On Roe v. Wade Anniversary, Here’s a Closer Look at U.S. Abortion Access

The Biden administration announced new measures to protect reproductive health care accessibility on the 51^st anniversary of the Roe v. Wade ruling, which found that the U.S. Constitution protects the right to have an abortion. HHS, alongside the Labor and Treasury departments, released new guidance that instructs health insurers on how to comply with the Affordable Care Act’s requirements to cover contraception at no cost. For hospitals and provider associations, HHS and CMS launched new efforts to increase awareness about access to emergency medical care — including abortion services — required under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act.

A year and a half after the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization — which reversed Roe v. Wade — access to abortion is uneven across the nation. As of January 2024, 14 states have made abortion illegal. Among the states without bans, the majority have at least one restriction on the books, such as limiting abortion access to just those who are early in pregnancy and imposing mandatory waiting periods. Arizona, North Carolina and Wisconsin, for example, currently have six abortion-limiting regulations in place, according to a KFF analysis.