This week’s leak of a draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade came as more than half of U.S. states are poised to outlaw abortion if the Supreme Court does strike down the 1973 decision. In those states, many in the South and Midwest, it already feels like the landmark decision is being overturned bit by bit as restrictive new laws have been taking effect.
“This is a region of the country where it’s not just an abortion desert — it’s a health care desert,” said Rebecca Tong, co-executive director of Trust Women, which runs clinics in Kansas and Oklahoma. “Many of these states did not expand Medicaid. These states have terrible maternal and infant mortality. It’s two separate countries.”
At least 26 states are expected to ban abortion if Roe v. Wade falls, 13 of them “trigger” states like Oklahoma, with bans set to take effect as soon as the justices rule against Roe. But state lawmakers have not been waiting on the nation’s highest court to pass stricter abortion laws.
