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Several states are moving quickly to enact abortion bans that were unenforced since Roe v. Wade was first passed, while others have halted doctors from performing the procedures in light of Friday’s Supreme Court ruling overturning the 1973 decision. States including Michigan, Wisconsin and West Virginia had abortion restrictions before the Roe ruling that were never removed. Others have approved near-total bans or laws prohibiting abortion after a certain number of weeks — but many of them have been blocked by courts, including those in Alabama, Georgia, Iowa, Ohio and South Carolina.In Wisconsin, doctors immediately stopped providing abortions on Friday, turning away women in waiting rooms and calling to cancel pending appointments following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling striking down its Roe v. Wade decision. Nearly 70 women had abortion procedures scheduled with Planned Parenthood Wisconsin on Friday and Saturday, the group’s medical director, Kathy King, said at a news conference. Four women had abortions at Planned Parenthood clinics Friday morning before the Supreme Court’s order came down, King said.Women who were in Planned Parenthood clinics on Friday morning awaiting abortions were told that they couldn’t be done in Wisconsin. Instead, they were given help with scheduling appointments in other states, said Planned Parenthood Wisconsin President Tanya Atkinson.Atkinson said offering travel assistance and helping women upon their return to Wisconsin will now be a focus of the group.Wisconsin has an 1849 law that bans abortion, except to save the life of the mother, but whether that law is enforceable is expected to be challenged in court. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, said he would have news next week about how his office would respond to Friday’s ruling.Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne, whose jurisdiction includes the state capital, Madison, said for the first time that he would not enforce the state’s ban. Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm has previously suggested that he would not enforce it, either.“If the voters want a district attorney who prosecutes women for seeking an abortion or licensed providers who are acting in the best interest of their patients, they will need to elect someone else,” Ozanne said. Under the Wisconsin law, doctors could be charged with felonies for performing abortions and face up to six years in prison and $10,000 in fines.”Trigger law” states Legislators in 13 states have passed so-called “trigger laws,” which are bans designed to go into effect if Roe is overturned. In some cases, the law requires an official such as an attorney general to certify that Roe has been struck down before the law can take effect. Abortion clinics in some of those states shut down Friday or will shut down in the coming days.In Louisiana, the law bans medical providers from performing an abortion procedure or providing drugs intended to induce an abortion if Roe is overturned. The ban does not apply to life-threatening or serious medical emergencies but requires the physician makes “reasonable medical efforts” to preserve the life of the adult and the fetus.One of the state’s three abortion clinics closed its doors Friday shortly after the ruling, according to sister station WDSU.The only abortion clinic in New Orleans closed around 11 a.m. Related video above: Massachusetts doctor travels to Mississippi to see patients at last abortion clinicMississippi law states that within 10 days of the state attorney general confirming Roe has been overturned, abortions are prohibited in the state. Limited exceptions are provided in cases of rape or when the procedure would preserve the mother’s life. That means the state’s last existing abortion clinic in Jackson is poised to close soon.”We thought this was a right. Clearly, it wasn’t. It was a privilege,” clinic owner Diane Derzis told sister station WAPT. “Most women don’t think of that as something there, until they need it.”Derzis said the facility has 10 days to remain in business from the moment Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch signs the certification.A few states have acted quickly to enforce trigger law bans. In Missouri, state Attorney General Eric Schmitt tweeted Friday morning that with an AG opinion signed shortly after the release of the Supreme Court decision, Missouri became the first state in the country to effectively end abortion. In addition, Tennessee attorney general’s office filed an emergency motion on Friday asking a federal appeals court to let the state immediately begin banning abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy.The state also has a trigger law that was written to ban nearly all abortions if Roe v. Wade was overturned. That ban cannot take effect until 30 days after Friday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling. But the six-week ban could be implemented as early as next week, if the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agrees to lift a court injunction.The Associated Press, CNN and Hearst Television contributed to this report.
