STATE POLICY TRENDS 2013: ABORTION BANS MOVE TO THE FORE

Submitted by JAC on Thu, 04/11/2013 - 12:00am

In the first 3 months of 2013, state legislators have introduced 694 provisions aimed at reproductive rights and abortion, according to Guttmacher Institute.

In 2013, as in recent years, state legislatures are devoting significant attention to issues related to reproductive health and rights. During the first three months of the year, legislators have introduced 694 provisions on these issues, and 93 have been approved by at least one legislative body.

Also in line with recent experience, abortion restrictions are at the center of state legislative activity. About half (47%) of all reproductive health measures introduced in the first quarter of the year seek to restrict access to abortion. But unlike in recent years when the thrust of legislative activity was on regulating abortion (e.g., requirements that women undergo an ultrasound, clinic regulations or insurance coverage restrictions), legislators this year seem to be focusing on banning abortion outright—either by declaring that personhood begins at the moment of conception or by prohibiting abortion even during the first trimester of pregnancy.

In a positive development, two states were poised at the end of March to enact legislation expanding access to comprehensive sex education; if enacted, it would be the first time since 2010 that any state has done so. (See here for a more detailed version of this analysis).