New Interactive Maps Powerfully Illustrate the Post-Roe Abortion Care Landscape

Ahead of the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, new interactive maps from Power to Decide’s AbortionFinder provide a compelling illustration of the terrible new chapter for abortion access that’s unfolded over the past year.

“January 22 would have—and should have—marked the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade,” said Power to Decide CEO Raegan McDonald-Mosley, MD, MPH. “But instead of reflecting on the progress made in improving reproductive well-being for people over the last half-century, we are again fighting for the right to access abortion care. The new abnormal for abortion as well as reproductive well-being more broadly can be described in only one word: chaos.”

The AbortionFinder interactive maps convey the chaos sparked by the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization on June 24, 2022, which rolled back generations of reproductive rights by overturning Roe v. Wade—and now jeopardizes the reproductive rights of generations to come. 

In some states, the impact was felt well before the actual decision was released. For instance, following the leak of Justice Samuel Alito’s draft decision in May, Oklahoma became the first state in the nation to begin enforcing a total ban on abortion, and South Dakota’s sole abortion provider closed in anticipation of Dobbs. 

Only 48 hours after the ruling, abortion care providers had closed across nine states. The following months were filled with legal confusion and uncertainty, as abortion bans and restrictions were variously implemented, challenged, enforced and/or lifted in states across the country. 

As a result, 14 states are now without a health center that offers any abortion care, impacting more than 72 million people, including more than 15 million people who could become pregnant.

“The barriers to abortion access have always been disproportionately high for young people, people of color, people living in rural areas, and people struggling to make ends meet,” said Dr. McDonald-Mosley. “These new abortion bans and restrictions put people’s health at risk and ignore the critical need for such care. 

“Abortion care is every bit as necessary as it was before Dobbs, or Roe, or at any point in history. It is essential, time-sensitive care that protects people’s health, their families and their lives. With AbortionFinder and other resources from Power to Decide, we will continue to connect people with information and access to care as quickly and seamlessly as possible.”

# # #
 
Power to Decide is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to advance sexual and reproductive well-being for all by providing trusted information, expanding access to quality services, and catalyzing culture change.