Member-only story
Monday Morning Dobbs in America
Taking stock of where we are at post-Dobbs on the legal side of things outside the news media and online cacophony.
After a full weekend of sound and fury over the Friday release of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v Wade, maybe this is a good time to take stock of where we are actually at on the law side of things outside the news media and online cacophony.
The Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade on Friday sets off a cascade of antiabortion legislation that will affect roughly half the country.
Without the landmark precedent in place, access to abortion began to change quickly. First, 13 states with “trigger bans,” designed to take effect if Roe were struck down, will prohibit abortion within 30 days. At least eight states banned the procedure the day the ruling was released. Several others with antiabortion laws blocked by the courts are expected to act, with lawmakers moving to activate their dormant legislation. A handful of states also have pre- Roe abortion bans that could be reactivated, and others moved immediately to introduce new legislation.
In 20 states and the District of Columbia, abortion has been legal and is likely to be protected.
