On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overruling Roe v. Wade and holding that the U.S. Constitution does not confer a right to an abortion. Since that time, several states have held special sessions to put additional abortion restrictions in place and many more are expected to debate both limiting abortion access and codifying the right to an abortion in 2023. There have also been notable discussions among conservative lawmakers regarding potential action directed toward companies who have committed to providing travel expenses for employees who must leave their home states for certain medical procedures or limiting access to information on obtaining an abortion in another state.
State Laws Addressing Abortion Procedures
The legality of abortion varies widely between states, as indicated in the map below. Over a dozen state have some degree of abortion restriction or prohibition in place. Several additional states have abortion restrictions that are currently being held up by a court injunction.
As lawmakers return to state capitols to begin new legislative sessions, the first to begin since the Dobbs decision, reproductive health care will no doubt be a major issue. State legislatures are considering and advancing a broad range of social justice policies, including reproductive health care, abortion access, and restrictions on abortion procedures. The business community broadly is becoming increasingly engaged on these policy issues because of their impact on business operations and employees.
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MultiState’s team is actively identifying, categorizing, and tracking these issues so that organizations, their government affairs professionals, and other internal stakeholder teams have the information they need to navigate and effectively engage with the new world of corporate social justice. If your organization would like to further track reproductive rights activity in the states, or other corporate social justice issues, please contact us.