1st quarter of 2015, legislators introduced 791 provisions related to sexual and reproductive health

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Guttmacher Institute
TRENDS IN THE STATES: FIRST QUARTER 2015
 
By the end of the first quarter of the year, legislators had introduced 791 provisions related to sexual and reproductive health and rights. Nearly 42% of these provisions (332 provisions) seek to restrict access to abortion services; abortion restrictions have been introduced in 43 states. By April 1, 53 abortion restrictions had been approved by a legislative chamber, and nine had been enacted. Many of the new abortion restrictions enacted this year would either limit the use of medication abortion (Arkansas and Idaho) or ban abortion at 20 weeks postfertilization (West Virginia), a disturbing combination of attempts to curtail access in both the early and later months of pregnancy, potentially leaving women with fewer options and a greatly reduced time frame to get the care they need. 

Abortion opponents’ assault on medication abortion, a procedure that likely has helped women obtain abortion care earlier in pregnancy and now accounts for nearly one-quarter of all non-hospital abortions, is continuing apace in 2015. So far this year, Arkansas enacted a new law requiring abortion providers to follow the outdated protocol included in the FDA-approved labeling for medication abortion that is more expensive, carries a higher risk of side effects, and requires more clinic visits than does the widely used evidence-based protocol; in addition, the FDA regimen can only be used during the first 49 days of pregnancy, compared with 63 days for the evidence-based protocol. North Dakota, Ohio and Texas have similar laws (see Medication Abortion).

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