As God is the Author of life, Family Research Council recognizes and respects the inherent dignity of every human life from conception until death. We work to pass federal and state legislation that highlights this principle, including laws that protect the unborn.

 

The maps below illustrate progress in the states on key pro-life laws. FRC educates policymakers, grassroots activists, and the general public about the benefits of such laws in building a culture of life – where every human life is valued as an intrinsic good, not something whose value is conditional upon its usefulness to others or to the state.

On June 24th, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to uphold Mississippi’s law protecting unborn life at 15 weeks gestation and went even further by overturning Roe v. Wade, the case that legalized abortion on demand in all 50 states in 1973. This historic ruling has restored state’s abilities to once again enact and enforce laws to protect the unborn. State-level pro-life laws that have been dormant for decades are now back in play, with many states having laws to protect unborn life from conception. With Roe finally overturned, the battle now heads to state courts as the abortion industry continues to challenge state’s pro-life laws.

This map gives an overview of the abortion laws currently on the books in each state. However, state courts will decide which of these laws will ultimately be enforced. States with pro-life laws that are currently blocked pending litigation are displayed with orange, diagonal lines. This map focuses on four main categories of protections for the unborn, ranging from protecting unborn life at conception to not protecting unborn life at all:

Protect life

  • Protect Unborn Life at Conception (18 states) – These laws protect unborn life from conception (these may contain exceptions for rape, incest, fetal anomaly, or the life of the mother) and come in three different forms: a law that existed prior to Roe, has been passed since Roe, or was conditional upon Roe being overturned.
  • Protect Unborn Life When a Heartbeat Is Detected (5 states) – These laws protect unborn life when a fetal heartbeat can be detected (generally between 5-6 weeks gestation).
  • Protect Unborn Life Based on Gestational Age (7 states) – These laws protect unborn life at a specific gestational age. Many of them protect unborn children when they can feel pain, or at the point an unborn child is believed to be viable outside the womb.

Do not protect life

  • Do Not Protect Unborn Life (21 states) – These states allow legal abortions throughout the entirety of pregnancy. Some do not have any laws protecting unborn life, and others allow abortion up to the moment of birth through a “health” exception. In these states “health” is defined so broadly as to effectively allow abortions throughout pregnancy for nearly any reason, including the mental or emotional health of the mother.

Click on the map below to see what pro-life laws may be in effect in your state. For more information, read our Issue Analysis at frc.org/postroe

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY
StateSELECT A STATE
Additional Laws

Protects unborn life at conception

Protects unborn life when the child’s heartbeat is detected

Protects unborn life based on gestational age

Does not protect unborn life

PRO-LIFE LAWS NOT IN EFFECT

Additional Pro-life Maps

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY
StateSELECT A STATE

Current Law
Best Defunding Laws
Good Defunding Laws
Partial Defunding
Temporarily Defunds
Doesn’t Defund
Funds Abortion Providers
Funds Abortions