ACCESS TO LEGAL ABORTION IN A POST-ROE WORLD

Abstract

Women’s bodily autonomy and abortion access have been topics of mass debate since the 1800s. On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned decades of precedent providing access to abortion nationwide in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2022). The ruling immediately led to the overturn of abortion access in 13 states and returned the legislation of abortion access to the states. Women felt the immediate effects of the limitation of their reproductive rights. Access to legal abortion can be returned nationwide, however, through the codification of Roe v. Wade (1974) into federal law. Currently, the only major issues standing in the way of returning nationwide abortion access are politics – both from Congress and the Supreme Court. With Congress’ power to regulate interstate commerce, there are multiple constitutionally justifiable methods of protecting abortion access in federal law despite the Supreme Court’s ruling. The Executive Branch also has numerous methods of returning abortion access to the women of the United States including regulation of federal lands, mail, and telemedicine.