States pushing stricter abortion laws mostly poorer, with worse health outcomes for women
The past two weeks have been filled with activity in pushing for abortion restrictions in four states, with two passing bans and two expected to follow suit.
The laws that were signed into effect in Georgia, where abortions were banned after six weeks, and Alabama, where they were banned almost entirely, without exceptions in cases of rape and incest, are already facing legal challenges -- even as neither has gone into effect.
The governor of Missouri is expected to and sign the eight-week ban that recently passed the state legislature, and now the governor of Louisiana is signaling he would approve a similar bill.
The bans have prompted widespread outcry from protesters, but for those who study abortion laws and trends, the movement in these states comes as little surprise.
"These four states have been marching down this road for a very long time," said Elizabeth Nash, a senior policy analyst for the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights research group that was initially formed under Planned Parenthood but has been operating separately for years.
"They pass abortion restrictions nearly every year, and this would be the year to capitalize on that momentum by passing abortion bans," Nash told ABC News.
Other than their propensity to pass abortion restrictions, the states don't all fall in line when it comes to certain relevant statistics.
Three are run by Republican governors, but one is led by a Democrat. Three have higher poverty levels than the national average of 14.6%, and one is just under. One state has one abortion clinic, two have a few more and one has 17 clinics.
One unifying factor is their political voting record, as they all were won by Donald Trump in 2016.
"Part of the common thread here is that these states did not just enter into an abortion ban conversation. They've been restricting access to abortions for a long time," Nash said.
Georgia
Number of abortion clinics: 17 in 2014, according to the Guttmacher Institute
Number of abortions provided: 33,000 in 2014, according to the Guttmacher Institute
Governor: Brian Kemp, Republican
Percent of women in state legislature: 30.5%, according to the Center for American Women and Politics
Poverty level: 15.1% in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau
Maternal mortality: 46.2 deaths per 100,000 live births, ranks 48th out of 50, according to 2018 figures from America's Health Rankings from the United Health Foundation
Overall health care: 39th out of 50 states, according to U.S. News and World Report
Alabama
Number of abortion clinics: 5 in 2019, according to the Guttmacher Institute
Number of abortions provided in state: 8,020 in 2014, according to the Guttmacher Institute
Governor: Kay Ivey, Republican
Percent of women in state legislature: 15.7%, according to the Center for American Women and Politics
Poverty level: 16.9% in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau
Maternal mortality: 11.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, ranks 7th out of 50, according to 2018 figures from America's Health Rankings from the United Health Foundation
Overall health care: 46th, according to U.S. News and World Report
Missouri
Number of abortion clinics: 1 in 2019, according to the Guttmacher Institute
Number of abortions provided in state: 5,130 in 2014, according to the Guttmacher Institute
Governor: Mike Parson, Republican
Percent of women in state legislature: 24.9%, according to the Center for American Women and Politics
Poverty level: 13.4% in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau
Maternal mortality: 32.6 deaths per 100,000 live births, ranks 42nd out of 50, according to 2018 figures from America's Health Rankings from the United Health Foundation
Overall healthcare: 41st, according to U.S. News and World Report
Louisiana
Number of abortion clinics: 3 in 2019, according to the Guttmacher Institute
Number of abortions provided in state: 10,150 in 2014, according to the Guttmacher Institute
Governor: John Bel Edwards, Democrat
Percent of women in state legislature: 16%, according to the Center for American Women and Politics
Poverty level: 19.6% in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau
Maternal mortality: 44.8 deaths per 100,000 live births, ranks 47th out of 50, according to 2018 figures from America's Health Rankings from the United Health Foundation
Overall health care: 45th, according to U.S. News and World Report
Editor’s note: The statistic for the percentage of female legislators in Missouri was updated after it was initially incorrect.
