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More than a dozen states are expected to ban abortions within the next month as the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that protected abortion rights for almost 50 years, the Washington Post reports.
On Friday (June 24), the highly anticipated Supreme Court decision officially altered the landscape of women's reproductive rights as justices struck down Roe v. Wade 6-3.
Without landmark precedent in place, decisions on abortion policy will be left in the hands of the states.
13 states across the U.S. have already implemented "trigger bans," which were created to prohibit abortions as soon as Roe v. Wade was overturned.
Texas, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, South Dakota, and North Dakota all have anti-abortion laws in place that are now expected to take effect within the next 30 days.
The "trigger bans" across these 13 states all work differently. Some require a designated state official to certify the Supreme Court's opinion, a process that could be completed within minutes, while other states' abortion laws were designed to begin 30 days after the landmark decision was unveiled.
The anti-abortion laws include exceptions to save a mother's life, but most disregard rape and incestual pregnancies.
Other states without trigger laws including Alabama, Georgia, Iowa, Ohio, and South Carolina are expected to reignite previous anti-abortion legislation that was deaded by the courts due to Roe v. Wade protections. Their abortion laws could take effect in as a few weeks or within the next couple of months.
In other parts of the country, the immediate effects of the Roe v. Wade overturn are currently uncertain. Despite state legislatures being adjourned for the remainder of the year, some governors have said they may call special sessions to pass anti-abortion legislation.
Abortion policies in other states will be determined by November's midterm elections.
In Friday's ruling, the Supreme Court opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito called Roe v. Wade "egregiously wrong."
Alito's sentiments echoed the draft opinion leaked to the public earlier this year.
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