The legal and political battle for abortion rights

The ramifications of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on reproductive health and the legal and political battles it has ignited around abortion.

The ripple effects of the Dobbs v. Jackson decision have already been felt across the country as abortion clinics in a number of states have shuttered. Close to a dozen states have effectively banned abortion, and another dozen are poised to prohibit or severely restrict it. For people seeking abortions and providers, there’s a lot of uncertainty and confusion, and countless legal questions remain.

Will people be criminally prosecuted for traveling out of state to seek an abortion? Can someone order FDA approved abortion medication in states that ban the procedure? What kind of surveillance is required to enforce abortion bans? And, as Justice Thomas suggested in his concurring opinion, will the rights to contraception, same-sex marriage and same-sex relationships now also be challenged? This hour, we discuss the Supreme Court opinion, what this means for reproductive rights and the legal and political battles that have been ignited.

Kimberly Mutcherson, co-dean and law professor at Rutgers University Law School in Camden. @ProfessorMutch

Rachel Rebouché, interim dean and professor of law at Temple University. @RRebouche

New York Times, Abortion Pills Will Change a Post-Roe World – Medication abortion delivered through the mail opens up possibilities for cross-border care, even if that care is outlawed in the patient’s state.

Columbia Law Review,  The New Abortion Battleground – Judges and scholars have long claimed that abortion law will become simpler if Roe is overturned, but that is woefully naïve. Overturning Roe will create a novel world of complex, interjurisdictional legal conflicts over abortion

NPR, Here’s where abortions are now banned or strictly limited, and where they may be soon – 11 states now ban or severely limit abortion. 11 others have laws — not yet in effect — to do the same