SCOTUS allows Texas ban to stand, one of strictest in country
The Supreme Court kept Texas' ban on abortions after six weeks in place, but returned it to lower courts, giving abortion providers a narrow opportunity to challenge the ban. The law is one of the strictest laws in the US and prohibits abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is often before a woman knows she is pregnant. Court orders had previously blocked similar six-week bans from taking effect in eight other states, but Texas' ban has been able to survive court review so far because of its novel enforcement mechanism.
Statutory limit on abortions
20 weeks
6 weeks since last menstrual period
22 weeks
24 weeks
Third trimester
Viability
Courts blocked these eight states
from enacting a six-week ban
No limit
WA
ME
VT
MT
ND
MN
OR
NH
MA
NY
ID
SD
WI
WY
MI
IA
PA
NE
NV
RI
OH
IN
IL
UT
CO
WV
CT
VA
MO
KS
KY
CA
NJ
NC
TN
AZ
OK
DE
NM
AR
SC
MS
AL
GA
MD
LA
TX
DC
AK
FL
HI
Statutory limit on abortions
20 weeks
22 weeks
6 weeks since last menstrual period
24 weeks
Third trimester
Viability
No limit
Courts blocked these eight states from enacting a six-week ban
WA
ME
VT
MT
ND
MN
OR
NH
MA
NY
ID
SD
WI
WY
MI
IA
PA
NE
NV
RI
OH
IN
IL
UT
CO
WV
CT
VA
MO
KS
KY
CA
NJ
NC
TN
AZ
OK
DE
NM
AR
SC
MS
AL
GA
MD
LA
TX
DC
AK
FL
HI
Statutory limit on abortions
6 weeks
since last
menstrual period
22 weeks
24 weeks
Third trimester
Viability
No limit
20 weeks
Courts blocked these eight states from enacting a six-week ban
WA
ME
MT
ND
MN
VT
OR
NH
MA
NY
ID
SD
WI
WY
RI
MI
CT
IA
PA
NJ
NE
NV
OH
MD
DE
IN
IL
UT
CO
WV
DC
VA
MO
KS
KY
CA
NC
TN
OK
AZ
NM
AR
SC
MS
AL
GA
LA
TX
AK
FL
HI
