven in 10 Americans believe abortion should be legal and accessible, and reject the anti-choice policies pushed by Donald Trump and anti-choice Republicans in Congress and at the state level. Our mission now is to fight for the America we and a majority of Americans believe in by organizing and mobilizing pro-choice voters and our one million member activists against the extreme agenda being pushed by anti-choice politicians.”

The report also notes that 26 states passed 56 anti-choice measures in 2016, with Louisiana being the worst offender, passing a whopping seven anti-choice laws throughout the year. Among the most popular ways to control women’s bodies and force conservative religious beliefs on the masses last year were restrictions on biomedical research, counseling and referral bans, laws barring abortion providers from participating in public healthcare programs, and TRAP (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) laws.

The state of reproductive rights in Trump’s America may get even worse, so don’t hesitate to give your money to NARAL, Planned Parenthood, and other organizations fighting to protect women’s rights.