One year ago, the
Supreme Court
released its landmark Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision and
overturned
50 years of damaging legal precedent that had followed Roe v. Wade.
Because of Dobbs,
abortion
policy debates finally returned to the states. Some states worked immediately and aggressively to expand abortion access, while others worked quickly to save as many unborn lives as they possibly could. Each has taken a different legislative approach to do so.
BIDEN EMERGES FROM FIRST HOUSE REPUBLICAN IMPEACHMENT THREAT UNSCATHED
For instance, when Roe was overturned, North Carolina’s previous 20-week abortion ban went back into effect, and the state GOP
just
recently managed to override the Democratic governor’s veto and pass a new 12-week ban.
Neighboring Tennessee went further and aggressively limited the procedure,
completely banning
abortion with some medical exceptions.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL)
signed a six-week ban
of his own in April, which would only go into effect once the legal challenge leveled against Florida’s previous 15-week ban is resolved. South Carolina is in a similar position — the state recently passed a fetal heartbeat bill that bans abortion after six weeks, but the new law is being challenged and hasn’t gone into effect at this time.
And finally, Texas was a leader in this arena, famously adopting its groundbreaking “
heartbeat bill
” that has
all but eliminated
abortion in the state.
On the opposite end of the spectrum are New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. The district has long had the least restrictive abortion laws in the nation, and post-Dobbs, it has become an
abortion destination
. New York, New Jersey, and Maryland likewise
expanded
abortion access after Dobbs — and did so
aggressively
in some instances.
Overall, the positive effect of the Dobbs decision is undeniable, however mixed the results may be on a state-by-state basis. Within 100 days of Dobbs’s release, 14 states had
zero
active abortion clinics; 65
clinics
either closed or stopped providing abortions in those states. States with aggressive abortion restrictions saw a
near-total reduction
in abortions after enactment.
This is proof that pro-life legislation does work. And it’s vitally important that we work to pass pro-life bills in as many states as possible, because the ground we gain in states with restrictions can tragically be lost in progressive states. Some have become hubs for abortion tourists, seeing sharp
increases
due to interstate travel for operations or medication.
That’s partially why the victory in North Carolina is so important. It had become an abortion hot spot, performing the abortions recently banned or severely restricted in nearby Southern states. Florida is another uniquely important state for pro-lifers to win because it had the
fifth-highest rate of abortions
nationally before the 15-week ban went into effect.
A year after Dobbs, pro-life advocates ought to be proud of the work we’ve accomplished. The legislation our state leadership has passed saves unborn lives every single day and, in many cases, is paired with legislation that
improves
those lives as well.
This has been one of the defining battles of the GOP for generations and will continue to be for generations to come. Dobbs was the proper judicial outcome we argued for and awaited for 50 years. But Dobbs simply returns the issue to the public, and that will take prudence, persuasion, and patience. Making good on our promise to protect unborn children will take more time. That is the task before us. But the progress we are making is undeniable.
To those whom much has been given, much will be
required
. Dobbs was a monumental gift, and with it came the requirement to fight more fiercely, and more shrewdly, for the unborn.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM RESTORING AMERICA
Timothy Head is the executive director of the
Faith & Freedom Coalition
.