Several states are moving quickly to enact abortion bans that were unenforced since Roe v. Wade was first passed, while others have halted doctors from performing the procedures in light of Friday’s Supreme Court ruling overturning the 1973 decision.
States including Michigan, Wisconsin and West Virginia had abortion restrictions before the Roe ruling that were never removed. Others have approved near-total bans or laws prohibiting abortion after a certain number of weeks — but many of them have been blocked by courts, including those in Alabama, Georgia, Iowa, Ohio and South Carolina.
In Wisconsin, doctors immediately stopped providing abortions on Friday, turning away women in waiting rooms and calling to cancel pending appointments following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling striking down its Roe v. Wade decision.
Nearly 70 women had abortion procedures scheduled with Planned Parenthood Wisconsin on Friday and Saturday, the group’s medical director, Kathy King, said at a news conference. Four women had abortions at Planned Parenthood clinics Friday morning before the Supreme Court’s order came down, King said.
Women who were in Planned Parenthood clinics on Friday morning awaiting abortions were told that they couldn’t be done in Wisconsin. Instead, they were given help with scheduling appointments in other states, said Planned Parenthood Wisconsin President Tanya Atkinson.
Atkinson said offering travel assistance and helping women upon their return to Wisconsin will now be a focus of the group.
Wisconsin has an 1849 law that bans abortion, except to save the life of the mother, but whether that law is enforceable is expected to be challenged in court. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, said he would have news next week about how his office would respond to Friday’s ruling.
Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne, whose jurisdiction includes the state capital, Madison, said for the first time that he would not enforce the state’s ban. Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm has previously suggested that he would not enforce it, either.
“If the voters want a district attorney who prosecutes women for seeking an abortion or licensed providers who are acting in the best interest of their patients, they will need to elect someone else,” Ozanne said.
Under the Wisconsin law, doctors could be charged with felonies for performing abortions and face up to six years in prison and $10,000 in fines.
“Trigger law” states
Legislators in 13 states have passed so-called “trigger laws,” which are bans designed to go into effect if Roe is overturned. In some cases, the law requires an official such as an attorney general to certify that Roe has been struck down before the law can take effect.
Abortion clinics in some of those states shut down Friday or will shut down in the coming days.
In Louisiana, the law bans medical providers from performing an abortion procedure or providing drugs intended to induce an abortion if Roe is overturned.
The ban does not apply to life-threatening or serious medical emergencies but requires the physician makes “reasonable medical efforts” to preserve the life of the adult and the fetus.
One of the state’s three abortion clinics closed its doors Friday shortly after the ruling, according to sister station WDSU.
The only abortion clinic in New Orleans closed around 11 a.m.
Related video above: Massachusetts doctor travels to Mississippi to see patients at last abortion clinic
Mississippi law states that within 10 days of the state attorney general confirming Roe has been overturned, abortions are prohibited in the state. Limited exceptions are provided in cases of rape or when the procedure would preserve the mother’s life.
That means the state’s last existing abortion clinic in Jackson is poised to close soon.
“We thought this was a right. Clearly, it wasn’t. It was a privilege,” clinic owner Diane Derzis told sister station WAPT. “Most women don’t think of that as something there, until they need it.”
Derzis said the facility has 10 days to remain in business from the moment Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch signs the certification.
A few states have acted quickly to enforce trigger law bans.
In Missouri, state Attorney General Eric Schmitt tweeted Friday morning that with an AG opinion signed shortly after the release of the Supreme Court decision, Missouri became the first state in the country to effectively end abortion.
In addition, Tennessee attorney general’s office filed an emergency motion on Friday asking a federal appeals court to let the state immediately begin banning abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy.
The state also has a trigger law that was written to ban nearly all abortions if Roe v. Wade was overturned. That ban cannot take effect until 30 days after Friday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling. But the six-week ban could be implemented as early as next week, if the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agrees to lift a court injunction.
The Associated Press, CNN and Hearst Television contributed to this report.
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