Growing wildfires across Western Canada are forcing thousands from their homes
Thousands of people in Western Canada remain displaced from their homes as wildfires threaten their communities, triggering evacuation orders and alerts.
In a monumental but not surprising announcement, the U.S. Supreme Court called an end to the nearly 50-year constitutional protection for abortion on Friday.
According to a research organization that supports abortion rights, that means 26 out of 50 American states are likely to ban abortion following the overturn.
The Guttmacher Institute says out of the 26 states, 13 have “trigger laws” which were created to have abortion bans taken into effect immediately once Roe v. Wade is overturned.
The states that have laws in place to make a swift move to ban abortion include: Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Florida, Indiana, Montana and Nebraska.
Among these states, restrictions range from the common six-week ban on abortion to a near-total ban, like in the state of Alabama.
Within the last three years, Florida and Montana have enacted bans that prohibit abortions after 15 weeks. Montana currently has a 20-week ban on the procedure.
Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming are among the trigger states that require none or minor effort to enact abortion bans in their state.
Kentucky, Louisiana and South Dakota all have laws implemented to ban abortions effective immediately once Roe v. Wade is overturned. These states do make an exception if a pregnant person’s life is in danger to allow the procedure. However, penalties in these states include being charged with high level felonies and for Louisiana up to 10 years in prison or a fine of up to US$10,000.
Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming can only trigger bans once an attorney general, governor or other state official confirms that Roe has been overturned in whole or part for the state. This process to certify the overturning could take a few hours or days.
The remaining states of Idaho, Tennessee and Texas are likely to enact bans 30 days after without any additional action made by the state.
Dr. Herminia Palacio, president of the Guttmacher Institute, released a statement following the ruling, saying “while much has been lost today, the fight is far from over.”
According to the institute, the U.S. has enacted 43 abortion restrictions in 2022, totalling 1,381 restrictions since Roe v. Wade was introduced decades ago.
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Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, CTVNews.ca wants to hear from Canadians who have had an abortion.
Did you struggle to access abortion services or information in Canada? Was it difficult to secure an appointment?
Tell us your story by emailing dotcom@bellmedia.ca, and include your name and location. Your comments may be used in a CTVNews.ca story.
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